Holding the line

So my mission today should I choose to accept it (which I will) is to convince you that offensive and defensive linemen are more important than highly paid Quarterbacks, Running backs, receivers, linebackers, and pretty much any other position on the field. I feel confident in this mission, so here goes. Running the football: Running the football does not require an 'elite' back. Larry Johnson, now of the Cincinnati Bengals, is 30 years old. His production has waned in recent years, partly due to a Kansas team that has bought into the pass happy mentality of the NFL. Yet for the Bengals he has already busted out a 100 yard rushing game. As has Cedric Benson, considered by many as a flop at his previous team the Chicago Bears. The fact is, the Bengals line are good at run blocking. They are organised, determined and physical, everything a good O-line should be. The reality is that those 5 offensive linemen can, with the help of a tight end, block six defensive linemen/linebackers (leaving one LB on the backside unblocked) and give your running back ample room to move and get going. Most rushing plays that break the line of scrimmage end one of two ways; tackled around the 10-15 yard area or busted for a big gain. Simply put, the linemen get you those first 5-10 yards, then the combination of speed & skill of the RB coupled with position and tackling skills of the secondary get you the rest. Many big runs feature power football, that is the pulling of a guard to lead block for the RB. The guard needs quick feet and good technique, but the rewards of finding such a player are ample. Combined with a big, strong tackle to help seal the edge, they are often the catalyst to most big gains. And your running back really doesn't have to be all that. If the O-line can clear a hole, any reasonably quick player can get through it. Passing game: The passing game starts with the O-line. They block and keep the QB upright. No protection equals no time, which equals bad plays. Rarely does a defensive back make an exceptional play on the ball. 9 times out 10 it's a mis throw by the QB. And the cause of that is usually bad protection. Take Tom Brady for example. Teams have learnt that dropping guys off into coverage rarely stops 'Tom Terrific' for very long. Eventually he will find holes. What they have learnt is that by rushing him hard and getting the blitz going they can force him to make quick decisions, and even Tom Brady isn't unflappable. Even he makes mistakes under pressure. Nearly all humans do. So much of Brady's success lies in the hands of his guys up front. And it's the same for almost all QB's. Now granted there is only so much they can do. If you hold the ball forever then eventually the protection will break down (just ask Aaron Rodgers), but a good O-line provides the extra fractions of a second and the extra comfort that is required for a great passing play to develop properly. Without a good O-line, a good quarterback is nothing more than a target (David Garrard at the Jaguars). Highly paid receivers will do nothing more than run endlessly downfield only to look back and see their leader crushed beneath a pile of opposition jerseys. The O-line creates the time and space, the O-line makes it happen. Defense: As I said earlier, it's uncommon for interceptions to be made due to awesome defensive play. It happens, but mostly they seem to result from bad plays by the QB. Under thrown passes, passes into closed throwing lanes, that kind of stuff. The biggest cause of that is defensive pressure, generated by D-linemen. They sack QBs, stuff runs and force bad throws. In short, everything. A tough Defensive line can shed blocks and close down an oppositions run game. Or they can consume offensive linemen, push them around to close holes and open up areas for the linebackers to get free attacks downhill on the running back. In the pass game they generate pressure off the edge and up the middle, closing the pocket around the QB, denying him the opportunity to step up and make throws. They get hands up to bat down passes. They tug the QB's jersey, strip the ball from his hand or sack the guy. They get hits before and after the throw and generally make his life uncomfortable. D-line are the beating heart of any defense. There is probably many more things that you could go into, but there's no real need. Hopefully these short passages should be enough to convince even some of the more QB friendly among you that good linemen, both offensive and defensive, are worth their weight in gold. They make everything else tick, make everyone else look better than they really are, and generally prop up their football club. Linemen, you have my respect!

Week 13 NFL picks

It's Friday Night, possibly Saturday morning, but who cares.... it's time to make my Week 13 picks!!: Eagles @ Falcons -- Oh no. I've seen chocolate barbeque's that are more reliable than these two. Much of this game hinges on the respective offenses. Namely because we know the Falcons D will give up yards on the ground and the Eagles D will chew up Falcons back up QB Chris Redman. If the Eagles run the ball with LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver it will ease a lot of pressure off of Donovan McNabb and open opportunities for some play action as well. If the Falcons run they can make good gains, but passing will be tricky with one of the NFL's few true ball hawks in Asante Samuel on the opposite side. Ultimately I like the Eagles in this one because I think they have a greater potential to generate explosive plays both offensively and on special teams. Eagles win. Buccaneers @ Panthers -- Don't even get me started on the Panthers (I hate the Panthers). This week I refuse to even talk about them, because no matter what I say they'll contrive a way to do the opposite. So let's just talk Buccaneers shall we? Well, the Buc's don't have a run game so that's half their offense covered. As for the other half.... it's not bad. Rookie QB Josh Freeman is showing flashes of potential and they have one of the best receiving corps in the game (hopefully in the next year or two Freeman will develop into a QB finally capable of exploiting them fully). The trouble is, they're playing against the NFL's 4th ranked pass defense. And when you're as one dimensional as the Buc's are right now, that's not good. Panthers win. (maybe I should say Buc's win, so then the Panthers will win it just to prove me wrong? A little reverse psychology.....) uh, I mean Buc's win. Yeah, definitely the Buccaneers. Rams @ Bears -- I actually have to think about this one. That speaks volumes about the Bears right now. The Rams are bad, we all know that. RB Steven Jackson is just about the only light at the end of the tunnel for them. But then, the Bears are bad too. They give up a ton of yards on the ground and Jay Cutler throws away interceptions like they were going out of fashion. My gut instinct is to say Rams purely because of the turnovers, but as bad as they are, I think the Bears will just about pull through. The result will tell us a lot about them as a team. Bears win. Lions @ Bengals -- Bengals win. Next..... no seriously, the Lions have no defense. None. The Bengals have a solid passing attack and a solid run game. It's a no brainer. Bengals win. Titans @ Colts -- Oh mamma, what a game!! The Titans are on a roll right now, but then so are the Colts. It seems that no matter what happens, Peyton Manning is able to bring his team back from the brink time and time again. There's someone else that used to do that a lot, and his name was (is) Joe Montana. The difference between the two is that Montana has more Superbowl rings than will fit on one hand (if you take into account his wedding ring) whereas Manning has just the solitary 2006 title. On the opposite sideline, Vince Young has none. And until their recent mid-season revival no-one expected the Titans to change that. This game could give us a glimpse into who will be representing the AFC in the Superbowl. If the Colts win, the Titans are unlikely to make the playoffs. If the Titans win, it's difficult to see anyone else stopping them and that includes during the playoffs. In the grand scheme of things I think the Colts have had some fortuitous play calls go in their favour that have kept crucial drives alive. I think they're a little too one dimensional and I think the Titans secondary is ready for them this time. Couple that with a varied and explosive Titans offense and we have our winner. Titans win. Texans @ Jaguars -- Ugly game. Both teams have their problems. Houston has a good offense in general but it has a tendency to blow up in their face at the most inopportune moments, while their defense lacks any real playmakers. The Jaguars have a great RB in Maurice Jones-Drew and a solid speller in Rashad Jennings, but they really love David Garrard. And that's their big problem. They're so sold on the pass happy mentality of the NFL that they can't see the damage it's doing to their ball club. Turnovers, incomplete passes, all of these are drive killers. If they get pass happy at home against the Texans then they'll lose, but I have a feeling that this week they may just try and grind it out on the ground, keep that potentially explosive Texans O of the field, and that will win them the game. Jaguars win. Broncos @ Chiefs -- Another ugly one. Credit where it's due to the Chiefs for trying to capture some of the offense flair that Head Coach Todd Haley had as the Offensive Co-ordinator of the Cardinals, but I just don't see it in this one. The Broncos don't have too much to shout about, but they have more than the Chiefs. Broncos win. Patriots @ Dolphins -- The wisdom of the world says that the Pats will come into this one looking to put the hurt on the Dolphins. Like they were supposed to do at home earlier this year? Everyone is drawing attention to the vulnerable Dolphins secondary against the Patriots big time offense, but I think we also need to look at the Pats defense for a second. It's not exactly shutting teams down is it? And we all know that the 'Phins will run the ball with Ricky Williams, don't we? You never can tell with the Dolphins. They damn well better, because I'm taking them on this one. Dolphins win. Raiders @ Steelers -- Ha! Don't get all excited about the Raiders offense over the last few weeks. I know everyone is still recoiling from the fact that the Raiders are completing more than 10 passes per game, but the Steelers might just return things to the Status Quo. Expect a healthy dose of blitzing to put Gradkowski under pressure. The Steelers may or may not get Ben Roethlisberger back this week, but it matters little. Their ground game should be enough to see this one out. Steelers win. Saints @ Redskins -- Uh oh, it's the Saints in a very much losable(?) game again. They're probably still on a high after beating the Patriots on Monday and this week they face the NFL's number one ranked pass defense. I cannot begin to tell you how tempted I am to take the Redskins. It's like an itch that just has to be scratched. But this one will be left un-scratched. 'Cos the Saints are gonna clean up. The Redskins just don't have enough offense to compete. They struggle to score 20 points on a consistent basis and even a restricted Saints team should be able to put that on the board. One offensive turnover for the Redskins and they're done for. Saints win. Chargers @ Browns -- Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Darren Sproles, Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates, Shawn Merriman & Antonio Cromartie vs Jamal Lewis, Josh Cribbs, ......... and that's it. This is mismatch city and the Browns are on the bad end of it. Chargers win. Cowboys @ Giants -- The Giants are reportedly shaking up their defensive line by pushing Osi Umenyiora and Fred Robbins to the practice squad, while promoting Mathias Kiwanuka and Chris Canty to starters for the divisional game against the Cowboys. I think it's gonna take more than that to save them. The Cowboys are trying to find themselves this December. After years of mediocrity they are determined to succeed this time round. And owner Jerry Jones has wisely instructed his coaches that Felix Jones is to help lead the way. And lead he will. Jones, (the RB, not the owner) displays vision, strength, agility, balance and speed in equal measure. And the Cowboys are starting to realise that the best way to stop Tony Romo from screwing up their playoff hopes is to take the ball out of his hands more often and run it a little more. A lesson the Giants sorely need to learn for next season. Cowboys win. 49ers @ Seahawks -- It's about time my 49ers got a win and a game against Seattle is just what the doctor ordered. Even though they've abandoned their running game, the 49ers have a sufficiently competent passing attack to exploit the Seahawks woeful secondary. Meanwhile, the Seahawks tend to struggle unless they can get their run game going and against the 49ers that will prove difficult. 49ers win. Vikings @ Cardinals -- With concussions the new hot topic in the NFL, there are doubts as to whether the Cardinals will start QB Kurt Warner. No doubts in the Vikings camp about starting Brett Favre. Favre is on fire right now and his receivers are reaping the rewards. Adrian Peterson is still burning people for big runs when they try and sit back and play coverage to nulify Favre, and DE Jared Allen is leading the Vikings D on regular pillages into opposition backfields. All in all, the situation looks grim for a Cardinals team that has bizarrely struggled at home. Their rushing attack is finding it's feet, but that may not be enough to stop The Purple People Eaters this week. Vikings win. Ravens @ Packers -- Fresh off a win against the reigning Superbowl champions, the Ravens will come into this game with a spring in their step. But they'll need more than a spring to help them leap over the Green Bay Packers. The Packers offense is clicking nicely of late. Aaron Rodgers has finally learned that he's to blame for the fact that he spent so much time on the ground earlier in the season. He's finding his receivers and the Packers O benefits all round from that. Teams fear the pass and as they back off into cover, it opens lanes for RB Ryan Grant. What's more, the Packers D has suddenly coughed and choked into life in the last few weeks. Charles Woodson is greedily chalking up numbers all over his stat sheet and may have another big game against the free falling 'air Flacco'. Ray Rice is the still the Ravens best bet for generating some significant offense, but if the Ravens fall behind they will struggle to get back in it. Packers win. Right my Lords and Ladies, that's my picks for the week. Don't forget I'm already 0-1 this week thanks to the lacklustre Bills. Tomorrow I'm going to try and convince you that Linemen should earn more than Quarterbacks.......

Thursday Night recap

It's Thursday night which means, uhm, Thursday Night Football recap? Yeah!! Jets 19 @ Bills 13 -- God almighty I bet the fans couldn't wait for this one to finish. And while I think about it, and by 'it' I mean the word 'fans', this game was supposed to be a Bills home game. Yet the noise level suggested this was being played in the Meadowlands. It's odd because I read an article just the other day by a Bills fan that mentioned the lack of enthusiasm for the games played in Toronto. Anyway, back to the game and in true fashion for my picks, a team that I said would do one thing in fact did another. Just 15 passes from Sanchez before he limped off with an injury during the third quarter. Everyone is hailing it as terrible news, but I think it might actually be the best news Jets fans have heard all season and might even spark a late run at a Wildcard spot. As I feared, the Jets rushing attack blasted the Bills typically appalling run defense off the face of the Earth, clocking up 249 yards. But before Bills fans bemoan their defense too heavily, it's worth noting that the Bills offense were even worse. 9/23 for Ryan Fitzpatrick. Yeah, some of that has to do with the quality play of Jets CB Darrelle Revis who was assigned to shut down Terrell Owens (targeted 9 times, caught 3), but Lee Evans didn't exactly bolster his case for being the number 1 guy (targeted 7 times, caught 1). Granted, some of that just has to do with bad throwing. But the most cardinal sin for me; bad running. Just 19 carries between Jackson and Lynch, with Jackson taking 13. Now this surprised me. Yesterday I said Fred Jackson was better and I think all things considered, he is. But Lynch was obviously having a good game. He looked fired up, motivated, ready to try and win back his job. He busted out a 35 yard run in the 2nd quarter, then came right back on the next play and scored a TD. Then after that, just 1 more carry. I mean, are you kidding me? You run 35 yards then score a 15 yard TD on the next play, and your reward is to get just one extra carry? No wonder the Bills are in trouble. And more to the point, they've already cost me a pick. So there we have it, 0-1 already. With a busy weekend of action ahead there's always plenty of games to pick things up and get back in it. Tomorrow night I'll let you know who I'm backing.

Drawing a Blank

Just to give you a heads up, tomorrow I'll be making my picks for week 9 of the NFL and on Saturday I'll be taking a look at why I think the power running game might soon become the new must have offense. Again. As for today, I've drawn a blank. Honestly. Cant think of a single thing to write about. Well I guess I could. I could write a whole page on why I think the Saints are over rated and predict some of the surprised expressions that people will come out with when they fall apart in late end of the season. I could write about why I think the Patriots are still contenders for the big crown this year, even after some disappointing losses early on. I could write about why the Titans still have an outside shot at the playoffs, even after their abysmal start to the season. I could write about why the NFC East could be possibly the biggest disappointment this year in terms of it's playoff contributions. I could write about why I think the NFC West may just spring to life in the next few years. I could tell you all about why I think the Rams may bizarrely finish the season on a high (by their standards at least). I guess there is a lot to talk about. But I don't want to bore you with the details. Yet.....