Sunday, February 27, 2011

NFL Combine, Day 2

I'll start with a rant and a moan. Then I'll talk players. Ok, so you clearly knew that being the sucker I am that I would sit down and watch the QB/WR/RB workouts. For that I received my vindication. Mike Mayock. God bless that man for the rest of his life. Part of the way through the on field drills (Group 4), Group 5 were busy doing there measurables (Broad Jump etc), when the action cut away to show Cam Newton stepping up to do his jump. Before he did, he just needed to tie his laces, which was when Mike got in this line which sums the whole thing up; (Sarcastically) "Let's not miss Cam tying his shoes now fellas!" Rich Eisen jumped immediately to the defense of the production team, trying to make it out as if Mayock was being highly unreasonable and in the end Mayock gave a rather unconvincing "I'm just teasing". But my question is this; couldn't somebody have just pressed record when Newton jumped and then just played that tape back later during a break in the field drills? This is precisely what I was talking about yesterday. Since when did the NFL Network become a vehicle just for promoting just the top stars? Did Newton's Dad slip the director a few dollars? What the fuck? Listening to Eisen crying because Mayock said what a lot of people are thinking was sickening. Maybe guys like Eisen may not give a shit about the little players and are only interested in the big name stars, but I for one would like to have the chance to see everyone work out. And another thing: The quality of the feed sucks balls. The live feed is at 6 hours and 40 minutes now, whereas I'm starting back at the 2 hour 9 minute mark, so my question is thus; why isn't the fucking stream loading?!! When you watch a video on YouTube, the rest of the video loads while you watch to avoid the damn thing from constantly halting. But not here. Oh no. Not the fucking NFL. I just don't get it. I mean they're an $8 billion per year revenue generating machine for Christs sake, and you're telling me they can't even keep up to date with current technology? What the hell bunch of ass clowns are running this show? What modern broadcast company can't even be fucked to invest in the state of the art video tech? Answer; The NFL Network. What a fucking joke. And another thing: I was watching the QB's work out and they switched to a camera angle where we couldn't see the damn receivers or the ball placement. Then about a minute later as they switched to the start of a new drill (throwing the out routes) Mayock, God love him, wondered aloud if we would get the angle where we could see both quarterback and receiver. The man is brilliant. And another thing: Just as the drill was getting good, just as Mike Mayock and Sterling Sharpe were getting into their flow, and just as the crew had finished dicking about with their cameras to get the right angle (didn't think of planning that out before the combine started? No, didn't think so) .... they cut from the feed to show us Charley fucking Casserly, probably the last person on Earth I wanted to see at that moment, who had just joined Bucky Brooks and Paul Burmeister. My question goes thus; why? Who the fuck cares which dick-wad presenter you've just brought into your broadcast booth? I just want to watch the drills. I just want to watch the fucking action. You know, that stuff that the combine is all about? Fuck. It's like pulling out your own teeth trying to watch this crap. I hope the advertisers are watching. At least maybe they have the power to influence someone and stop them dicking about. And another thing: Is it really fucking necessary (to keep swearing so much?) to keep cutting away from the rest of the group 5 quarterbacks just so we can watch yet another replay of Cam Newton throwing? Jesus Christ. NFL Network must be raising money on the side by acting as an agent for Newton. And another thing: The players got into a rhythm and started to rack up the successive completions. At that point the NFL Networks love child, Cam Newton, started yelling out "pressure" (or something) every time a receiver started his route. This brings up two issues for me a) that Newton has zero awareness of fact that everyone else is competing for a job and don't have the press on their side to help them get a a top ten pick, and b) why did none of the coaches on the field say anything, like for example "shut the fuck up"? And another thing: I just missed out on a ton of running back drills. Guess why? That's right. Cameron fucking Newton, interview of. I hate that guy already. And another thing: We just missed a whole bunch of running backs going through a drill. Why? So Paul Buremeister and Bucky Brooks could look at Brook's and Mike Mayock's top 5 list of defensive tackles, ahead of tomorrow. I mean what the fuck? This is getting ridiculous. The sheer level of utter incompetence and lack of forward planning among the production crew is reaching epic proportions, and this is only day 2. Honestly, this is a pathetic shambles. I just can't wrap my head around it. It's like when someone asks you "when did time begin?" or something like that. It's just beyond human comprehension. Our brains and our understanding of the universe are not sufficiently developed yet to be able to figure out how someone could fuck up something so simple, so badly. And another thing: The running backs are running a passing drill. Except instead of focusing on the backs, we get a close up of the QB throwing them the ball, even though the guy is just standing there casually chucking the balls out. What the hell? Am I missing something? I was under the impression that showing the combine live was about giving us the chance to watch all the prospects? Is the combine purely designed to show off the NFL's favourites? Is it designed to aim at the lowest common denominator, the fan boys? This is chronic. And another thing: I don't believe it. After the interruption above we watched about three guys go through the drills before they then went to a graphic because "Ian.M" had asked a question on facebook. Maybe Ian. M should pay more fucking attention during the season, then he wouldn't have to ask whether scouts view heavy carry loads in college to be a problem. Like I said yesterday, could they not have just read out the question, without having to have a full screen graphic display? You couldn't intentionally make the coverage this bad. In fact, I give up for the day. It's a hopeless fucking task. Let's just look at the names and who stood out: From the Group 4 quarterbacks and receivers: -- Andrew Dalton really impressed me. Now I know what you're thinking; who the hell is Andrew Dalton? But of the QB's in his group he was easily the smoothest and looked the most comfortable doing the drills. His footwork was picture perfect. -- Ryan Mallett was pretty good once more. I still don't understand how Jake Locker and Cam Newton are rated over this guy, purely because they can run. They may be able to run, but Mallett can throw, and throw well. -- Randall Cobb is one of those names you won't hear much about, but the kid is good. I've had my eye on Cobb for a while now and I thought he did really well at the combine. Not famous enough to get people fawning over him though. After all, he played at lowly Kentucky. -- A.J. Green was getting all the hype, and to be fair it was well earned. He looked very good all throughout the drills. A pretty safe pick in the making (he says....) -- Jamel Hamler anyone? Fresno State? No? Well remember that name. I have a feeling he's going to be a later round steal and he was my highest rated WR of the day. -- Leonard Hankerson also caught the eye. I'll admit freely that these evaluations are highly subjective, but he seemed very controlled throughout. Maybe another to watch. From Group 5 QB's and WR's: -- Let's get this out of the way right now. Cam Newton sucked. That has nothing to do with the NFL Network pandering to him all day long, and everything to do with him looking like a running back that used to play quarterback in high school. His timing was chronic (he blamed the receivers, naturally) and just when the NFL Network guys were bigging up his long ball throwing skills, he dropped a turd (actually three turds in a row). No way first round quality. -- Christian Ponder did well. Unfortunately he came right after Newton in the drills, so we missed quite a bit of his performance due to Netwon replays. But combined with what I've seen on film, Ponder is looking like a sneaky steal. -- Ricky Stanzi didn't hurt his stock with his showing. Some good, some bad, but the bad wasn't that bad and the good was pretty good, if you see what I mean. -- Tyrod Taylor, see above. -- Taylor Yates, see above. -- Jeff Van Camp from Florida Atlantic. I have to confess, I know a bit about college football, more than most this side of the pond, but even I was like "Florida Atlantic? Who?". But maybe I'll have to start paying more attention to them, because I had Van Camp as my number one QB on the day. Hardly put a foot wrong, threw accurately and with good timing. Excellent display. -- Jeff Maehl was pretty good among the receivers. Nice hands. -- Terrence Toliver also had a pretty good day out on the field. Group 6, Running Backs: -- Matt Asiata showed flashes of potential. He cut well and his face looked like it was about to explode with all the effort he was putting in. -- Delone Carter is another small time name who brought big time game to the combine. Very impressive I felt. -- Mark Ingram stole the show, as you might expect. He did every drill 100% and looked solid. Might have issues over some wasted movement at times, but generally top of the class. -- DeMarco Murray looked good, nice feet, agile. -- Jacquizz Rodgers. God only knows where his parents found that name, but the kid can run and has plenty of talent. -- Anthony Sherman. I love me a proper fullback, and that's what we have in Anthony Sherman. surprisingly quick on the field and cut well. -- Johnny White. Another name that never comes up, but again, to my eyes he was very impressive. Maybe I'm just mental or something. Anyway, that's your lot for Day 2. The chances of whether I'll catch Day 3 and report back are directly dependant on my ability to find some Morphine and a drip, which I can then administer on a timed basis to counteract the painful editing, directing etc of the NFL Network.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

NFL Combine, day 1 round up

This years combine has sucked. That's not a knock on the players. It's absolutely a knock on the coverage. I could honestly rant for about 4 or 5 hours on this subject, but I wont. Suffice to say the coverage by NFL Network has been absolutely shit-tastic (see post below for highlights). It's practically unwatchable. In fact, it was unwatchable. I turned it off as the tight ends came close to the end of the drills. There was no point continuing. For example, having cut off footage of one drill just so they could show their video of Mike Mayock explaining the "Gauntlet" drill, they then proceeded to waffle on in the studio and run so many adverts that they actually missed half of the Gauntlet drill itself. So what was the fucking point? Why take 5 minutes to show us an explanation of an upcoming drill, then when it comes on, only show us half the fucking drill! What's the fucking point? The answer is that there was none, which explains why I turned it off. I was really looking forward to the combine because it gives you a great chance to pick out some potential prospects who have slipped under the radar, but I just can't do it. I just get so mad watching the shitty coverage that I can't sit through the few good bits that come along. It's like forcing yourself to go to a 3 hour Justin Bieber concert, just because half way through your favourite band is going to come on and play one tune. The reward isn't worth the effort. I honestly hope someone from the NFL Network reads this, because they need to sort this shit out. It was literally painful to watch. It was painful to know that the fucking arse clowns who make up the production team actually paid good money to go to University and get degrees, just so they could go on to make this utter bile. Their tutors must be watching this now and wondering what the hell happened, where the hell did it all go wrong? It was simply chronic. The single worst piece of coverage of a sporting event I have ever seen. Maybe I'm biased because we're spoiled here in the UK. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has a well earned reputation for excellent sporting coverage. There is, frankly, not a company that can touch them in this regard. They never miss the action and they focus completely on the event itself. The NFL Network would do well to learn a few lessons from them. I know I sound like a broken record now, but I'm just struggling to find the words to describe how uniquely fucking appalling that coverage truly was. Anyway, I did make some notes: - Rodney Hudson is a beast. I already had him ear marked for my 2011 watchlist, now I think it's practically a guarantee. - Justin Boren and Brandon Fusco also did well. - Gabe Carimi looked awful, but the game footage tells a different story. - Nate Solder was pretty impressive. - Zachary Williams is a name I will be paying a lot more keen attention to. He looked very intense. - Zane Taylor did pretty well for himself. That's pretty much it for day one. I'm not interested in bench press numbers or many of the measurable's, because they inevitably end up being of little value, except at the various extremes or when someone puts up exceptional numbers. From now on, I'll just catch the highlights because I'm not subjecting myself to that crap from the NFL Network again. It's not good for my blood pressure.

Fuck the NFL Network

So I'm watching the combine by playing back the otherwise live stream on NFL.com (hence why I can pause it and come here to rant). And it's getting my blood up. The biggest issue I have with the TV networks is their belief that fans are more interested in their presenters and the fancy graphics than the actual on field product. The NFL Network are criminally guilty of this. We just missed the first 8 guys from OL group 1 (that includes Gabe Carimi) performing the 2-point stance, kick slide drill. Why? What was so special that the NFL Network had to show us that we missed part of the drill? Michael fucking Lombardi. Oh look everyone, Michael Lombardi is in the broadcast booth. Quick, let's turn the cameras off the action and onto them so we can get a good shot of his face. Could they not have just patched the audio over the top and said "Michael Lombardi has now joined us?" Why did they feel the need to break away from the drills, e.g. the bit that we all sat down to watch, just to show us your three talking heads sitting around chatting about how many people they know from the various teams. Congratulations, you have a lot of contacts, that's wonderful. Now get the fuck off the screen so I can watch the actual Combine!!!!! Edit: And another thing. They picked probably the worst possible angle to film the drill from. Then when the last guy was about to step up, they suddenly change to the correct angle that would have given us a much better view of the action. Whoever the director is, he needs a new job. As a janitor maybe. Edit: And another thing. They brought up a little graphic telling you who the players were and their numbers. Except that it was the Group one o-line on the field, and the numbers/names were for the D-line, who aren't even in action today. What the hell are these clowns doing? Edit: And another thing. James Carpenter just pulled up after a drill with some kind of injury. Now as much as I feel for the guy, please tell me NFL Network why you felt it was necessary to miss three or four guys doing the drill just so you could show Carpenter leaning over in pain? I mean what the fuck were they thinking? What idiot is directing this shit? Edit: And another thing. I'm watching the Group two O-linemen now. Stirling Sharpe needs more work as a host. The guy asks the right questions all the time. Edit: And another thing. I'm sick and damn tired of them cutting away from the drills just to show us highlight reels of their favourite prospects working out. a) Having watched the combine ourselves, we would have already seen the player workout and b) it'd be kinda nice if you'd let us watch all the others, so we can make our own minds up. Edit: And another thing. I just missed four or five guys doing a drill because the network decided it was more important to show some fucking graphic of a question that some arse wipe called "Mark. H" had asked on facebook. Seriously? How fucking hard would it have been for the presenters to just read the question out without having to interrupt the view of the drills? This is absolute fucking amateur hour. Edit: And another thing. Why does the NFL Network feel the need to interrupt one drill just to show us a preview and demonstration of the next drill? Couldn't you just wait for that drill to come up and then run the film while the coaches are explaining the drill to the players? Wouldn't that make more sense? Of course it would. That's why they don't do it. Because anyone with half a fucking brain has been removed from the production crew. Edit: And another thing. Was it really necessary to interrupt the TE drills to show us footage of Rob Gronkowski from last year, just so they could then compare Gronkowski to their favourite TE from this years draft? Who gives a fuck about Gronkowski? We already know he's good, now get the fuck off the screen and let us watch the TE prospects from this year!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Doh!

So you know what really helps? It helps when you actually read the correct dates and times for things. For example, the NFL combine doesn't actually begin till Saturday, despite my insistence that it began two days ago. In other news, according to my calender the season starts on April 3rd and the Super Bowl is scheduled for July 4th....

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

NFC North Prospects

Starting as ever in alphabetical order with.... Chicago Bears: I can't wait for the Bears to fall flat on their big, stupid faces. Potentially the worst team in the NFC North heading into 2010, somehow the Bears managed to conjure up the feigned reality that they're a good team and made it to the playoffs. In fact, it was worse. They beat the Seahawks (party time) to make it to the NFC Championship game. God I hate the Bears so much right now. Ok, ok, fair play to them. They beat those who were put in front of them and they turned a roster nightmare into a faint dream of glory. Credit to all involved. But now I want to see the wheels fall off the wagon and watch it go careening into a nearby valley, before exploding Hollywood style even though it's made of wood. Where was I going with that? I don't know, I just got carried awa with the thought of Jay Cutler on fire. So, free agency then. QB Caleb Haine is on the restricted list along with Devin aroma-sha-what's-his-name. Todd Collins is on the unrestricted list. That poses the tantalising question of whether Cutler will be the sole survivor at QB for the Bears in 2011. Lot of people talking about Haine's performance, so it wouldn't be a complete surprise if he was plucked from under their noses. Other than that, the Bears don't come off too badly from free agency at all. They keep pretty much all of their big name guys under contract. So yes, in other words the Bears roster will be as bad as it was last year!! (chortle, chortle). Honestly. People make a habit of being very middle of the road, non committal when talking about teams. Certainly the media has a vested interest in not hammering any one team too hard, lest they find themselves receiving a cool reception from said organisation in the future. But I'm a realist. The Bears suck. They are just horrible. I don't care if they made the NFC Championship game. They did it by beating the Seahawks. They should have lost to the Lions in the regular season, THE LIONS, but for the horror that is the "process of making the catch" rule. Luck plays its part in football, and the Bears rode theirs all the damn way. Picking 29th overall the Bears will be looking at their roster in horror. Outside of defensive linemen and maybe running back, they could use a brand new player at just about every position, including quarterback. Honestly, I really don't think people appreciate just how badly the Bears suck. As for 2011. Who knows? They should have sunk like a lead balloon in 2010, but somehow they didn't. Their luck may just extend to 2011. But at a guess I'd say they're about to take a tumble. I really hope so. I can't stand listening to people talking about them like they're the second coming of the '85 Bears. If their wagon doesn't ride off the cliff, I may just jump myself. Detroit Lions: Ahh the Lions. God bless them and their annual attempt to matter. Not win games. But just to matter, to make a show of things, just to prove that they're not a complete walk over. 2011 could be the year. I know, I know, I said the same thing about them at the start of the 2010 season. But this is different. Kind of. Another year in the system for the players. A core of rookies and veterans who have shown a lot of potential. And another round of draft picks to come. In free agency the Lions really wont miss out on much. DE Cliff Avril is up for restricted free agency, but other than that the Lions front office should be relatively happy with what they see. That means they can look forward to the draft, in which they pick 13th overall. Linebacker and secondary are likely to be the two main areas they go for, depending on what pick ups they make in free agency. If I remember correctly the free agent market for secondary guys is a little thin this year, so the draft will likely be the way forward. Luckily for the Lions, there are some attractive looking prospects on the board. So how does this translate into the win/loss column for the 2011 Lions? I think they'll do fine. The Bears will likely bomb out (I have my fingers crossed, trust me) and the Vikings are going back to the drawing board, so there is an opportunity to be had to pick up divisional wins. The Lions have a solid offense, it's just that D that needs a good kick up the arse. Green Bay Packers: They won the Super Bowl. Can't really say more about their 2010 season than that. More to the point, they did it well, with some great wins under adversity along the way. The fact that they were being ravaged by injury on a near constant basis says a lot about the strength and depth of this side. Free agency could be a problem though. Atari Bigby, Daryn Colledge, Mason Crosby (the kicker), Korey Hall, Brandon Jackson, Cullen Jenkins, James Jones and John Kuhn will all hit the market. That's a lot of very good (and in many cases under rated) players who could potentially be off for a big(ish) pay day somewhere else. Luckily for the Packers though, pretty much all of those positions are covered more than enough. That's just how good the Packers have been at drafting and playing the free agent market in recent years. If you want to talk dynasties for the 20-teens, Green Bay is looking like the most realistic candidate. And while they may be picking 32nd in the draft, that's of little concern. The Packers have two key advantages a) their excellent eye for talent and b) the fact that they have little need to reach out and grab anyone. They can just stock talent this year. It's an enviable position to be in. More to the point, 2011 could be even better than 2010 for the Packers. The chance is begging for them to storm a weakened division. They finally have the quality in depth to be able to pull off a 13 or 14 win season and still go on to win the big one again. Of course by saying all of this, I've naturally now doomed the Packers to fail this season. Bring on the 49ers then! (yeah, I'll go and put that one back in the dream box). Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings have a mysterious allure about them. Just like the Cowboys, you can't help but be sucked in by their story, watching and waiting for them to fail miserably and go ploughing head first into the turf. Much like they did in 2010! (boom, right there!). 2011 promises a repeat show. Leslie Frazier and his new Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers coach Mike Singletary (enjoy that one fellas) will be trying to pick up the pieces of the post Brett Favre era. It's also going to be the post Tavaris Jackson era. And the post Sidney Rice era. And the post Pat Williams era. And the post Ryan Longwell era. And the post Hank Baskett era (about which I'm sure the Vikings are gutted). Also on the way out (at least for now) is Ryan Cook, Ray Edwards (hot commodity in the making), Fred Evans, Ben Leber, Greg Lewis, Patrick Ramsey and Lito Sheppard. In short, the ship is sinking and these are the lucky ones who will get out before she cracks her back. Chad Greenway will, sadly for him at least, be sucked under the waves by the ship (interesting fact; this is actually a myth. Sinking ships don't suck people down from the surface. There you go). Greenway is set for a franchise tagging that will tie him down to the team for another year. That means he gets the joy of watching Joe Webb and Rhett Bomar battle it out for the starting QB spot. This is not helped by the lack of quality receivers. Percy Harvin will still be around, but Greg Camarillo and Bernard Berrian won't be striking fear into peoples hearts any time soon, though I do like Camarillo as a number 3 type guy playing underneath. The O-line will remain largely unchanged, but the Vikings D-line just got a lot skinnier, in more ways than one. The linebacking corps looks anaemic. At least the secondary isn't too bad. But this is definitely not going to be the year to take the Vikings D in fantasy football. Not even with the last pick. Just abstain from having a defense, you'll probably be better off. In the draft the Vikings pick at 12. The fact that they're picking before Detroit should serve to emphasise how dire their situation is. Defense will be the order of the day, but at some point they need a QB. Honestly though, I'm not sure there is anybody in the draft who is a standout, guaranteed starter, so taking a promising kid in the later rounds may be the best approach, then running with Webb and Bomar to give them a chance to prove their worth. Because (yeah I know) to be honest, I see 2011 as a year of rebuilding in Minnesota. Unless Leslie Frazier has the Lombardi touch, I really can't see him winning many games this year. As always in these situations, you just have to hope that a) he doesn't make things worse than they already are and b) people in Minnesota have a bit of patience. Things aren't going to get much better for the Vikings any time soon. Right then, that's your entire NFC preview for free agency and the draft. Well, in a way. Speaking of the latter, the combine kicks off tomorrow (technically today) and barring some kind of absurd miracle I will probably miss the vast majority of it. Which is a pain in the butt to say the least, as I sadly derive quite a bit of pleasure from watching the players perform the drills, complaining about the bench press, nodding approvingly at displays of good footwork, tutting discouragingly when a player messes up and screaming blue bloody murder at the monitor due to the NFL Networks arse about face coverage, which is usually about as well edited and smooth as a childs first home video. Ahh, those were the days.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

So it's occurred to me....

.... that I still haven't done the NFC North preview, with the combine just days away. Now I had a chance to start it earlier tonight, but it won't be finished till tomorrow unfortunately. As for the combine itself, I'm in serious jeopardy of not being able to sit and watch the whole thing unfold, which is disappointing because last year the live combine really helped me to get a better idea about some of the players (such as Kendrick Lewis). I'll do my best, but Combine coverage this year is likely to be not on a par compared to last year. Sorry dudes.

Friday, February 18, 2011

NFC West Prospects

Time to go and relax on the West Coast for a bit, as we look at the potential future for the NFC West. Starting Alphabetically with: Arizona Cardinals: Ken Whisenhunt has done a tremendous job in Arizona. With Kurt Warner at QB the Cardinals made the Super Bowl in '08. The next year they made it to the playoffs and lost only to the eventual champions. The next year Warner was gone, as was much of the Cardinals linebacking corps. The result was a 2010 season to forget. Poor Ken, undone at the seams by an unenviable personnel situation. Well guess what? It doesn't get much better in 2011. The QB situation is destined for messiness. Aaron Skelton, Derek Anderson and Max Hall are the most likely candidates for a QB competition, but even they are by no means locks for the season ahead. Old Ken might just decide to dump the lot and start from scratch, though Hall did show some promise so he might cling on in there. Anderson however...... much more likely to not be a Cardinal for 2011. Speaking of which, free agency. If you extract the players who are up for restricted and unrestricted free agency then what you're left with is about a 40 man roster, of whom 4 are quarterbacks and 4 are running backs. You have just enough players to scrape an O-line together and just enough receivers, defensive backs, linebackers and D-linemen to field a "team". God help you if you suffer any injuries. Among the names potentially off out the door include restricted free agents Early Doucet and Tim Hightower, along with unrestricted free agents like Steve Breaston, Alan Faneca, Deuce Lutui, Ben Patrick, Alan Branch & Bryan Robinson. Or in other words, a big chunk of some of the decent players that the Cardinals had left. The combination of free agent imports and the draft is going to be a very interesting time for the Cardinals. They pick 5th overall but they could need extra picks way more than they do some critical piece of the puzzle. If they lose all/most of their free agents then they have needs almost everywhere. They'll need a new quarterback. They'll need a few receivers. They'll need offensive linemen (note -men, plural). They'll probably need a new Nose Tackle (though I like young Dan Williams who was a 1st round pick). They'll need to get some impact players at Linebacker. And they'll need about 5 new secondary guys. All in all, if you're a Cardinals fan then 2011 is maybe the year to cut your budget deficit and forget about buying a season ticket. This is not going to be a pretty year. It's going to be messy as the Cardinals try to steer the ship back on course. But have faith. If anyone can fix a broken mess like the 2011 Card's, then it'll be a guy like Ken Whisenhunt. Besides, teams need their supporters more than ever at times like this. That's why you're called a supporter. San Francisco 49ers: By my reckoning, San comes before Seattle and St. At least that's the excuse I'm using. As for the team, the Mike Singletary era is over. It's all change in the staff room. Gone are the emotional speeches backed up by nothing but hot air. Poor Mike could talk a good game, but apparently he couldn't call or organise one. Fingers crossed then for Jim Harbaugh, former coach of the Stanford Cardinal (I wish they would add an "s" to that name). Maybe it's fate. The 49ers have previously hired a former Cardinal(s) Head Coach, who was also quite handy at developing quarterbacks. His name was Bill Walsh and he presided over 3 Super Bowl wins, plus essentially laying all the ground work for numbers 4 and 5. Now it falls to Mr. Harbaugh to try and follow in those immense footsteps. So what does he have to work with? Well it's a mixed bag to be honest. Among some of the names heading out of the door (potentially) are Aubrayo Franklin, Dashon Goldson, Manny Lawson, Jeff Reed, Alex Smith, Troy Smith, Takeo Spikes and Brian Westbrook. That leaves David Carr as the only guaranteed QB to return in 2011 along with a seriously depleted D-line. This then will probably take the major focus of the 49ers in the offseason. The Franchise tag is likely to fall on Franklin once more, keeping him locked up for another year, but that still leaves a lot of empty space around him, Justin Smith and Issac Sopoaga. Oh, and of course, it still leaves the team without a legitimate first string quarterback. If free agency doesn't bring in the answer, then maybe the draft will. The 49ers pick at number 7 and there is good money on it either being used for a QB or a DB. Certainly the 49ers are in a position where the overall quality of the team means they can be a bit more selective with who they want, rather than simply grabbing the best player on offer. As long as the QB question gets fixed, then 2011 promises to be a reasonable year for the 49ers. The playoffs might be a little bit of a stretch, given the rise of St. Louis, but San Francisco has a defense that can compete. All they really need to do is find that spark on offense to match the output of Patrick Willis and co. Seattle Seahawks: Having stunned the world - or at least that part of the world that watches football - the Seahawks are now preparing to build on a season that saw them become the first team with a losing record to win a playoff game. It's just a shame that their free agent list reads more like a grocery list. 24 names. Jordan Babineaux, Raheem Brock, Matt Hasselbeck, Leroy Hill, Sean Locklear, Brandon Mebane, Lawyer Milloy, Chester Pitts, Michael Robinson, Chris Spencer, Brandon Stokley, Leon Washington. The list of names just goes on and on. God only knows where the Seahawks are going in the draft. Seattle picks at 25 but they have so many holes they could be mistaken for Swiss cheese. Unless of course you believe that Charlie Whitehurst is the QB of the future, that two running backs (neither of which is a FB) is ok, that you can get buy on the dodgy O-line that the Seahawks fielded last year, that their D-line doesn't need improvement, that a 3-4 team can afford to only take 5 linebackers into the season and that new corners are not important. If that's the case then fine, but me personally, I'm worried. Well I say worried. About as worried as a 49er fan can be at the demise of the Seahawks. For that is what I foresee, using my magic football crystal ball, that has so far shown about a 55-60% accuracy rating. Honestly, I thought the Seahawks were beyond lucky to make it to the playoffs. Beating the Saints was almost inexplicable. With their core strength depleted for 2011, it looks like they're going to need their 12th man just to keep some of their games close. St. Louis Rams: St. Louis was one of the big surprise packages of 2010. Sure they had improved a little heading into the season, but guided by a rookie QB they were destined to have a rough ride. In the end they exceeded expectations and narrowly missed out on a playoff spot. This year they'll be adjusting to a new offensive coordinator. Josh McDaniels, former Head Coach of the Broncos, steps up to the plate as the man now responsible for the development of Sam Bradford. And while people are bemoaning the fact that McDaniels will be the second coordinator in young Bradfords 2nd year, there are few other people out there that you'd choose over McDaniels to guide a young QB along the path. What's more important is that the Rams free agent list really isn't that bad. It has fewer names on it than most and - importantly - has no names on it that I would consider crucial to the team. That means that the Rams are well placed for a draft in which they'll pick 14th overall. With all their key players returning for 2011, it leaves them open to pick and choose where they go, with tight end, defensive line, defensive back or running back being the more likely candidates for an upgrade. From what I've seen looking at the potential prospects and given the Rams position plus the fact that they're head coach is defense minded, I'd expect them to go Defensive Tackle. Whatever they do, the Rams are poised for one of the better seasons they've had in recent memory, since the glory days of the Greatest Show on Turf. It might not quite reach those heights, but if Bradford continues to develop at the same speed he did last year, then this team can go far.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

NFC South Prospects

So I planned this going up earlier, but when you over sleep, you over sleep. Again, we'll do this alphabetically. Atlanta Falcons: Having stormed the regular season, it might be easy to think that Atlanta will simply come back next year and everything will be the same once more. Right? They won 13 games. 13!!! Surely that's not the kind of team you need to go toying around with? But it is. We can't get away from the fact that Atlanta did, at many times, ride their luck. Trust me, I'm a 49ers fan. We took a bitter loss early-ish in the season when we should have walked home safely with the win. Unfortunately our defensive backs are fond of carrying the ball on interception and fumble returns as if they were parading the Super Bowl around Candlestick Park. Now I should temper that by saying that you don't win 13 games purely on the back of luck. Nobody is that lucky. It does take some input for the players and coaches beyond just "show up, be lucky". But the stage is set for potentially a big fall in 2011, so free agency and the draft could be a dicey time for the Falcons this year. In free agency both the Falcons punter and kicker are up for unrestricted free agency, as are some other important names like; offensive linemen Justin Blalock, Harvey Dahl & Tyson Clabo, WR Brian Finneran, and running backs Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling. That's a big loss to the Falcons if those guys leave. The offensive line has been a consistent strength for Atlanta over the last few seasons, while Norwood and Snelling have been solid back ups to Michael Turner who has had some issues with injury. If all of those guys leave, expect the Falcons to take a big step back right there. On the restricted list is two names that are also worth mentioning. One is Brent Grimes, the cornerback who had an exceptional season for Atlanta this year. The other is receiver Eric Weems, who became a big impact player in the return game. As restricted free agents their departure is less likely, but don't forget for example that the Patriots are lurking and have two picks in every round. Belichick might just feel like parting with a pick to acquire a player of Grimes's ability to boost his ailing secondary. As for the draft? Even if the Falcons get most of their free agents back, their offensive line could use a lower pick for some depth, their linebacking corps could use one more key player to take the field with Lofton and Weatherspoon, and the defensive back corps badly needs upgrading. A shiny new receiver wouldn't go amiss either. Atlanta picks 27th overall in the first round. Looking ahead to 2011 it could go either way. The Buccaneers are on the rise. The Panthers may be too, depending on how well their off season goes. The Saints had another strong year in 2010 and so Atlanta's 13 win record is in serious danger this season. If they stumble in the off season it is perfectly foreseeable that they might finish 3rd in 2011. Still, they always have Matty "Ice". Yeah, don't hold your breath. Carolina Panthers: It's all change in Carolina after a shockingly bad season. Ron Rivera, former Chargers defensive coordinator, will be taking over the head coaching role this season. Good luck to you sir. Rob Chudzinski will run the offense, having previously served as the Chargers tight ends coach. That might be a surprise success (notice I said might) as the Chargers have done well at the tight end position recently and Rivera obviously knows the guy from working with him, so he must have some faith in his abilities. Sean McDermott, formerly of the Eagles, will take over the defense. Which is where things get interesting. Both Rivera and McDermott are more 3-4 pedigree guys. The Panthers are all about the 4-3. Will they take the same approach Washington did in the off season and try to make the switch to a 3 man front? They're certainly bursting with pass rush talent, so maybe they'll try and get some of those guys to take their hands out of the dirt and rush from a two point stance? It's not all doom and gloom though. McDermott may have come from a 3-4 lineage, but the Eagles have essentially been running 4-3 for the last couple of seasons so he has some experience handling this type of front. It's just the tools that pose the big problem, and how to get the best out of them. In free agency the Panthers have a long list to keep an eye on. Some of the names that jump out at me are tight ends Jeff King and Dante Rosario, whose departure would leave the Panthers with just Gary Barnidge. That's not good, especially as the Panthers have leaned on their tight ends a lot lately. King and Rosario (and Barnidge) don't get anywhere near enough credit for what they do for the Panthers. The big name on the way out of course is RB DeAngelo Williams. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I think the Panthers should let him leave. They have Jonathan Stewart, who is a very good back. They have Mike Goodson who is a pretty good back up. They really don't need Williams now. Better to let him go and use some of the free cap money to improve the rest of the team. Two other names that stick out from the list are Center Ryan Kalil and QB Matt Moore. Moore is the big one. Do they bring him back for another shot? Do they roll with Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike? Or do they hit the draft and bring in yet another QB fresh from the college game? Glad I'm not running the Panthers, that's all I'll say. Which brings us neatly to the draft itself. They have the number one pick overall and they have needs all over the shop. If they can, my guess is the Panthers will drop down the draft ladder. They seriously need the extra picks to start covering all these holes. Wide Receiver is a huge hole, defensive back is a huge hole. They could use another quality linebacker. They need a QB from somewhere. And they might need some new tight ends as well. Honestly, 2011 for the Panthers will center on rebuilding. Panther fans should brace for another crappy season, not because they can't compete but because it is time for someone to come in and stamp their mark on this team. That means saying "this is how we're going to play, but it'll take some time to get it right, even if we lose some along the way". Patience from the fan base will be required. More importantly, patience from the ownership will be required too. Good luck Carolina, I don't hate you really. Well. Maybe a little. New Orleans Saints: The Saints had the dubious honour of being the first NFL team to get dumped in the playoffs by a team with a losing record. Nice work guys. But they did us all a favour really. They proved that the "any given Sunday" rule can still happen in the modern NFL and that even a 7-9 team should be allowed in if it wins it's division. So where now for the Saints? Well, they've managed to keep hold of their coaching staff, but free agency is going to be all kinds of fun. By my maths they have 27 unrestricted free agents. Twenty seven. If you draw up the list of players at each position that will be left if all the free agents leave, it looks like a High School team where the offensive starters are defensive backups and vice versa. I'm just going to list some of the notables; Jermon Bushrod OT, Heath Evans FB, Jonathan Goodwin C, Anthony Hargrove DE/DT, Roman Harper S, Julius Jones RB, Kawika Mitchell LB, Lance Moore WR, Courtney Roby WR, Scott Shanle LB, Darren Sharper S and Pierre Thomas RB. Now as far as the running backs are concerned, that's not a huge issue for the Saints. They have spares so to speak. Wide receiver is an issue of sorts, given how wide open the Saints like to play. Charles Brown could fill for Bushrod, depending on how well he's developed since the 2010 draft. But linebacker and safety are two huge concerns for the Saints. Picking 24 in the draft, I see this being a very defense heavy approach. Unless they can bring some guys back or reach out into free agency and find some talent, the linebacking and safety corps are going to be barren come draft day. I imagine the Saints will prioritise their pass rush, given their tendency to jump ahead of teams in games and forcing them to pass to get back into the game. 2011 outlook then? Erm, grim I would say. Sort of. The Buccaneers are rising. Atlanta can come back strong. Carolina will be... Carolina. But the Saints defense is going to be holding its breath this offseason. If they can't recoup their loses then it's going to be a miserable year for the 2011 Saints. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ah Tampa Bay, the pirates that you can trust. Sort of. They had a resurgence in 2010 off the back of some exceptional work by Josh Freeman. Sort of. And some greatly improved defensive play. Sort of. Free agency offers up a mixed bag for the Buc's. Some names stand out at me; Ronde Barber CB, Quincy Black LB, Barrett Ruud LB and Jeremy Trueblood OT. Barber is a mixed bag. He's old, but he still seems to come up with plays now and again. Trueblood's loss will be a problem, but Black and Ruud are the main concerns. The Buc's have some talent at linebacker, but they need Ruud and Black back to support their defense. As for the draft, they pick at 20 which is almost unknown territory for the Buc's in recent years. Where will they go with this? I honestly am not sure. After last years performance in the draft and with signing undrafted free agents, the Buc's are in a nice spot. I imagine that the subject of running backs will eventually come up, as LaGarrette Blount can't do it all himself. A true pass rushing defensive end will probably top the list unless they decide to slide McCoy over (where he's shown potential). Another receiver would be nice, as well as another inside linebacker. Overall though, the 2011 Buccaneers have their sights on the playoffs. Their division could be in a very vulnerable state this year. If the Falcons lose their O-line and the Saints lose their defense, to free agency that is, then nothing is standing in the way of Tampa having a run at the division title. Even just a moderately good free agency and draft will set them up nicely. So with that, we come to the end of the NFC South 2011 preview thingy. Next up is the NFC West, which will be posted around Thursday or Friday. As for the CBA situation.... err, nothing has changed. We're still headed towards a delayed start to the 2011 season and honestly I've given up caring to some degree. The arguments being put forward by both sides are mundane in the extreme, neither side seems to really give a shit about the fans and their persistence in trying to convince us of how wonderful they are and how evil the other side is doesn't wash. As always in these things, it's all about the money and has nothing to do with the quality of the game and fairness. If it did, we could probably solve all this crap in a few hours with some strong coffee, swiss iced buns and a few well placed punches. Have a great day everyone.

Friday, February 11, 2011

NFC East Prospects

Nope, it has nothing to do with the draft. Well, not overtly anyway. It's time to peer into the crystal ball of a sport notoriously resistant to the power of crystal balls. Or maybe crystal balls are just junk. Who knows? Who cares? Either way, let's look at the NFC East. Dallas Cowboys: We'll do it alphabetically, because that's about as good a method as any. So that means the Cowboys are up first and what a season it was. To forget if nothing else. The loss of Tony Romo muted any questions about whether he would be able to repeat on his playoff win from the season before. A season where the Cowboys dreamed of playing the big game in their big new stadium ended in despair. Instead it largely fell to Jon Kitna to steer the ship, a job which he didn't do too bad at. But he wasn't awesome either. Neither was much of the Cowboys team, leading to the early exit of Head Coach Wade Phillips. After a protracted period of engaging in the letter of the Rooney Rule, if not the spirit and intent, the Cowboys appointed Jason Garrett as the new top man. Previously just the offensive coordinator, Garrett now has to get used to being directly accountable to Jerry Jones. Good luck with that Jason. To compliment Garrett and basically to fill the gap left by Phillips, the Cowboys have hired Rob Ryan to come in and run the D. It's a 3-4 already so the transition on the surface should be quite smooth. Not sure how DeMarcus Ware is going to take it though. As the leading sack collector in the league this year he will surely get plenty of shots again next year, but the Ryan pedigree will likely mean a more diverse range of blitzes than the Cowboys have run in previous years, perhaps nipping Ware's sack tally a little at the expense of an overall increase in sacks for the D. Providing everything goes well of course. As for the impending free agency, which for the sake of argument we will presume as going ahead as normal, the biggest question is where the Cowboys will drop their Franchise tag? On the market this off season will be offensive tackles Alex Barron and Doug Free, one of whom I'm guessing the Cowboys would rather like to hold on to. Another candidate is possibly Marcus Spears, who only played 8 games this season, though it's a much less likely option. To be honest, I'm not sure how worthy any of the 3 are. Two other names worth mentioning, though certainly not in the franchise debate, are Sam Hurd and Gerald Sensabaugh. The loss of Sensabaugh would hurt more, by far, but Hurd is a handy little player to have around, even if Miles Austin, Roy Williams and Dez Bryant are burning holes in your cap sheet. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cowboys dump the expensive Williams this off season and retain Hurd as a back up. But then Jerry does seem quite smitten with Roy. As for the draft, the Cowboys start at number 9 this year. So, choices abound. The expectation at the minute appears to be that there will be a run on defensive ends/outside linebackers, which isn't really a position the Cowboys will have much interest in, so don't be surprised to see them move back a few spots. A new tackle would be nice, but the only one estimated to be worth a 9 slot would be Gabe Carimi, who could already be gone by that point. Other than that, the Cowboys really don't have many needs. Maybe a defensive back, if someone like Prince Amukamara falls that far. All in all, 2011 should be a good year for the Cowboys. They have good coordinators now. They will have Romo back. They have three great running backs, plenty of speed at the wide receiver position, they have Witten at tight end and their defense is relatively well rounded. What could possibly go wrong? They're the Cowboys. Something always does. New York Giants: Despite speculation that he might be shoved out the door for missing the playoffs, Tom Coughlin has hung in there. Of course I say "hung in there". The Giants were 10-6 last season. Their defensive line tore Jay Cutler a new a-hole. At times they looked collectively like an unstoppable juggernaut. Unfortunately there were far too many occasions when they looked eminently stoppable. That will be the focus for change in 2011. There's not really a lot to say though. The Giants will go as far as Eli Manning takes them. I know people love to rave about Eli because of his Super Bowl performance, but that's starting to look like a forgotten memory. His play recently just hasn't matched that of those around him. I personally believe that far from being one season away from greatness, Eli is the piece that is holding the Giants back. Sadly I don't think enough people agree (a statement which presumes that I'm right). The list of unrestricted free agents however is what catches the eye most. Kevin Boss, Ahmad Bradshaw, Barry Cofield, Derek Hagan, Domenik Hixon, Mathias Kiwanuka, Steve Smith, Jim Sorgi.... Ok, so Sorgi isn't such a big worry, but that is a lot of talent potentially walking out the door there. What is surprising though is that when you look at the Giants roster at those various positions and, except for maybe tight end, you can't help but say "they won't miss that guy....". The Giants are actually pretty well stocked. Their attention then would probably swing toward the draft, with the Giants picking at number 19. The obvious shot is at mike linebacker. Last year many in New York had their sights set on Rolando McClain, but when the Raiders swooped on him early, the Giants were left fuming. Their response was to take Jason Pierre-Paul, who turned out (so far) to be an unexpected steal (of sorts). This year there is no real leeway for the Giants. Unless something very tempting comes up in free agency, it's going to be a linebacker draft for the boys in blue. Maybe one in the first round if the talent is there, probably one in the second if it's not. Tack on perhaps one mid-round choice and maybe a late round project. That's really how bad the situation is for the Giants. Defensive back is also a weakness. Looking ahead at their season? It should, theoretically speaking be a good year for the Giants. They have the talent. They really, really do. But again it comes back to Eli, or maybe even just the Giants reliance on Eli. If he has even just a mildly good year, they can go far. If he bottles it, then the rest of the team will get dragged down with him. Again. Philadelphia Eagles: Andy Reid strikes again!! Last year it was McNabb who was assured of his spot on the team, only to find himself shipped to Washington. This year it was defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. It looked like he was staying in Philadelphia one minute, then the next Reid had shipped him out of the building. His replacement was naturally going to be.... wait, what? Juan Castillo? What the hell? This is what many Eagles fans were wondering when they heard the news. Juan used to be the offensive line coach, a job that has now been taken over by former Colts line coach Howard Mudd. And while the Mudd hiring is a smart move, I just don't get the Castillo appointment. I think Andy Reid must have been drunk. Or maybe he was just being Andy Reid, except instead of having one his temporary bouts of insanity during a game and while holding a red flag, he instead had it while making this personnel move. Who knows though. Maybe Juan Castillo has some secret plan. Maybe he's dug out his old playbook from when he was a high school/college defensive coach and is ready to unleash all hell on the world. Maybe as an offensive line coach he has spent the last 12 seasons studying so much tape of teams blitzes that he has managed to absorb just about every blitz the league has to offer, and can draw them up on a borad, techniques and all, without even having to refer to the playbook. I'm going with the Andy Reid insanity plea. On to free agency then and I guess there is little doubt now that Michael Vick will find himself slapped with a franchise tag. That'll be an interesting situation to watch as I'm intrigued to know if anybody might see Vick as worth the hefty price given his skills and the impact that he had on the Eagles offense. There are a lot of other noteworthy names on the Unrestricted list as well. Kicker David Akers, Stewart Bradley, Omar Gaither, Jerome Harrison, Ellis Hobbs, Quintin Mikell, Sav Rocca, Ernie Sims and Reggie Wells all deserve a mention. That's a long list, and if they tag Vick you have to wonder how much money will be left over to start paying these guys. That then leads to draft time and a swathe of "needs". LeSean McCoy will be the only true running back left on the team. They'll only have three true linebackers left on the team. No punter or kicker assuming Akers and Rocca don't return. And we all know how sketchy the Eagles defensive backs can be. The question is where do you start on that list. The Eagles might just go for a 'Best Available' strategy and treat 2011 as a rebuilding year of sorts. Which answers the question about where their 2011 season is headed. Namely down. Vick is special, as is DeSean Jackson, but that's two players on offense. The defense will need some serious work and some serious help just to stay competitive. Unless the offense can tear teams apart like it did in 2010, it's going to be a long and miserable season in Philly. Washington Redskins: Finally we come to the second most dysfunctional franchise in football after the Raiders. No, scrap that. The Raiders drafted well in 2010 so despite the inexplicable decision to dump Tom Cable, the Raiders get a pass for now. The Redskins are the kings of "What the hell are you doing?" this off season. So what are they doing? Who knows? The combination of Dan Snyder and Mike Shanahan leaves everybody baffled it seems. Take Donovan McNabb for example. They trade for him, pay him up nicely, then for some reason turn against him and try to make him public enemy number 2 in Washington. The number 1 spot goes to Albert Haynesworth. On reflection, you have to see both sides of the Haynesworth story. On one side you have the fact that he took $100 million from the Redskins, and as a result they should be able to play him at any position on the field that they see fit, including but not limited to; Nose Tackles, 3 technique, quarterback, cheerleader, water boy. On the other hand, it is slightly deceitful when you hire a guy who thinks he's going to be rampaging through the offensive line, only to turn around and say "ah ha, gotcha! You're really just going to be used as a road block in the middle!" Neither Haynesworth nor McNabb is up for free agency this year, but something tells just about everyone that both will likely be gone. Initially the Redskins will be expected to hold out, looking for a trade. But given that nobody seriously believes that the Redskins are going to hold on to these two into next season, the much more likely outcome is that they will be dropped some time before the start of free agency, possibly at the eleventh hour. As for their general list of unrestricted freebies, the Redskins actually don't have too much to worry about. Rex Grossman is on the block but as the preferred choice of the Shanahan's, I imagine he will get tied up before deadline day. Rocky McIntosh and Jamaal Brown will be missed in their own ways, as will Santana Moss and Casey Rabach. But the Redskins aren't big on bringing back free agents. They much prefer to go out and splurge on brand new ones. They also pick tenth in this years draft, so more opportunity for Snyder to open the check book and hand someone a wad of money. It's possible the quarterback will be one of the positions of interest, maybe with names ranging from the more sensible like Ryan Mallett to the more Snyder-esque hit and hope approach, such as Cam Newton or Jake Locker. The 'Skins could probably also use a corner (or two), a decent wide receiver (or two), and another decent linebacker (or two). Looking ahead to their 2011 season. God, please don't make me do it. I seem drama appearing. I see a spat between father and son Shanahan. I see a team in revolt. I see a team that is revolting. I see a fan base in revolt. I see a fan base that is revolting. I see Dan Snyder in revolt and revolting at the same time, while also hanging his Head Coach out to dry. And I see yet another bottom of the pile performance from what is quickly becoming a laughing stock of a franchise. Wait, did I say becoming? :) Ah who am I to talk. I'm a Niners fan.... Anyway, that's the NFC East done. I can't decide whether I want to go NFC South next or AFC East? I'll think about it, probably over the weekend. Till then, keep praying for a new CBA everyone.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Monday, February 07, 2011

Super Bowl 45

It's over. It's all done. At least for one more season. Pittsburgh Steelers 25 @ Green Bay Packers 31: Normally I'd do a game recap, but frankly if you're reading this then there is a 95% chance you watched the game and thus a recap would be redundant. So I'll just share my thoughts for the game: -- Why did Ben Roethlisberger throw 40 passes when it was obvious to almost everyone watching (except Bruce Arians for example) that the Packers defense was struggling to stop the Steelers rushing attack? Rashard Mendenhall had 14 carries for 63 yards. Issac Redman carried twice for 19 yards. Mewelde Moore (who will hopefully find a team that values him in free agency. Good player) picked up 13 yards on 3 carries. The Packers were getting creamed on the ground. -- Credit to MVP Aaron Rodgers. I thought WR Jordi Nelson might give him a run for his money on that score, but 24/39 for 304 yards and 3 TD's is nothing to be sniffed at. Having cruised in the first half, he struggled in the third but recovered very well for the endgame. -- Antwaan Randle El made a case for his elderly ass receiving more targets next year. -- The Packers controlled field position well, helped by the Steelers bizarre 52 yard field goal attempt. -- Troy who? I'm a real advocate of getting your best players involved in the game somehow. And while I understand that sometimes the Steelers lean on Polamalu too much (and even made mention of that the other day) I'm absolutely astounded with just how little a part Polamalu played in the gameplan. Bad decision. -- Ben Roethlisberger came out after the game (no, not like that) and said that he feels he should shoulder a lot of the blame for Pittsburgh. If he was hoping that everyone would come to his defense and rub his ego (the jokes are just too easy, so I wont), then I think he's in for a long wait. -- When was the last time that a team with a minus 3 turnover ratio actually won a game? Any game? Honestly I don't know. It can't have happened that often. -- I'm pleased for rookie LB Frank Zombo, who had a pretty solid impact for that Packers defense. -- And credit to the Packers D in general, who played well despite the loss of Charles Woodson and Sam Shields. I honestly thought the second half might have swung massively in the Steelers favour. It didn't it because the Pack held it together. -- In fact, just all out respect to the Green Bay Packers. A ton of people had them tipped for Super Bowl glory at the beginning of the year and they were right. This team drafted well, came together well as a team, fought a season long battle with injuries and is truly a very worthy champion. Now enough of blowing smoke up the Packers butts (I'm sure the players, with their salaries, can find plenty of places that offer that service). Time for a bit of general news: -- For those who hadn't already seen the list, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has chosen it's seven inductees for 2011; Richard Dent. Defensive End for the Bears, including the famous team of '85 which resulted in his MVP award in Super Bowl 20. Marshall Faulk. Running Back for the Rams "greatest show on turf". Enough said. Chris Hanburger. Linebacker for the Redskins from 1965 to 1978. Elected to 9 Pro Bowls and a 4 time All-Pro selection. Les Richter. Linebacker, Guard and Kicker for the Rams from 1954 to 1962. 8 Pro Bowls and 2 time All-Pro. Ed Sabol. Founder of the company that eventually became NFL Films. Seen as a controversial choice by some, but the work of NFL Films has probably done more to promote the NFL into the multi-billion dollar industry it is today than any other form of advertising or promotion. It also makes kick ass montages. Deion Sanders. 8 Pro Bowls, 6 All-Pro selections and 2 Super Bowl rings. Plus a bunch of off field issues and the "kiss of drama" anytime he decides to mentor a young player. Also pretty famous for publicly criticising players toughness etc, despite being notorious for shirking away from tackles. Shannon Sharpe. 8 Pro Bowls. 4 time Associated Press All-Pro. 3 Super Bowl rings. Finally in. Thumbs up. Those who missed out were; Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Charles Haley, Cortez Kennedy, Curtis Martin, Andre Reed and Willie Roaf. Of those I'm disappointed in particular that Bettis didn't get in ahead of Faulk and that somehow Deion Sanders is considered better than Charles Haley. Ronnie Lott was particularly pissed off about Haley not making it, again, voicing his complaints to the press that a five time Super Bowl winner like Haley can't get in possibly because of off field comments/actions he has made in the past. Didn't hurt Sanders. -- The Labor situation still isn't under control. And given that I mercilessly bash the NFLPA every time it spouts some bullshit line such as the possibility of a lock out still being very high, despite the fact that they themselves can prevent such an action in a heartbeat, I feel it's only fair that I bash the owners or indeed their mouth piece Roger Goodell anytime he/they too spouts a line of pure bollocks. So it is that I draw your attention to this article on ProFootballTalk.com. Written prior to the Super Bowl and basically just reporting that Roger Goodell has once again re-iterated that he would like to see an 18-game regular season and that it's what the fans want. But PFT.com cited a study by the Associated Press that contradicts that view. What is even more telling is the first comment that simply says "No".... and has been given the thumbs up (last time I checked) by 1229 people compared to just 117 thumbs down. This is a story repeated everywhere an article about this subject props up. The majority of fans seem to hate this idea (me included). Now if the league wants to push it, they are more than welcome to say that but they have to stop trying to bullshit that the fans are in full support of the idea. So what now? Well, with no football till August (hear, have a tissue) the next big date on the calender is early March, when we'll either be waiting to see how Free Agency pans out or we'll be looking at the start of a protracted and ugly labor dispute. Then we have the draft (regardless of the CBA) in April. Until then I'll be churning out articles looking at how each team fared in 2010 and how they might go about handling free agency and the draft. I'll also hopefully be around for the 2011 combine starting February 23 - March 1st, but that's subject to me being able to loaf off at the appropriate times. Fingers crossed.

Thursday, February 03, 2011

It's time

Well, sort of. Time is ticking though. As a cold, wintery blanket descends on Texas, the Super Bowl is a mere few days away now. Fans in suits (yeah) are arriving in droves ahead of the big game. The media is whipping itself into a frenzy. Mike Florio is filling the ProFootballTalk.com pages daily with bitching about ice, presumably to cover the lack of news at this time of year. So now is as good a time as any to take a look at what's in store and compare the two teams. We'll start on defense. Pittsburgh Steelers vs Green Bay Packers: Super Bowl 45 Nose Tackle: For the Steelers it's Casey Hampton. For the Packers it's more of a combination thing, with Ryan Pickett and B.J. Raji both capable at the position. It's definitely one of those positions to watch if you get the opportunity. The Nose Tackle is a real key to the 3-4 defense that both teams will be using. Hampton is, frankly, a beast. The ability to consume and hold up double team blocks by the offensive line is a key to this position, allowing the linebackers to flow to the ball and make the plays. Hampton is one of the best in the league when it comes to this. He may not have the pass rushing impact that you find on some teams at the Nose Tackle spot, but Hampton is unquestionably the key to the Steelers awesome run defense. Inside, outside, Hampton is the cog that allows all the other gears to run. Pickett and Raji meanwhile are a little more versatile. Raji in particular. Compared to Hampton's sole sack this season, Raji has 6.5. He's much more of an impact player against the pass, not just through sacks but also the pressure he generates up the middle, giving guards nightmares as they figure out a way to contain his awesome bulk and speed. Pickett isn't too shabby either. Against the run there are a few more questions for the Packers tackles, as there inevitably will be when your style leans more to the pass than the rush. Opportunities inside for the Steelers perhaps? Defensive End: It's a little harder to measure defensive ends in 3-4's. Unlike their 4-3 counter parts they don't get to the QB anywhere near as often. And unlike a big Nose Tackle, their impact against the run is not as noticeable. They're kind of the forgotten men, cast into the shadows of their bigger team mates (literally). But don't count the 3-4 defensive end out. Justin Smith of the 49ers picked up 8.5 sacks from this position during the regular season (just about the only good thing to happen for the 49ers). That's something that both teams in this game will be hoping they can channel on Sunday. They certainly have the players to do it. For the Steelers listen out for the names Brett Keisel and Ziggy Hood. These are not just two spare parts who make up the number for the Steelers. These are two important inside players who make up a big part of what the Steelers do defensively. In particular they seem to have a nose for pursuing the run from the back side, and their stoutness and toughness against the blocks of offensive linemen once again contributes to keeping the linebackers clean to make the tackle. Although guys like Harrison and Farrior get all the glory, it's the D-linemen that make the Steelers run defense what it is. For the Packers, again keep an ear out for Ryan Picketts name as he sometimes ends up on the field together with Raji, and also keep your ears pinned back for Cullen Jenkins. For me, Jenkins is one of the most under rated guys in the NFL. When you look at impact on the field. Not so much raw numbers (though he has 7 sacks) but just genuine, on the field impact. Jenkins is a true warrior of the trenches and is easily as deserving of a Super Bowl ring as anyone on that field Sunday. Linebackers: Now we're starting to get into the highlight reel stuff. Now we're getting to the show time. It's not that I dislike linebackers, I don't by any means, but I do kind of get annoyed at the amount of press they get over their larger counterparts up front. This is especially the case in 3-4 defenses like both teams run, as it's the linemen who do most of the work up front leaving the easy one on one tackles for the backers. That said, let's not play down just how good some of these guys are. The Steelers starting four need little in the way of introductions; LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison, James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons. Just about four of the most recognisable names in pro football right now. But I also want to quickly give some love to Larry Foote and Keyaron Fox, kind of the forgotten men of the Steelers D. Foote and Fox may not be starters and they may not get the headlines, highlights, or stories of glory written about them. But as rotation players in this defense they play an important role, spelling the starters to give them a rest while not letting the quality of the defense drop. If anything that's probably harder than starting because you don't have the opportunity to get into any kind of rhythm. All this before we even mention the fact that these guys often slot right in on third downs and around the goal line and nobody even batters an eye lid as the Steelers D just keeps on chugging like nothing has changed. Where Harrison and Woodley really make their money though is against the pass, with the pair combining for 20.5 sacks (Harrison has the 10.5). It's this combined arms pass rush that really makes the difference as far as the Steelers are concerned. Compare this to a 3-4 team like the Cowboys, where DeMarcus Ware had 15.5 sacks and indeed lead the NFL in sacks. That's great, but that's the Cowboys D summed up in one sentence. One player, 15 sacks. The Steelers are more about team D. Two players, 20 sacks. Versatility is the name of the game. If there's one knock on them though, it's play-action. The very thing that makes them so solid against the run - the flow of linebackers to the football - also makes them very vulnerable to play-action. Luckily the Packers aren't a huge running team, but as the Indianapolis Colts have shown before sometimes just the threat of a run is enough to make the play-action game go. As for the Packers, I can shoot off one name and you'll know it straight away; Clay Matthews. 13.5 sacks. But for a 3-4 teams the Packers oddly struggle at times to get their linebackers involved. Names like Desmond Bishop, Frank Zombo and A.J. Hawk still ring a bell. But not in the same way as when you talk about the Steelers backers. We've kind of touched on this already. The Packers rely more on their D-line to make plays and pick up sacks, whereas the Steelers play a more traditional 3-4 where the linemen consume blocks and do the heavy lifting while the backers do most of the glory stuff. The Packers are a little lighter against the run and that could be to their detriment. Expect plenty of fancy blitzing and use of the Nickelback to bring pressure. Oh, and a healthy dose of Mr. Matthews. Secondary: Here is where the Packers start to find their edge on defense. Atari Bigby, Nick Collins, Sam Shields, Tramon Williams and Charles Woodson. Five names that are basically synonymous now with high quality secondary defense. We all know about Woodson, Bigby & Collins, but it's been the advancement of Williams and the rookie Shields that has really had the impact. Their development has given the Packers the ability to be more flexible with their coverages. Without being restricted to defenses that center around the talents of Woodson they have the option of opening up the playbook and giving opposing quarterbacks, even the more experienced ones, nightmares. Just ask Matt Ryan, who suffered at the hands of Williams in the divisional round. And for all the press that Williams has taken, Shields has slipped under the radar. He may be the weak link when all is said and done, but he's far from being a pushover. The combination of these factors makes the Packers defense tough (and dangerous) to throw against. It's a luxury that the Steelers don't exactly have. Not that they're too bad off themselves, just not quite as well off as Green Bay. Guys like Ryan Clark and Will Allen are good. William Gay is a solid utility player. Bryant McFadden is... acceptable. Ike Taylor is pretty darn good and a little under rated. But the secondary still revolves around Troy Polamalu. Where he goes, nobody knows, as he moves up and down the line looking for the right hole to blitz through, often backing out at the last second and bailing downfield. But one man a secondary does not maketh, or words to that effect. The trouble with Polamalu is that he's a great player, but when he goes walk about that leaves the Steelers back end short handed and often a little disorientated. You get the distinct impression that on many plays the rest of the secondary has no idea what Polamalu will do until the ball is snapped, leaving them high and dry. Their biggest strength sometimes becomes their biggest weakest. There's a few offensive players in this game who might fit that bill too. Offensive Linemen: Jerry Jones will be watching on in Cowboys Stadium with a green, envious face. Not just because two teams who are not the Cowboys will be playing a Super Bowl in his stadium, but also because Flozell Adams - the Left Tackle Jerry decided was expendable - will be playing on one of those teams. Adams will take his place on the right side of a line that is... shaky, shall we say. It could only get worse really if Center Maurkice Pouncey somehow got injured and. Oh. Oh yeah I forgot. Pouncey is injured. Oh dear. I jest of course, at least to a degree. The Steelers do have some capable linemen such as Trai Essex and Chris Kemoeatu. They're not bad as a unit. If Ben Roethlisberger didn't hold onto the ball so long they'd probably come off a little better in the sack department. When running the ball they're average. The Packers penchant for rushing the passer at all costs could aid the Steelers in getting good blocking angles, but that's rather a case of relying on the opposition to throw you a bone. To be fair though, the Packers are in much the same boat. Their offensive line has some talent, mainly at the two tackle spots, but they've hardly built a reputation over the last two seasons for being a fearsome unit. They give up too many sacks and they lack the physicality to push people around, especially in short yardage. When your offense has to bring on a defensive tackle to help out at Fullback, that's generally not a good sign. Running Backs: Here at least on offense the Steelers have an all round capability. Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Issac Redman and to some extent rookie Jonathan Dwyer make a great team. They all have talent. They all have burst. They all have power. It's shame about their offensive line at times and the fact that the Steelers aren't quite the smash mouth power football team they once were. In fact they're not really at all like that anymore, favouring the pass. But at least they're not the Packers at this position. I don't dispute that the Packers have coped reasonably well with the loss of Ryan Grant, but there's a big difference between reasonably well and very good. Brandon Jackson and James Starks are ok and John Kuhn has turned out to be a pretty handy Fullback, but then we all know the Packers aren't a big running team right now. Receivers: I'm going to chuck the tight ends in here along with the wide outs. It's late, I'm tired, so tough. Starting with Pittsburgh, they have a fairly solid blend at receiver. Hines Ward, Antwann Randle El, Arnaz Battle and Heath Miller give the Steelers experience. Mike Wallacs, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown bring the speed. Of particular note is the value of guys like Ward and Miller in a game like this. They have relatively safe hands, cool heads and big game experience. Their efforts will help set the tone for the Steelers offense. But Green Bay is looking at another position win here, especially against the Steelers often so-so secondary. Greg Jennings. Donald Driver. James Jones. Jordy Nelson. Donald Lee. That should be enough said right there. This is simply one of the most complete receiving corps in the NFL and with you-know-who slinging the ball to them, and with their propensity for running after the catch, it's no wonder the Packers have one of the most respected offenses in the league. Quarterbacks: It was always going to come down to this. The two gun slingers going head to head. Roethlisberger versus Rodgers. Neither team has such a strong running game that it can take over the game with. Thus, given the quality of the defenses, much of this game will rest on the ability of Rodgers and Roethlisberger to keep plays alive and find their receivers down field. Roethlisberger certainly knows a thing or two about keeping plays alive. It's basically become a trademark for 'Big Ben'. It's not always a good thing though. Despite his reputation for being very hard to bring down and an uncanny awareness for when a play is truly dead (a trait sorely lacking in Tony Romo for example), it is also a symptom of his occasional blindness to certain receivers. I can't tell you the exact reason why. To do that I'd have to sit down and interview the guy while pouring over hours of film that I don't currently have access to. But at an educated guess I'd say that it stems from a lack of trust in some receivers combined with a strong desire to feed the ball to others. While this can serve as a positive when he extends plays in critical situations, my concern is that he also misses prime opportunities to get the ball out of his hands and make plays, albeit sometimes short gains. Against a strong Packers pass rush it'll be interesting to see how long he responds. Will he hold the ball, fight off would be tacklers and try to make big plays? Or will he adapt to the conditions and play a little small ball? Rodgers could be just as intriguing. He - like Roehtlisberger - has a reputation for using his legs to extend plays. But unlike Roethlisberger, Rodgers favours the more downfield approach to running, often picking up first downs with a mobility that's reminiscent of Steve Young. How many opportunities he'll get to do this against the Steelers will be interesting. The variety of the blitzes might leave holes that are not immediately recognisable and/or hide late rushers whom Rodgers runs into. More to the point, given the tough reputation of the Steelers D I'm intrigued as to how willing Rodgers will be to take flight down the field. Given the nature of the game, I suspect Rodgers will take his chances and put his health in the hands of the footballing Gods in search of a ring. Where he'll make his biggest impact though is throwing the ball deep. His receivers are primed and ready. The question will be how well he copes with the various blitz's and the mental battle that is anticipated between himself and Troy Polamalu. Rodgers has already shown he has the makings of an elite level QB. Another season of production at this level will secure that title in my eyes. We know he can sling it and we know he can do accurately. Can he cope with the extreme pressure of the Super Bowl. Based on the evidence we have, I'd say yes. Can he out perform Roethlisberger, a guy who has already earned his elite status? Well you'll just have to wait and see I guess. Personally I can't wait. If I had to pick a winner, I'd probably take the Steelers. I think their defense has a little more in it than the Packers. But it's a testament to how good Pittsburgh is that I consider them one of the few teams that can legitimately hang in the same arena as the Steelers. It's going to be a hell of a contest and the winner will truly be worthy of the title as the best team in the NFL in 2010, a feat all the more impressive given the strong nature of the league this year.