The Eagle has landed

I touched on the magic movings of Andy Reid the other day, but since then he and the Eagles have been waving the free agency wand in earnest and the end result is already being referred to (perhaps a little presumptuously) as the "Dream Team". Now eventually this week I want to go through all the free agent signings and moves that have caught my eye, but for now I just want to zero in on the Eagles.

-- Nnamdi Asomugha
I couldn't help but laugh when I first found out about this. At the time the battle was supposedly between the Jets and the Texans and then I think it switched to the Jets and someone else whose name escapes me and it was being hailed in the press as a dead cert battle between those two teams. In the end all those dead cert bets failed to come in as the Eagles swooped (see what I did there?).

Honestly I'm a little at two minds about this. I'm one of those cynical bastards that believes the concept of "shut down corners" in the NFL is vastly over rated. If there's one thing I've noticed more than anything in the league, it's that most interceptions seem to be highly dependent on poor throws by quarterbacks. I would say in less than 25% of cases do interceptions seem to result from just a genuine great play by a defender.

So I'm a little sceptical how much of an impact Nnamdi will provide.  He's a good corner and he plays the run quite well, but notions that all of sudden it will prove impossible to pass on the Eagles look wildly optimistic to me. Still, broadly speaking the Eagles have upgraded.

-- Jason Babin
Now that's a sneaky little deal right there. If the Eagles were in a keen need of anything this off season then it was a more consistent pass rush. Babin should provide that. Last season was only the second time in his career that he started in a full 16 games, and he notched up 12.5 sacks in the process. You could accuse the Eagles of over paying for a one hit wonder but at just $5 million (roughly) for the coming season, and given the normal price for pass rushers, that's just a steal. No two ways about it.

-- Cullen Jenkins
I was wondering if the Eagles could top the two above. Then I read about Cullen Jenkins. He played 11 games last year, starting just 8. In that time he was able to clock 7 sacks and 5 assists. His production levels have been good throughout his career and to be frank, Jenkins could have been paid a lot more and still clocked in as being something of a bargain.

The Eagles needed help up the middle and Jenkins is it. He didn't get anywhere near the credit he deserved playing in Green Bay, largely due to the overall quality of that defensive group. But now Jenkins has the chance to show how much of an impact he can really make. Considering this will entail a shift from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3, where he will have more freedom to get into the backfield and get after the quarterback, it might be a good idea to back Jenkins for an increase in his sack tally.

-- Vince Young
This, bizarrely, is the one I'm most impressed with. It is a master stroke. If you can't already see the cycle repeating itself, then perhaps you need to pay more attention. Think about what Young is, what he represents. A talented college quarterback with lots of potential to do big things in the NFL. He can throw and he can run; boy can he run! But for a variety of reasons his talent has thus far not fully born fruit, despite the success that he has had with the Titans.

Now he finds himself on the bottom rung, taking a huge pay cut to come and play for the current beacon of hope, opportunity and redemption in the NFL, Andy Reid. Cue a season spent working hard, competing, learning etc. Maybe he'll get the chance to hit the field now and again, especially if the "dream team" lives up to the hype and rips great chunks out of people early on in games.

So they sign him to a better deal at some point this year and then start shopping him around. Eventually someone will bite; physically gifted, now seemingly more mature and experienced under Reids direction, and so on and so forth. Thus in return for a few million dollars and a bit of time and patience, Reid will end up crafting either a second round pick plus something lower, or a trade for a player he badly needs. It's pure genius.

Of course building teams has never been Andy Reids problem. It's been getting them to win big games on a consistent basis and finally take the Eagles to the promised land that has been his trouble. At the minute, this 2011 team is shaping up to be his best chance yet.

0-6 to 10-6?

So, can the Tennessee Titans really claw their way back from an 0-6 start to a 10-6 finish? Let's have a look.... First off, look at the secondary. Chris Hope, Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin all went to the Pro Bowl last year. All are now fit and healthy, returning the Titans defense back to the dominant form it found last year. Next, check out the running back tandem. Chris Johnson and Lendale White are getting involved again. And by involved, I mean the coaches in Tennessee are once again realising that last year it was largely these two guys who carried their offense to the playoffs. Johnson in particular has come into his own. The guy showed in his rookie season that he had speed. Now that has been complemented with a season's worth of experience in the NFL and he looks like arguably the most dangerous back in the land. In the passing game, his quick feet, agility and body control make him a great underneath receiver. And normally when you're talking about a QB making checkdowns, everyone sees it in a derogatory light. When you're checking down to Chris Johnson however, it's seen in a whole new light. And no, we can't talk about the Titans without bringing up Vince Young. In college, Young drew national attention because of his athletic ability and his high passer rating, largely a result of keeping the ball safe and using his checkdown receivers (that's what they're there for after all). This guy can burn you through the air, or on the ground. And he is just about a perfect fit for the current Titans team. The key is, he doesn't take silly chances, he controls the ball, and gives his offense every opportunity to break out on a big play. Defenses are in bind. On a rushing play, you have to factor in the QB as a threat, something that defenses in this league are not used to doing. You're getting Option plays that NFL teams haven't seen before. When Young drops back to pass, someone has to spy on Young and make sure he doesn't break out of the pocket for a run. And all the while the Titans are playing keep away, holding the ball and burning the clock. Any turnover against the Titans now can be crippling. And finally, we have to look at their schedule. They play Houston on Monday which they should win. Then they have, in order; the Cardinals, the Colts, Rams, Dolphins, Chargers & Seahawks. There are potential banana skins in there, don't get me wrong. But the way the Titans are playing right now, they are a match for any of those teams. The Titans have pulled the winning formula out of the bag just at the crucial moment. Can they finish 10-6? I think they can. What's more, I think they can go all the way to the promised land and book a date in Miami against the NFC's Minnesota Vikings. But you know me, I don't crown Superbowl champions in November......

Trawling the net for Football gems.

So today I've been browsing around the web etc and checking out what's generally going on in the football world and so here I present to you some of my humble observations: 1) I read an article about Quarterbacking, which to cut a long story short, bemoaned the lack of quality teaching today regarding a QB's arm position during the throw. The writer included a piece by a well known QB coach (who advertises on his site. Just thought I'd mention that). In the way that seems all to typical of college coaches now (which both the writer and his sponsor, sorry, contributor are), he levelled the lofty finger of criticism at the pros. It was the usual, "they don't really understand football, not like we do in Division 3...." type of thing. The most severe critique was saved for the way pro coaches obsess over footwork. And to be honest, the pro coaches have this one in the bag. Stand in the middle of a field, feet shoulder with apart and facing forward, and throw a ball to a friend using nothing more than your arm motion. Good luck with that by the way. It probably didn't travel very far. Now introduce the hips. And now finally the legs and feet, allowing yourself to coil back and throw. The power in the proverbial "Big arm" comes from using the whole body as a sling. Generating power begins in the legs and the hips. To do this properly, to allow yourself to follow through completely, you must first plant your feet properly. Hence the seemingly inordinate amount of time that top QB coaches devote to footwork. 2) Talking of QB's, Brett Favre comes to mind. The stats are good. He's completing about 68% of his passes (174/256), for 1,925 yds total and an average of 7.5 yds per completion. But what really sticks out is the business end of the numbers. 16 TD's, matched only by Matt Schaub and Drew Brees. But what he has that they don't is just 3 INT's, (compared to 6 & 7 for Brees and Schaub respectively). This is what is marking him out for possibly his greatest season yet. The old gunslinger from the south has tempered his game a little, reducing turnovers to help a team that features a fantastic RB and a great D. All the while, still finding time to put points on the board. Watching him in action, he really does look superb this season. If he and the Vikings were to win the Superbowl this year, it would be thoroughly, thoroughly, deserved. 3) Lot of talk around about firing head coaches. Eric Mangini should top that list. The Redskins, the Rams, the Lions, the Titans and the Raiders have all hardly set the world alight this year, but at least they've tried. At least they've gone about their business with a bit of guts in some places. Meanwhile the Browns trot out week on week and seem to dissolve in front of our very eyes each week. Complaints among the players about their coach are rife. God knows how he acquired the title 'Man-genius', but I wish people would stop giving him that much credit. The argument currently in vogue is that firing Mangini now would serve no purpose, and that the Browns would not really progress at all as a club. Well hey, newsflash, this season the Browns have, somehow, regressed since last season. Mangini has made this team worse. A new coach may not fix all the problems now, but at least you'd be solving the franchises biggest problem, i.e. Mangini. 4) The consensus opinion among the great and the good of football analysis and commentary seems to be that the New Orleans Saints are the best team in football right now. And it's simply not true. There seems to be no other evidence for this decision that's been made than the fact that they're 7-0. Which on the surface seems fantastic. Except that the Colts are also 7-0, and they're a much better team. And lets not forget about the Denver Broncos, who at 6-0 were being touted as the previous best team in the NFL, the team that everyone now had to beat etc... until the Ravens torched them 30-7. Remember the Saints vs Dolphins a couple of weeks ago? You should, because were it not for some shocking play calling the Dolphins would have utterly embarrassed the "best team in the NFL right now". Then this week, they scrape past the Falcons. Yes people, the Falcons. Looking at some of the quality sides in the NFL who year on year produce great results, it's hard to get to excited about the Saints just yet. 5) In an interesting addition to the above, I thought it was quite amusing to see Darren Sharper lauded for his pick in last weeks game. This is the kind of thing I'm talking about with misplaced praise. It was a jump ball. There were at least 5 or 6 Saints just clamouring for a piece of that ball. Sharper was the one under it. Suddenly that's the mark of a great player, with the so often quoted phrase "ball hawk" being rolled out. If catching a last second desperation jump ball on the 20 yard line makes you great, then there's still hope for many a rubbish defensive player in the league. And all the while no-one is talking about the Saints combo of cornerbacks, Jabari Greer, Randall Gay and most importantly, Tracy Porter. 6) The praise so far for Vince Young has been overflowing from pretty much every orifice that the Internet has to offer. People saying how well he controlled the game, made no mistakes and just did enough to help the Titans win. Well I hate to point this out, but that's exactly what Kerry Collins did last year, except Collins is going to be a ton cheaper next year. Being a game manager is pretty easy for most quarterbacks, especially ones in Tennessee right now. Hand the ball off and let Johnson and White do all the damage. All you have to do is limit (read: eliminate) turnovers. Young can do that. Collins can do that. Hell, I could probably do that. What the Titans need to see from Young is this; if we get ourselves in a situation where we cant run the ball, can you lead us to victory? Flacco is starting to do it in Baltimore. Roethlisberger did it for Pittsburgh last year. That's the question that needs to be answered of Vince Young. Not, "if we play our normal style of running football, can we trust you to hand the ball off correctly?". 7) Everyone is crying about the recent slump of Giants Quarterback Eli Manning. Now, this deserves a reality check. No, that's not quite sufficient. It deserves a hard slap in the face. Eli is not his brother. He's not Philip Rivers, he's not Tom Brady, he's not Drew Brees, he's none of these people. What he is, is the brother of one of the best quarterbacks in the league, who happened to be the guy that was asked in Superbowl 42, to chuck what was for all intended purposes a 'hail mary' pass into the endzone, which was caught for a game winning touchdown. No more, no less. He's an average QB. He's ok, he's better than Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson. He's better than JaMarcus Russell. But he's still not good enough to take the game out of the hands of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, who would probably very much appreciate the ball not being constantly turned over at the QB position. That's just the facts. Manning is good. But he's no Manning. 8) The Packers defence is drawing a lot of heat lately, with a lot of talk about whether one of the defensive ends should line up on the LOS or 1 yard off it. Yes people, it's the old 4-3/3-4, let's-all-pretend-it-makes-a-huge-amount-of-difference debate once more this season. I'm always told in the greatest of confidence and without any hint of shame by people that it's to do with getting the right personnel in the right spot. Because of course, if you had a 330-pound nose tackle, you wouldn't dare put him in a 4-3 defence. God no!! Only a 3-4, etc, etc, the arguments go on. What the Packers might want to do is focus a bit more on their appalling O-line and their abysmal rushing attack. 9) Maurice Jones-Drew. So the story goes, he chose 32 as his Jersey number to remind him (and doubtless the world) that 32 teams passed on him first time around. It is widely believed that most teams considered him too small to succeed (approximately 5ft 7in). Only in the NFL could a short player like Jones-Drew be considered unsuitable for a position that requires a quick burst of speed, the ability to change directions rapidly and the ability to get your pads low on a tackler. That is all.