Cleveland Browns Depth Chart According To Me
Although I am not thrilled with the idea of Charlie Frye starting the season, I have done my best to figure out exactly how the depth chart and/or the 53 man roster should look. Some names are doubled up and only count once.
Browns Depth Chart According To Me
WR Joe Jurevicious-----Joshua Cribbs
LT Joe Thomas--------Nat Dorsey
LG Eric Steinbach------Lennie Friedman
C Hank Fraley---------Rob Smith
RG Seth McKinney-----Isaac Sowells-----------Fred Matua
RT Kevin Shaffer-------Kelly Butler
TE Kellen Winslow-----Steve Heiden
WR Braylon Edwards----Travis Wilson
QB Charlie Frye--------Brady Quinn------------Ken Dorsey
RB Jamal Lewis---------Jason Wright-----------Jerome Harrison
FB Lawrence Vickers----Charles Ali
DE Shaun Smith----------Orpheus Roye
NT Ted Washington------Ethan Kelley
DE Robaire Smith---------Simon Fraser
LOLB Antwan Peek----------Willie McGinest
ILB Leon Williams---------Andra Davis
ILB D’Qwell Jackson-------Clifton Smith
ROLB Kamerion Wimbley----Chaun Thompson
LCB Eric Wright------------Kenny Wright
RCB Leigh Bodden----------Daven Holly-------------Gary Baxter
SS Sean Jones------------Justin Hamilton
FS Brodney Pool----------Mike Adams
P Dave Zastudil
K Phil Dawson
H Dave Zastudil
PR Joshua Cribbs----------Syndric Steptoe
KR Joshua Cribbs----------Chris Barclay
LS Ryan Pontbriand
Practice Squad:
Brandon McDonald, Melila Purcell, Chase Pittman, Jason Short,
Ryan Krause, Kris Griffin, DeMario Minter, Mason Unck
Some notes of interest or conjecture...
-Travis Wilson has not played well enough to merit a spot on this team. With the exception of the Bears/Browns preseason game, Wilson has dropped everything short of a baby in this camp. However, talent wise he offers more than Tim Carter (although that means we gave away Droughns like clothes to the Salvation Army), Mike Sanders, and Maurice Mann.
-The Offensive Line depth situation is all scrambled. Any combination of Andrew "Keg" Hoffman, Nat Dorsey, Isaac Sowells, Fred Matua, and Ryan Tucker are all completely scrambled differently depending on one's substitutional and personal preference.
-It would not be hard to convince a fan that there are reasons to keep all 6 RB's (including FB's). That just is not probable. Lewis is a lock, J. Wright is almost a lock, J. Harrison is too good of an investment, C. Barclay has done everything asked and then some, Vickers is a must keep, and Ali was brought in specifically for Lewis.
-Tight Ends could also keep all candidates; Winslow=best TE in football, Heiden a must keep, Dinkins is solid but inconsistant, and Ryan Krause followed CHUD from San Diego. Granted the 3rd and 4th TE's will probably see next to no time but Special Teams, but that may be enough to keep them.
-In the front seven on defense, all but J'Vonne Parker from the 1st and 2nd teams should be safe. Like Parker, Oshinowo, Chase Pittman, Griffin, McMillan and Purcell are all undersized or just a big body-provide no real talent, yet. Most of which will be cut or put on the practice squad.
-Cornerback, a position feared for its thin nature is just the converse now. Eric Wright has shutdown potential, Bodden would start on 70% of the teams in the league they are clearly safe. Kenny Wright and Daven Holly are safe due to their ability to play effectively today. The interesting thing is Gary Baxter and DeMario Minter should be safe due to injury situation. Brandon McDonald at least has good instincts and could have a place on Special Teams.
-If by some miraculous turn of events, LeCharles Bentley blows the coaching staff away by week 7 and gets activated...then Rob Smith will lose out. I wouldn't hold your breath on that one though.
-Of course, some explaination on the QB carosel. As it stands, I have Frye then Quinn then Dorsey. Rumors have circulated that whom ever loses the competition between Frye and Anderson is out. The reason being, someone has to be in Quinn's ear while Frye is on the field and it doesn't take a personel expert to tell you we don't want that person being Anderson. Anderson has gotten by from the skin of his perverbial teeth. And by teeth I mean his deep ball.
As we move toward the September 9th start, aspirations are very high. The offense is the sexiest on paper its been since Bernie Kosar was at the helm. However, Bernie is not at the helm (keep all jokes about the aforementioned to yourself). Jamal Lewis can be responsible for a good bit of offensive production, but he can't carry it all. Braylon Edwards is poised to have a 1300 yd season (884/6 tds last year while dropping more passes than Travis Wilson). Kellen Winslow will meet his potential as the league's best TE. Joe Jurevicious is the best possession WR in the game today. The previous three statements cannot be close to true if Charlie Frye is the captain of this ship for more than a few weeks. Most CLE fans want to believe that Carson Palmer is a top 4 QB in the NFL because he sat out a full year. Not true, he just didn't play-he was always good. Lienart, V. Young, J. Cutler all from last years draft are in no question worthy of starting in this league and on their respective teams. Quinn may start week 4, he may start week 14. Doesn't matter, in my opinion, he is as ready to make throws, decisions, runs, and audibles today as he is 3 months from now. He has proven to me without a shadow of a doubt he is above and beyond anything Frye or Anderson can do. Examples: post route to Winslow vs DEN, Jurevicious back corner of the endzone vs CHI (and yes he was in, with 3 feet in bounds-right, left, and right again). Bottom line, if Quinn goes in and does well then I was right. If Quinn goes in and blows it, or gets shell shocked, or mismanages then quite honestly he is not the QB we all thought he was and it is better to find out now than later. This team can potentially be a 9-7 team. Add a little luck here and there maybe even a little better. They are not that team with Frye, they could be with Quinn. There is no time to treat the Cleveland Browns as the old Cleveland Browns. There's no Willie Green's, Ben Taylor's, or Tim Couch's on this team. Its time we stop saying things like, "they are good enough to play for the Browns", or "if we throw him to the wolves we may have a Tim Couch situation on our hands". As the kids on the playground during recess say, "Tough Titties". No other team looks at it that way. Sure we could take our time and inch our way into things like some 7 year old girl trying to get into a swimming pool on the 1st of May. But why? We could put a team out on the field that potentially could win 6-7 games and yes, it would be measured improvement. But, do it for the right reasons. Do it because Quinn doesn't know the playbook, or doesn't show chemistry with his recievers, or because he simply doesn't understand the nuances of the offense. Don't sit Quinn because that's just the way. Most "experts" are saying that Quinn did what he did against 2nd and 3rd team defenses, but ask yourself this could Frye/Anderson do what he did against 4th team defenses. I am 90% positive the answer would be NO. They just don't make the fluid decision, accurate throws, leading dump off passes, and ball fakes that Quinn can and did. The 2007-08 Cleveland Browns team is improved nonetheless. But would you rather rest on the laurels of "at least we improved" or would you rather say, for once "That was a season that makes me proud to be a Browns Fan"? Quinn's the real deal and until he leads this Browns team on the field of regular season play, The Browns team will not be.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Conventional Wisdom Be Damned!
The Old Way is not Always the Best Way
Often contemporary sports are regulated or persuaded by what is routinely regarded as CONVENTIONAL WISDOM. Well !@#% conventional wisdom. Like most in the Cleveland area, I have been extremely interested in the starting quarterback situation. The Cleveland Browns have not had the convenience of a locked in starting quarterback since they cut Bernie Kosar. Sure there have been QBs who were perceived to be the clear cut starter, they were not much improved over the guy they replaced. The bottom line is there has not been a situation where one QB was clearly more talented than the others on the team. Charlie Frye has been named the starter by default for the last season and a half. Simply because he made the least amount of mistakes and looked the least crappy of the candidates. Charlie Frye is a MAC QB and a mediocre to below average QB in the NFL. The reason he has been considered the guy is because the guys behind him were clearly worse. Enter the current dilemma.
Charlie Frye is alright for a sub acceptable team, a rebuilding team, one who has low expectations.
Derek Anderson is alright for a Div 1 big six conference college team.
Ken Dorsey is alright for a national championship contender, yet again a college team, however, he can offer leadership that the previous two cannot. Enter Brady Quinn. On draft day and every day leading up to the fans and scouts had been split. Some believe he’s a great manager of the game with occasional brilliant deep balls. Some believe he is the product of an over hyped and sensationalized program. There is no doubt about one thing, no matter what side of the fence you (provided you give a damn about the cleveland browns) are on, Quinn is clearly a better more talented player than any of the other signal callers currently on this roster. I don't think there is a single doubt in the entire BrownsNation that Quinn is the most talented QB on the team. The concern comes from the past. The past always haunts Browns fans. I submit, would one always want to play the best players or play the guy that gives your team the best chance to win? What ever happened to that Conventional Wisdom?
Charlie Frye is alright for a sub acceptable team, a rebuilding team, one who has low expectations.
Derek Anderson is alright for a Div 1 big six conference college team.
Ken Dorsey is alright for a national championship contender, yet again a college team, however, he can offer leadership that the previous two cannot. Enter Brady Quinn. On draft day and every day leading up to the fans and scouts had been split. Some believe he’s a great manager of the game with occasional brilliant deep balls. Some believe he is the product of an over hyped and sensationalized program. There is no doubt about one thing, no matter what side of the fence you (provided you give a damn about the cleveland browns) are on, Quinn is clearly a better more talented player than any of the other signal callers currently on this roster. I don't think there is a single doubt in the entire BrownsNation that Quinn is the most talented QB on the team. The concern comes from the past. The past always haunts Browns fans. I submit, would one always want to play the best players or play the guy that gives your team the best chance to win? What ever happened to that Conventional Wisdom?
Before we ever consider September 9th, we have to retain our sanity. Just because a player seems to be completely better, talent wise, than the competing QB's doesn't automatically give him the starting nod. However, we can dissearn that winning the job should not be hard, given the previously mentioned lack of talent preceeding him. All this seems simple enough, as long as he is given an equal and fair shot. Some would argue he doesn't deserve a fair shot since he held out for three weeks. If you believe that then you should stop reading now and turn to some cookie cutter p.c. popular twisting of the truth publication. Holdouts are a part of the process. Until the NFL adopts an NBA like pay structure for rookies, nothing will change. That, however, is a discussion for a different day.
The problem we find ourselves in, is one of the conspiracy theory persuation. Point one: Coach Romeo Crennel (or RAC as his players call him) is in his third season, a must win season. Point two: Phil Savage (an this point is incontrovertable) has acquired players over the last 2 years that has improved the Cleveland Browns by no less than 400%. Point three: The fans have dealt with being cellar dwellars for 7+ years. Point four: There are no less than 6 legitamate proven NFL coaches available as of February 2008. Point five: Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards are both 2 years removed from ACL injuries (Statistics prove that a players production will be between 20%-50% better 2 years removed than 1 year removed ). The best YOUNG Offensive line ON PAPER. And a Defense that is a solid bend but don't break team. What does all of this mean? Phil Savage has done his job. The players are progressing as well if not better than can legitamately be expected. There are replacement candidates waiting in the wind with better credentials than RAC. So if Crennel does not render results this season there is no other conclusion that ownership can make except-the lack of production falls on Crennel's responsibility and his alone. Success naturally being 8-8 or better.
From RAC's perspective, coming from the Belichek/Parcell's tree of coaching, the best QB to lead his team is on of the Veteran Persuation. In this case veteran is a very loose concept. We are not talking Quinn vs. Brett Favre here. Frye has been in the league 2 years and barely started a full season combined. Anderson has been in the league 2 years and started a quarter of a season worth of games. Ken Dorsey is a great football mind, worth having, but not worth starting and leading a team on the field. Quinn has been in the league for a month. Relatively speaking, the afformentioned QB's have an experience edge on Quinn but how much credence can one put on in 2 years. I personally, do not think that all of Frye, Anderson, and Dorsey's experience combined hold that much water in the scheme of things. Not if Quinn is a better/more talented player. Still, someone has to WIN the job. RAC is afraid that if he indeed gives each guy an equal shot, then the fans, media, other players, ownership, and former players will in some way shape or fashion force RAC's hand to push Quinn into the starting role. Due to the fact that Crennel is a Belichek/Parcells product, that cannot happen. In the most simplistic terms-Romeo Crennel cannot wrap his head around the idea of starting a rookie quarterback in a season where he must render wins. Period. If this were not the case, then he would have given each quarterback a shot a the first team defenses in the subsequent preseason games. As it turns out the only quarterbacks given that opportunity were the 2 year underwhelming choices of Frye/Anderson. Not even Dorsey, in all fairness of course, was given that opportunity. It is all too convenient. If Frye plays well, he is the most experienced of the candidates, he knows the system and gives us the best chance to win. If Anderson plays well, he has learned the system, played his way into the role, and gives us the best chance to win. If Dorsey plays well, he is a solid competitor with a great mind for the game but it will come down to Frye or Anderson. If Quinn plays well (up until the Denver game, where Shanihan played his 1's and 2's late into the 3rd quarter) then, Quinn's performance was commendable, he has showed great improvement since the holdout, but also keep in mind he was running simple plays against the opposing teams 4th string. RAC is setting himself up to not permit himself, under the process laid down by Parcells and Belichek, to start Quinn. It's all very obvious.
Now on to the opinions of the fans. In a recent on-line poll Cleveland fans polled revealed the following results:
Charlie Frye-48%
Brady Quinn-30%
Derek Anderson-20%
Ken Dorsey-2%
I believe a person can be exquisitely intellegent, yet people can be dumb as a box of rocks. A similar thought can be made about Cleveland Sports Fans. Individually, with the right and honest information can make great analytical conclusions. As a group, generalizing and worrying about past transgretions, the group is like a group of lemings. One person makes a basic, general and normally incorrect comment and the rest follow without question. Somewhere along the lines, Cleveland fans forgot about the glory days and have become content to worry about the past repeating itself with no rhym or reason. Case in point, I would put money on the idea that 90% of the 48% who believe Frye should be the starter are saying so because they are afraid of how Tim Couch's starting too early and the resulting production will similarly effect Brady Quinn. If the Football Gods collectively spoke down to us and said,
"If Quinn starts day 1 his production and future will be NO DIFFERENT than if he start week 12" do you really think the majority of Browns fans would go with a bum like Charlie Frye? No, that would be irresponsible of them. Lemings.
Fast forward to August 25th. Of the three presean opponents, Denver is by far the best defense the Browns have faced. This would prove to be the turning point of the quarterback battle. Naturally, if RAC were to be fair, Frye would have started one game, Anderson one game, and Quinn one game. This did not happen. In order to protect RAC's plan of not giving Quinn a fair shot. Yet, theoretically, most teams play their starters and immediate backups through the third quarter and even into the fourth. Through the first three games, let's compare stats.
Charlie Frye: 22/32-232 yds-0TD's-1INT-a high QB rating:100.6
Derek Anderson: 20/33-215 yds-0TD's-1INT-a high QB rating:58.9
Brady Quinn: 20/32-236yds-3TD's-0INT-a high QB rating:121.9
The numbers alone are almost similar minus the TD/INT ratio. Also, notice, Frye and Anderson played roughly a full game and a half (or 6 quarters). Quinn has played roughly 2 quarters, 25% of which he was ordered to play a sort of prevent offense. When averaged out (which can never really be taken literally...) Quinn dwarf's his teammates at the same position. In the same amount of time played averaged out comes to:
60/96 for 708 yds 9 TD's/0INT.
Quite literally destroying any such "quarterback controversy". These are, however, assumed and imperfect statistics-merely for discussion sake. Keeping all of that in mind while Quinn was still facing Sam Adams, Elvis Dumervil, Ian Gold, John Lynch, Dre Bly, and Champ Bailey...he still out performed Frye and Anderson easily. Let's not forget, Quinn is the only QB to register a TD much less mutliple TD's, a very telling stat.
For those who are not sold on Brady Quinn as an elite QB at the NFL level ask yourself the following questions. Was Quinn's success or lack there of a direct reflection of his surrounding cast. Where did Quinn's offensive line get drafted-if at all? Where did Quinn's starting RB get drafted-if at all? Where would have his #1 WR been drafted? #2 WR? Where did Quinn's starting TE get drafted-if at all? Then ask yourself the same questions about former QB's or eventual first round potential QB's. Matt Leinart? Vince Young? Jay Cutler? Brian Brohm? Chad Henne? John David Booty? You will find that the supporting cast of almost all of them far exceed that of Quinn. Leinart alone is staggering. Bush, L.White, D.Jarrett, as well as offensive lineman-not even comparable. Then consider what happens the second Quinn is surrounded by the percieved starting offense for the Browns.
-A ProBowl running back
-A lottery pick WR
-Arguably the best Possession WR in the league
-Arguably the best Tight End in the league
-A lottery Left Tackle
-A fringe/backup ProBowl Left Guard
-A managable Center
-A formittable Right Guard
-An experienced Right Tackle
-A league renouned successful Offensive Coordinator
With all of these facts in place, no one can refute (before we actually see it) that Quinn doesn't belong in the conversation. It would irresponsible of me to insist that he just be given the job. He like every other player should be forced to earn his spot. Without a shadow of a doubt Quinn even more so than any other QB on the team should be given that opportunity, not shunned to the back of the depth chart like some second rate Arena league player at the end of his professional rope. There have been situations where a rookie comes in and is just flat out better than his counterparts. As far as the Browns are concerned, see: Kamerion Wimbley.
Since, I have not viewed the media's coverage of the Broncos/Browns press conference I cannot completely crucify RAC for not accepting Quinn as a possibility or even the front runner. If RAC is honest and fair to all his players, which seems to be his greatest characteristic according to his players, he will infact say that Quinn has played his way into the Starting Quarterback Competition. If Crennel did not defer to veterans to a fault, and was indeed fair, it is my opinion that this QB competition would be a different tale altogether. If Crennel really is concerned about saving his job, he would forget conventional wisdom and simply evaluate these players on their ability or inability to perform on the field. If I were placed in that very position-As of today, Brady Quinn would have won the starting quarterback job miles ago.
Rarely has an NFL team taken on such an overhaul or facelift as the Cleveland Browns have over the last couple of years. The defense, although not sexy, is effective. With a few exceptions Cleveland's margin of defeat has been less than 10. By season's end, they could have the #1 TE, a top 10 RB, a top 15 WR, and a top 10 offensive line. The only detail missing is the QB-the Field General if you will. This is a positional decision that has to be correct. The Cleveland Browns are facing the Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, and Patriots four out of the first five games of the season. Frye or Anderson cannot beat the any of these teams without some herendous mistake by the other team, or some ridiculous amount of luck. Conversley, Quinn cannot beat them all, but he clearly (in my opinion) gives them the best chance to win, whether they do or not, as they say, "that's why they play the game". Note this-
-vs Pittsburgh
-vs Cincinnati
-@ Oakland-winnable
-vs Baltimore
-@ New England
-vs Miami-winnable
-@ St. Louis
-vs Seattle-winnable
-@ Pittsburgh
-@ Baltimore
-vs Houston-winnable
-@ Arizona
-@ New York Jets-winnable
-vs Buffalo-winnable
-@ Cincinnati
-vs San Francisco-winnable
That is 7 wins outside of the division. Oakland is a joke, Miami is dealing with too much change to be feared, Seattle's window has closed and are on the down turn, Houston is still Houston, Cleveland beat New York last year with a terribly offensive team, Buffalo is young and not very good, and SF is clearly on the upswing but I am not sold yet on them as team to be feared. That's 7 wins out of division. At Cincinnati and at Pittsburgh will probably be losses. Anything else would be delusional of me. The Cardinals scare me this year with their offense. They are in a similar situation with no QB controversy. St. Louis, to me, is a toss up. S. Jackson is a no doubt stud. Torry Holt is very nice, they are a nice team. Remember this, Cleveland always beats some team they have no business beating-St. Louis may be that team. As for Baltimore, those will be the Jamal Lewis show. A probowl running back who feels slighted by his former team. Combine the fact that he will want to embarrace the Ravens at home with the fact that for some undescriptive reason Cleveland just plays Baltimore better in Baltimore. If they are to win against Baltimore it will be in Baltimore. That makes 8 wins with a potential of 9 given the Rams. Which takes us back to the first 3 or 4 important games. Pittsburgh(home), Cincinnati(home), New England(road). Since no schedule ever plays out as calculated, the previous topic of 8 or 9 out of division wins is very fallable. If we assume that 60% of the previous comments can be true, then we are back down to 4 or 5 wins out of division. With the big 3 out of 5 games left (giving Balt a win in CLE) these 3 become exponentially important. If CLE can beat PIT in CLE, beat CIN in CLE, and potentially creep up on NE and at least make a game of it, that will set the tone for the rest of the season.
With Quinn at the helm (with no predetermined fact-again my opinion)
sept 9th-----win at home against PIT
sept 16th----win at home against CIN
sept 23rd----win on the road against OAK
sept 30th----loss at home against BAL
oct 7th-------loss on the road against NE
oct 14th-----win at home against Miami
bye week
oct 28th-----loss on the road against STL
nov 4th------loss at home against SEA
nov 11th-----loss on the road against PIT
nov 18th-----win on the road against BAL
nov 25th-----win at home against HOU
dec 2nd------loss on the road against ARI
dec 9th------win on the road against NYJ
dec 16th-----win at home against BUF
dec 23rd-----loss on the road against CIN
dec 30th-----win at home against SF
_______________________________
that is a record of 9-7. And that is not too far fetched to think it could happen. One thing is for sure 9-7 is unattainable if Frye, Anderson, or Dorsey are to start the season as the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Is It Just Me Or......
Am I The Only Person Left Who Cares About The Preseason?
San Francisco 49ers-Why is Patrick Willis an automatic starter at ILB, and who is going to start at Center for that offensive line, how is Alex Smith's chemistry with a veteran WR like Darryl Jackson, and is Vernon Davis really back and if not who is going to step up-and the answer better not be Arnaz Battle?
NFL football is the most viewed and anticipated sport in the United States, period. You may like hockey or baseball or basketball better individually, but overall Americans love their Pro Football. Fans of any sport are often curious about off season acquisitions, trades, draft picks and other extenuating situations. Yet, with all of this, most people just get more blindly excited with each passing day. I
t seems to me, if even half of these football fans were truly interested, it would be in there best interest to be as informed as possible. Its only logical to think that any preseason game wouldn't hold a candle to the biggest most meaningless blowout of the regular season. Clearly, preseason is not the regular season, however, how is it not important enough to the majority to give a damn about preseason?
t seems to me, if even half of these football fans were truly interested, it would be in there best interest to be as informed as possible. Its only logical to think that any preseason game wouldn't hold a candle to the biggest most meaningless blowout of the regular season. Clearly, preseason is not the regular season, however, how is it not important enough to the majority to give a damn about preseason?It may not count, but is that really the question? Absolutely not. True fans would care, bec
ause true fans would want to be involved and informed. For once, news and info effecting my local NFL franchise is making national news, but that is rare. The national media rarely attack the important aspects of the preseason. Its always about the QB controversy, or what rookie is going to come out on top. As a fan of a given TEAM, I am always more intrigued by new yet veteran acquisitions, new offensive/defensive schemes, and the depth chart than the non-sense the national media peddles because its convenient. Look at last season, what was the big story? Who will be the better QB between Vince Young, Matt Leinart, or Jay Cutler? Who's answer is still up in the air. How about, who is Mike Furrey? Can SF really count on Frank Gore to carry the load? At least these questions are on the right track. In an attempt to make my point, I am going to list by team order some of the story lines that most fans should care about. At least one per team, on some of the other teams that I selfishly care about there may be more. I make my living following one team in particular, but I will display how easy it is to keep up with everyone. So to me, there is no excuse to be blind in regards to your favorite team. You need to get involved with your team. Inevitably, someone will go down to injury or will lose there job to someone you are not familiar with.
ause true fans would want to be involved and informed. For once, news and info effecting my local NFL franchise is making national news, but that is rare. The national media rarely attack the important aspects of the preseason. Its always about the QB controversy, or what rookie is going to come out on top. As a fan of a given TEAM, I am always more intrigued by new yet veteran acquisitions, new offensive/defensive schemes, and the depth chart than the non-sense the national media peddles because its convenient. Look at last season, what was the big story? Who will be the better QB between Vince Young, Matt Leinart, or Jay Cutler? Who's answer is still up in the air. How about, who is Mike Furrey? Can SF really count on Frank Gore to carry the load? At least these questions are on the right track. In an attempt to make my point, I am going to list by team order some of the story lines that most fans should care about. At least one per team, on some of the other teams that I selfishly care about there may be more. I make my living following one team in particular, but I will display how easy it is to keep up with everyone. So to me, there is no excuse to be blind in regards to your favorite team. You need to get involved with your team. Inevitably, someone will go down to injury or will lose there job to someone you are not familiar with.San Francisco 49ers-Why is Patrick Willis an automatic starter at ILB, and who is going to start at Center for that offensive line, how is Alex Smith's chemistry with a veteran WR like Darryl Jackson, and is Vernon Davis really back and if not who is going to step up-and the answer better not be Arnaz Battle?
Chicago Bears-How will Greg Olsen blend in with Desmond Clark, has the offense been
tweeked to utilize both and possibly at the same time? Is Rashied Davis ready to produce as a legitimate target? The defense is still monstrous, but did we all forgive and forget on the Lance Briggs situation? Did his holdout effect adversely any defensive growth?
tweeked to utilize both and possibly at the same time? Is Rashied Davis ready to produce as a legitimate target? The defense is still monstrous, but did we all forgive and forget on the Lance Briggs situation? Did his holdout effect adversely any defensive growth?Cincinnati Bengals-What have they done to insure that the offense won't give up on the running game in the red zone? David Pollack is out, for the season potentially. With all of the starters either injured or suspended, can people expect a better finish in the Nati?
Buffalo Bills-Where to begin? Is this really as good as its going to get? A couple more years and this team will have to start a squad of first, second and third year players. How good does Marshawn Lynch really look on a total of 19 carries? How good does J.P. Losman have to play in order to keep his job? Can we begin to investigate eventual cut lists from other teams?
Denver Broncos-Can Brandon Stokley fill Rod Smith's shoes if he cannot go at the start of the season? How serious in Travis Henry's injury and could it potentially be a season killer? How does Dre Bly looks this summer, does he care about football again? Is Steve Cargile going to get any real playing time this season?
Cleveland Browns-We don't have enough time for this one, here's some quick shots. Your not keeping four QB's who's it going to be and in what order? Is this the year Kellen Winslow changes the TE position and receives the baton from Gates? Just how nasty does Jamal Lewis look? If everything other than the QB is solid to very good, how far can they or can't they go? Why haven't Antwan Peek and Leon Williams not been named as starters? How serious is Bodden's ankle injury? Why hasn't the coaching staff anointed Eric Wright as a starter yet? When can we expect to see E.Steinback, L.Bentley, W.McGinest, O.Roye, or G.Baxter?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Is this the only team in the league starting at least 4 O-Lineman with less than 3 years exp and why? Out of 4 QB's worthy of starting or pushing based on potential, who gets the ax by final cut day? Who has stepped up among the WR's between D.Boston, I.Hillard, M.Clayton, or M.Stovall? Can we expect TB to name Gaines Adams as a starter or does he need more time? With the addition of Cato June and the loss of D
errick Brooks where does this middle defense stand respective to the rest of the league?
errick Brooks where does this middle defense stand respective to the rest of the league? Arizona Cardinals-Leinart, Edge, Fitzgerald, Boldin, Johnson, Pope are all a lock, but how has this All-Name Recognition O-Line responded to Rus Grimm's blocking scheme? Is Steve Breaston even going to make this team? Has the D-Line come together enough to make a decent improvement against the run? Has new head Coach Ken Whisenhunt found ways to utelize Edge while not puting the owness on him? Will Leinart and the offense break out or are we still a year or two away?
To Be Continued.....
NFL Transactions
Gerard "Big Money" Warren Moved-Experiment Failed
In the category of Ex Players gone bad, Gerard Warren has been traded from the Denver Broncos to the Oakland Raiders for an undisclosed draft pick. For Oakland's sake I hope it's a second day draft pick. I can recall the risky experiment conducted by the Denver Broncos organization that included acquiring most of the underwhelming Cleveland Browns Defensive Line. These moves included but are not limited to, Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown, Ebenezer Ekuban, and Mike Myers. Shortly there after, The Cleveland Browns organization converted to a 3-4 defense. Recently, a beat writer asked Romeo Crennel if the Browns would be interested in Warren now that he is rumored to be available. This question goes back to a period shortly after Crennel took over. Crennel then said, "Gerard Warren could play in this new defense". Due to his response to said question, he like the majority of the NFL, in fact do not believe this to still be true.
As for the remainder of the "experiment", Courtney Brown-who gets more injured than Samuel L. Jackson's character in Unbreakable (Mr. Glass), Brown is out of football. Let's hope he left Penn State with more than his inflated draft status. Mike Myers is more famous for having a horror movie name than anything he has done on the field. Ebenezer Ekuban, is and has always been the kind of player who is respectable as the 2nd or 3rd best D-Lineman on a team who's D-Line is not that good and only in a 3-4. As I respect the Denver organization, I can only say, I'm Glad That's Over. The idea that high profile lineman on a team who renders some of the leagues worst defensive stats just might not be the result of the team they are on. Maybe, just maybe these lineman are really just that bad.
As for Warren's claim that the pressure of losing got to him and his departed teammates and that a new venue will revitalize him...EAT IT. I would never make excuses for a team who consistently puts forth a less than respectable product. However, in this particular case, Warren has no room to complain. The fact of the matter is that Big Money Warren is lazy, unmotivated, and football has never been his priority. I can say this from personal experience. He once offered me to join him in his vip room (as well as anyone else who recognized him or would tell him how great he was) at a local Cleveland night spot. Let's just say, they weren't smoking black and mild's back there. I will have to consult the IRONY POLICE, but I believe this will qualify. His new teammate, Warren Sapp, I was once told makes no hesitation to party and party often. I once heard that at a Tampa night club he over heard someone say, "I'm not drunk enough yet", Sapp proceeded to say "tonight, drinks on me-for everyone and keep 'em coming 'til everyone's $h!tty". Needless to say, two pees in a pod.
The good or even great news as it pertains to the Denver Broncos, it seems they successful sent the Trojan Horse into the Oakland Raiders back yard. An extremely overused idea in professional sports is, no matter what never trade within your division or conference for fear that it may come back to haunt you. I think we can add an amendment to that axiom. "Unless the trade is perceived to specifically cripple your divisional/conference foe"
Oakland I hope you enjoy the following. A greedy over-hyped rookie QB who seems he doesn't really want to play, 3 backup RB's and no clear starter, crybaby WR's who demand more respect than they deserve, a D-Line who are better at eating cheeseburgers and getting $h!tty than they are at applying pressure to opposing offenses, and an owner who thinks its still 1982 and who's approach to the game makes about as much sense as a FOOTBALL BAT. Oakland, yet another bad move in long line of tradition that mirrors just such moves.
P.S. See in the Lottery Next Year
In the category of Ex Players gone bad, Gerard Warren has been traded from the Denver Broncos to the Oakland Raiders for an undisclosed draft pick. For Oakland's sake I hope it's a second day draft pick. I can recall the risky experiment conducted by the Denver Broncos organization that included acquiring most of the underwhelming Cleveland Browns Defensive Line. These moves included but are not limited to, Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown, Ebenezer Ekuban, and Mike Myers. Shortly there after, The Cleveland Browns organization converted to a 3-4 defense. Recently, a beat writer asked Romeo Crennel if the Browns would be interested in Warren now that he is rumored to be available. This question goes back to a period shortly after Crennel took over. Crennel then said, "Gerard Warren could play in this new defense". Due to his response to said question, he like the majority of the NFL, in fact do not believe this to still be true.
As for the remainder of the "experiment", Courtney Brown-who gets more injured than Samuel L. Jackson's character in Unbreakable (Mr. Glass), Brown is out of football. Let's hope he left Penn State with more than his inflated draft status. Mike Myers is more famous for having a horror movie name than anything he has done on the field. Ebenezer Ekuban, is and has always been the kind of player who is respectable as the 2nd or 3rd best D-Lineman on a team who's D-Line is not that good and only in a 3-4. As I respect the Denver organization, I can only say, I'm Glad That's Over. The idea that high profile lineman on a team who renders some of the leagues worst defensive stats just might not be the result of the team they are on. Maybe, just maybe these lineman are really just that bad.
As for Warren's claim that the pressure of losing got to him and his departed teammates and that a new venue will revitalize him...EAT IT. I would never make excuses for a team who consistently puts forth a less than respectable product. However, in this particular case, Warren has no room to complain. The fact of the matter is that Big Money Warren is lazy, unmotivated, and football has never been his priority. I can say this from personal experience. He once offered me to join him in his vip room (as well as anyone else who recognized him or would tell him how great he was) at a local Cleveland night spot. Let's just say, they weren't smoking black and mild's back there. I will have to consult the IRONY POLICE, but I believe this will qualify. His new teammate, Warren Sapp, I was once told makes no hesitation to party and party often. I once heard that at a Tampa night club he over heard someone say, "I'm not drunk enough yet", Sapp proceeded to say "tonight, drinks on me-for everyone and keep 'em coming 'til everyone's $h!tty". Needless to say, two pees in a pod.
The good or even great news as it pertains to the Denver Broncos, it seems they successful sent the Trojan Horse into the Oakland Raiders back yard. An extremely overused idea in professional sports is, no matter what never trade within your division or conference for fear that it may come back to haunt you. I think we can add an amendment to that axiom. "Unless the trade is perceived to specifically cripple your divisional/conference foe"
Oakland I hope you enjoy the following. A greedy over-hyped rookie QB who seems he doesn't really want to play, 3 backup RB's and no clear starter, crybaby WR's who demand more respect than they deserve, a D-Line who are better at eating cheeseburgers and getting $h!tty than they are at applying pressure to opposing offenses, and an owner who thinks its still 1982 and who's approach to the game makes about as much sense as a FOOTBALL BAT. Oakland, yet another bad move in long line of tradition that mirrors just such moves.
P.S. See in the Lottery Next Year
Thursday, August 16, 2007
FantasyDraftHelp.com
Updates Show Format
As you should know by now, I along with the managing partner of www.fantasydrafthelp.com Rick Morris, host a fantasy sports internet radio show on www.sportstalknetwork.com and www.sportstalkcleveland.com. Usually, our show airs from 9-11pm est live from the sports talk cleveland palacial studios in downtown Cleveland Ohio. As of tonight said Fantasy Draft Help Insider will be broadcast live from Shula's Steak 2 in Independence Ohio (approx 5-10 min south of downtown Cleveland). Just off of I-77 and Rockside road (one exit south of the I-77 and I-480 intersection). The beauty of broadcasting live on location is our ability to interact with the viewers/listeners who come down to Shula's. If you have a question or concern about your Fantasy team or questions that you'd like answered before your upcoming draft, come down to Shula's and we answer them.
This is a service most fantasy experts/consultants are leary of conducting without some sort of fee. Unlike our competitors in the world of Fantasy Sports, we at FantasyDraftHelp, do not treat this as an infomercial trying to say just enough to steal your money. We sincerely are interested in making you as competitive as possible. There are a multitude of tools, information, and expertise will do charge for, but we will still be happy to answer any question directly and specifically.
Since we approach our craft with absolute honety, we are able to create the kind of strategic process combined with rediculous levels of research and stat crunching that the other guys just aren't willing to do. For instance, anyone can look up season stats and compare those numbers. How many of the people actually have a comprehensive "STATISTIC", one statistic that factors every single aspect of fantasy football and how it compares to every other player? Only one, US. We don't waste your time with End-All-Be-All rules of thumb (i.e. you HAVE TO take 2 RB's in the first 2 rounds). We don't heavily weigh last years stats and forget the previous years stats. I could go on all day long with this, but the point is FDH (FantasyDraftHelp) takes a more analytical approach that ephasizes Value, Balance, and Statistical Research that would choke the like of the Talent-less Mr. Roto, or any other (in big air quotes) fantasy expert.
I was involved in 13 Fantasy Football Drafts last season. I won 6 of them and finished no worse than 4th in any other using the FDH system. The fact of the matter is, most (80% or more) of fantasy owners factor in name recognition, homer picks, a single season spike in production and ill-advised rules of thumb during their draft. If you were to use our system you would be taking valued picks at every round when they are picking based on the previous. Case in point, I was in a draft recently where Antonio Gates was selected 1st in the second round. While Chad Johnson, Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, Torry Holt, Willie Parker, Travis Henry, and Tom Brady were still available. If you don't see the problem with that then you need to come Shula's Steak 2 in Independence Ohio on Thursday nights or at the very least listen on www.sportstalknetwork.com or www.sportstalkcleveland.com. Just for the fun of it here's the problem-as a freebie
Antonio Gates -924 rec yds-----9 td's-----139 fantasy points
Chad Johnson -1369 rec yds-----7 td's-----173 fantasy points
Marvin Harrison -1366 rec yds-----12 td's-----200 fantasy points
Terrell Owens -1180 rec yds-----13 td's-----189 fantasy points
Torry Holt -1188 rec yds-----10 td's-----173 fantasy points
Willie Parker -1494 rush yds----13 td's----222 rec yds----3 td's----252 fan pts
Travis Henry -1211 rush yds-----7 td's----78 rec yds----0 td's----161 fan pts
Tom Brady -3529 pass yds----24 td's-----236 fantasy points
And the kicker is, if the guy to selected Gates wasn't a homer for MAC colleges, drafting solely on name recognition circa 2002-2005 he would realize that he could've selected one of the previous and higher valued (QB, RB, or WR) and gotten Kellen Winslow
Kellen Winslow -875 rec yds-----3 td's-----99 fantasy points
Here's the rub. Gates' offensive coordinator who is responsible for getting him the ball in the red zone is now in Cleveland. Winslow played 7 games on a bad leg and still tied the franchise record for receptions (held by hall of famer Ozzie Newsome). Chad Johnson, believe it or not had a down year for TD's. Marvin Harrison was on par for his performance. Owens led all receivers in TD's but had a sub par season with yards in a season where he dropped more balls than he ever had thus far in his career. In the last 4 of the last 5 seasons Holt has been the only receiver to go for 1300 yards and 10+ TD's and last season was the 1 out of 5 where he didn't. Willie Parker? are you kidding me, 1800 total yards and 16 combined TD's for any TE, HELL NO. Travis Henry had 1200/7 for the Tennessee Titans. Now he is in Denver where as we all know, "even you could rush for 1000 in Denver". Tom Brady, 3500/24. Those are QB numbers, period. He almost doubled Gates' production. You see this is all about value, balance and production top to bottom. In conclusion, let's compare that owners team to that of someone following the FDH system completely and take notice of the fantasy point differential.
Team A (not using the FDH system)
QB Carson Palmer----4035 yds----28 tds----261 fan pts
QB Eli Manning-------3244 yds----24 tds----216 fan pts
RB Willie McGahee----990 yds----6 tds------139 fan pts
RB Fred Taylor-------1146 yds----5 tds------162 fan pts
WR Calvin Johnson(R)-N/A--------N/A-------N/A------
WR Braylon Edwards---884 yds----6 tds------116 fan pts
FLEX Laveranues Coles--1098 yds---6 tds------139 fan pts
TE Antonio Gates------934 yds----9 tds------139 fan pts
K Matt Stover--------28 FGM---37 PAT----129 fan pts
DEF MIAMI------------47 Sack-27 TO-3 td---155 fan pts
---------------------------------------Total: 1,456 or 104 per wk
Team B (using the FDH system)
QB Marc Bulger------4301 yds----24 tds----264 fan pts
QB Phillip Rivers-----3388 yds----22 tds----219 fan pts
RB Frank Gore-------2180 tot yds--9 tds----254 fan pts
RB Willie Parker------1716 tot yds-16 tds----252 fan pts
WR Andre Johnson----1147 yds-----5 tds----137 fan pts
WR Darrell Jackson----956 yds----10 tds----150 fan pts
FLEX Reggie Brown------816 yds-----8 tds----129 fan pts
TE Jeremy Shockey---623 yds-----7 tds-----97 fan pts
K Jason Elam---------27 FGM--34 PAT---123 fan pts
DEF Philadelphia--------40 sack-29 TO-5 tds-153 fan pts
----------------------------------------Total: 1,778 or 127 pts per wk
That my friends is the difference between winning and losing weeks. Losing on a last second TD or Winning the week before the end of Sunday and not worrying about MNF. And that is the difference between missing your league's playoffs and Winning your league. PERIOD. The Fantasy Draft Help system works in an unbiased analytical manner. So check us out on Thursday nights from 9-11pm EST on www.sportstalknetwork.com and www.sportstalkcleveland.com or come in person if you can to Shula's Steak 2 in the Double Tree on Rockside Rd in Independence Ohio if you can. It will make the difference.
-Jason Jones
Senior Editor for Fantasy Draft Help.com
As you should know by now, I along with the managing partner of www.fantasydrafthelp.com Rick Morris, host a fantasy sports internet radio show on www.sportstalknetwork.com and www.sportstalkcleveland.com. Usually, our show airs from 9-11pm est live from the sports talk cleveland palacial studios in downtown Cleveland Ohio. As of tonight said Fantasy Draft Help Insider will be broadcast live from Shula's Steak 2 in Independence Ohio (approx 5-10 min south of downtown Cleveland). Just off of I-77 and Rockside road (one exit south of the I-77 and I-480 intersection). The beauty of broadcasting live on location is our ability to interact with the viewers/listeners who come down to Shula's. If you have a question or concern about your Fantasy team or questions that you'd like answered before your upcoming draft, come down to Shula's and we answer them.
This is a service most fantasy experts/consultants are leary of conducting without some sort of fee. Unlike our competitors in the world of Fantasy Sports, we at FantasyDraftHelp, do not treat this as an infomercial trying to say just enough to steal your money. We sincerely are interested in making you as competitive as possible. There are a multitude of tools, information, and expertise will do charge for, but we will still be happy to answer any question directly and specifically.
Since we approach our craft with absolute honety, we are able to create the kind of strategic process combined with rediculous levels of research and stat crunching that the other guys just aren't willing to do. For instance, anyone can look up season stats and compare those numbers. How many of the people actually have a comprehensive "STATISTIC", one statistic that factors every single aspect of fantasy football and how it compares to every other player? Only one, US. We don't waste your time with End-All-Be-All rules of thumb (i.e. you HAVE TO take 2 RB's in the first 2 rounds). We don't heavily weigh last years stats and forget the previous years stats. I could go on all day long with this, but the point is FDH (FantasyDraftHelp) takes a more analytical approach that ephasizes Value, Balance, and Statistical Research that would choke the like of the Talent-less Mr. Roto, or any other (in big air quotes) fantasy expert.
I was involved in 13 Fantasy Football Drafts last season. I won 6 of them and finished no worse than 4th in any other using the FDH system. The fact of the matter is, most (80% or more) of fantasy owners factor in name recognition, homer picks, a single season spike in production and ill-advised rules of thumb during their draft. If you were to use our system you would be taking valued picks at every round when they are picking based on the previous. Case in point, I was in a draft recently where Antonio Gates was selected 1st in the second round. While Chad Johnson, Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, Torry Holt, Willie Parker, Travis Henry, and Tom Brady were still available. If you don't see the problem with that then you need to come Shula's Steak 2 in Independence Ohio on Thursday nights or at the very least listen on www.sportstalknetwork.com or www.sportstalkcleveland.com. Just for the fun of it here's the problem-as a freebie
Antonio Gates -924 rec yds-----9 td's-----139 fantasy points
Chad Johnson -1369 rec yds-----7 td's-----173 fantasy points
Marvin Harrison -1366 rec yds-----12 td's-----200 fantasy points
Terrell Owens -1180 rec yds-----13 td's-----189 fantasy points
Torry Holt -1188 rec yds-----10 td's-----173 fantasy points
Willie Parker -1494 rush yds----13 td's----222 rec yds----3 td's----252 fan pts
Travis Henry -1211 rush yds-----7 td's----78 rec yds----0 td's----161 fan pts
Tom Brady -3529 pass yds----24 td's-----236 fantasy points
And the kicker is, if the guy to selected Gates wasn't a homer for MAC colleges, drafting solely on name recognition circa 2002-2005 he would realize that he could've selected one of the previous and higher valued (QB, RB, or WR) and gotten Kellen Winslow
Kellen Winslow -875 rec yds-----3 td's-----99 fantasy points
Here's the rub. Gates' offensive coordinator who is responsible for getting him the ball in the red zone is now in Cleveland. Winslow played 7 games on a bad leg and still tied the franchise record for receptions (held by hall of famer Ozzie Newsome). Chad Johnson, believe it or not had a down year for TD's. Marvin Harrison was on par for his performance. Owens led all receivers in TD's but had a sub par season with yards in a season where he dropped more balls than he ever had thus far in his career. In the last 4 of the last 5 seasons Holt has been the only receiver to go for 1300 yards and 10+ TD's and last season was the 1 out of 5 where he didn't. Willie Parker? are you kidding me, 1800 total yards and 16 combined TD's for any TE, HELL NO. Travis Henry had 1200/7 for the Tennessee Titans. Now he is in Denver where as we all know, "even you could rush for 1000 in Denver". Tom Brady, 3500/24. Those are QB numbers, period. He almost doubled Gates' production. You see this is all about value, balance and production top to bottom. In conclusion, let's compare that owners team to that of someone following the FDH system completely and take notice of the fantasy point differential.
Team A (not using the FDH system)
QB Carson Palmer----4035 yds----28 tds----261 fan pts
QB Eli Manning-------3244 yds----24 tds----216 fan pts
RB Willie McGahee----990 yds----6 tds------139 fan pts
RB Fred Taylor-------1146 yds----5 tds------162 fan pts
WR Calvin Johnson(R)-N/A--------N/A-------N/A------
WR Braylon Edwards---884 yds----6 tds------116 fan pts
FLEX Laveranues Coles--1098 yds---6 tds------139 fan pts
TE Antonio Gates------934 yds----9 tds------139 fan pts
K Matt Stover--------28 FGM---37 PAT----129 fan pts
DEF MIAMI------------47 Sack-27 TO-3 td---155 fan pts
---------------------------------------Total: 1,456 or 104 per wk
Team B (using the FDH system)
QB Marc Bulger------4301 yds----24 tds----264 fan pts
QB Phillip Rivers-----3388 yds----22 tds----219 fan pts
RB Frank Gore-------2180 tot yds--9 tds----254 fan pts
RB Willie Parker------1716 tot yds-16 tds----252 fan pts
WR Andre Johnson----1147 yds-----5 tds----137 fan pts
WR Darrell Jackson----956 yds----10 tds----150 fan pts
FLEX Reggie Brown------816 yds-----8 tds----129 fan pts
TE Jeremy Shockey---623 yds-----7 tds-----97 fan pts
K Jason Elam---------27 FGM--34 PAT---123 fan pts
DEF Philadelphia--------40 sack-29 TO-5 tds-153 fan pts
----------------------------------------Total: 1,778 or 127 pts per wk
That my friends is the difference between winning and losing weeks. Losing on a last second TD or Winning the week before the end of Sunday and not worrying about MNF. And that is the difference between missing your league's playoffs and Winning your league. PERIOD. The Fantasy Draft Help system works in an unbiased analytical manner. So check us out on Thursday nights from 9-11pm EST on www.sportstalknetwork.com and www.sportstalkcleveland.com or come in person if you can to Shula's Steak 2 in the Double Tree on Rockside Rd in Independence Ohio if you can. It will make the difference.
-Jason Jones
Senior Editor for Fantasy Draft Help.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Football
Is It More Than Just Another Sport?
My wife absolutely and implicitly hates Football season. Its not that she doesn't like sports. She enjoys basketball and hockey, but she knows that when football season starts I might as well be an FBI agent working under cover. All of the plans go out the window if said plans fall on a Monday, Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday (especially Sunday).
My favorite sport is basketball. As far as sports to play on all levels, its basketball. I get into basketball heavy, as do I for baseball and even hockey to a lesser degree. Football, however, is an entirely different story. Basketball, baseball, and hockey are sports. To me football is on a whole different plane of existence. Maybe it's the fact that there is only one game a week for each respective team, maybe it's the various strategic dynamics involved, whatever it is it's infectious to me.
All of the sports mentioned, have the one vs one as it benefits or hinders the respective teams. There is a definable difference between offense and defense. Most of those sports have groups of positions. All of these are true, but for some reason its different in football. Guards, forwards, and centers beget point guards/shooting guards, small forwards/power forwards, true centers/converted power forwards. Similarly, pitchers, infielders, outfielders beget starting pitchers/middle relief pitchers/closers, catchers/1Bmen/2Bmen & shortstops/3Bmen, left/center/right fielders and so on. In football you could say the same is true, but there are far more of them. QB's stand alone, running backs have Full and Halfbacks. WR's have wide outs, slot receivers, and possession receivers (which can be interchangeable). O-Line is very specific LT, RT, C, RG, RT, yet skilled lineman could conceivably play any of the five. Tackles are the most coveted though. D-Line is not so simplistic. A 4-3 DT is not the same as a 3-4 NT. A 3-4 DE could possibly play 4-3 DT but not 3-4 NT. A 4-3 DE is generally converted to a 3-4 OLB. Are you confused yet? In a 4-3, OLB and ILB are separated almost exclusively by athleticism and speed. In a 3-4 the OLB and ILB are fundamentally different players. Most teams have one shut down CB, if they are lucky there #2 is not that far off. If both are formidable at their position, then the FS ans SS could be interchangeable. If not then the FS and SS must be completely different players. That is only the surface of the breakdown. Troy Polamalu could play CB, SS, FS, or even OLB in a 4-3. Jorge Posada couldn't play 2B equally as well as catcher if he were asked. Steve Nash couldn't effectively play center if he were asked to match up against Chris Kaman if need be (he would have an edge in quickness but that's it).
There is something to be said for the infrequency of games as well. It may sound like a knock but in fact I think it is a great selling point. Even if you are an avid baseball fan, you would have to admit that missing 9 games or approximately 6% of the season is not going leave you feeling empty or incomplete. More over if you missed twice that much, even consecutively, you really haven't missed much. So, then why is it that if an NFL football fan misses even one game, or 1/16th of the season, he or she is unaccepting of this travesty? The answer is because each game really means that much to that person. Hypothetically speaking, say I follow all three teams from the same market (if you try even a little you can gauge which market I am using). The baseball team wins 90 games (which is normally a lock for the playoffs and is only a 0.555 winning pct) and misses the playoffs, I am upset for about 2-3 days and get over it reasonably soon. The basketball team wins 50 games and is 2 seed in their conference parlaying that into an NBA championship series appearance which they go on to lose 0-4 in a sweep, I am upset for about 6 weeks. The football team is in a rebuilding stage (that they have been in for 8+ years) and all of the national media has them pegged as a 5-11 team. I go into the season with expectations of 8-8 and possibly a delusional 9-7. Regardless of if its a 9-7 season or a 6-10 season, I will be moderately upset for at least 2-4 months. On the low end, they had a S#@ty season and on the high end, with a little luck how much more could they have won and is it improbable that they were inches away from being a playoff team? After the mourning period for my baseball and basketball teams, I really pay them NO mind until I here something about the off season/free agency period. With football, it really is a 365 day a year deal. Did the basketball team sign a high profile free agent to help get to the promised land? Did the baseball team acquire prospects or established talent with a right handed power hitter? But football, its insane, who are we going to draft? Will it be a horse for the holes on the line offense or defense? Will it be a franchise cornerstone QB, RB, or WR? Then as the season progresses, are we installing a new offensive system? Can player A convert to position B to move from 3rd to 2nd on the depth chart at different positions? Is it really so far fetched that all of the focus, luck and potential come together in one season and they realize greatness overnight forcing the national media to appear like stunned infants with their thumbs up their @$$e$? Now if you are exclusively die hard on any of the 4 major sports inversely more so than any other maybe this is conversely true for you and your desired sport. Chances are, unless you are an apologist for or a believer solely in a different sport, that is not true.
The beauty is in ratings and believe it or not fantasy football. Fantasy sports were made popular by baseball, however, there are people how are not even true football fans who play fantasy football. The Superbowl is the single most watched television event in the world! Some may argue that on a single "regular season" event, NASCAR has higher ratings. The proof is in the championship game/race. If the points championship in NASCAR comes down to the final race, that race alone will not do a better rating than the Superbowl. That's the only sporting event even close. All games played in the World Series over the last decade added together probably wouldn't add up to one Superbowl. If the Spurs played the Pistons in 10 straight NBA Finals it wouldn't rival the Superbowl.
Maybe its the strategy, the controlled violence, the pretty boys separated from the trench players, the awkwardly skewed scoring scale, the multitude of mini battles adding up to them vs us, the spectacle of it, the fact that each game seems to be figurative life and death for a football fan, every snap counts, its a game that is separated by inches, whatever it is there is just something more intense and majestic about football. Regardless what your favorite sport is. Whether the traditionalist fans want to admit it or not, baseball might have been our nations pastime for over 100 years, but its not anymore. Baseball's fault or not, the torch has been passed. Like an Olympic relay runner, the torch has been passed and football is gaining separation with every passing second.
My wife absolutely and implicitly hates Football season. Its not that she doesn't like sports. She enjoys basketball and hockey, but she knows that when football season starts I might as well be an FBI agent working under cover. All of the plans go out the window if said plans fall on a Monday, Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday (especially Sunday).
My favorite sport is basketball. As far as sports to play on all levels, its basketball. I get into basketball heavy, as do I for baseball and even hockey to a lesser degree. Football, however, is an entirely different story. Basketball, baseball, and hockey are sports. To me football is on a whole different plane of existence. Maybe it's the fact that there is only one game a week for each respective team, maybe it's the various strategic dynamics involved, whatever it is it's infectious to me.
All of the sports mentioned, have the one vs one as it benefits or hinders the respective teams. There is a definable difference between offense and defense. Most of those sports have groups of positions. All of these are true, but for some reason its different in football. Guards, forwards, and centers beget point guards/shooting guards, small forwards/power forwards, true centers/converted power forwards. Similarly, pitchers, infielders, outfielders beget starting pitchers/middle relief pitchers/closers, catchers/1Bmen/2Bmen & shortstops/3Bmen, left/center/right fielders and so on. In football you could say the same is true, but there are far more of them. QB's stand alone, running backs have Full and Halfbacks. WR's have wide outs, slot receivers, and possession receivers (which can be interchangeable). O-Line is very specific LT, RT, C, RG, RT, yet skilled lineman could conceivably play any of the five. Tackles are the most coveted though. D-Line is not so simplistic. A 4-3 DT is not the same as a 3-4 NT. A 3-4 DE could possibly play 4-3 DT but not 3-4 NT. A 4-3 DE is generally converted to a 3-4 OLB. Are you confused yet? In a 4-3, OLB and ILB are separated almost exclusively by athleticism and speed. In a 3-4 the OLB and ILB are fundamentally different players. Most teams have one shut down CB, if they are lucky there #2 is not that far off. If both are formidable at their position, then the FS ans SS could be interchangeable. If not then the FS and SS must be completely different players. That is only the surface of the breakdown. Troy Polamalu could play CB, SS, FS, or even OLB in a 4-3. Jorge Posada couldn't play 2B equally as well as catcher if he were asked. Steve Nash couldn't effectively play center if he were asked to match up against Chris Kaman if need be (he would have an edge in quickness but that's it).
There is something to be said for the infrequency of games as well. It may sound like a knock but in fact I think it is a great selling point. Even if you are an avid baseball fan, you would have to admit that missing 9 games or approximately 6% of the season is not going leave you feeling empty or incomplete. More over if you missed twice that much, even consecutively, you really haven't missed much. So, then why is it that if an NFL football fan misses even one game, or 1/16th of the season, he or she is unaccepting of this travesty? The answer is because each game really means that much to that person. Hypothetically speaking, say I follow all three teams from the same market (if you try even a little you can gauge which market I am using). The baseball team wins 90 games (which is normally a lock for the playoffs and is only a 0.555 winning pct) and misses the playoffs, I am upset for about 2-3 days and get over it reasonably soon. The basketball team wins 50 games and is 2 seed in their conference parlaying that into an NBA championship series appearance which they go on to lose 0-4 in a sweep, I am upset for about 6 weeks. The football team is in a rebuilding stage (that they have been in for 8+ years) and all of the national media has them pegged as a 5-11 team. I go into the season with expectations of 8-8 and possibly a delusional 9-7. Regardless of if its a 9-7 season or a 6-10 season, I will be moderately upset for at least 2-4 months. On the low end, they had a S#@ty season and on the high end, with a little luck how much more could they have won and is it improbable that they were inches away from being a playoff team? After the mourning period for my baseball and basketball teams, I really pay them NO mind until I here something about the off season/free agency period. With football, it really is a 365 day a year deal. Did the basketball team sign a high profile free agent to help get to the promised land? Did the baseball team acquire prospects or established talent with a right handed power hitter? But football, its insane, who are we going to draft? Will it be a horse for the holes on the line offense or defense? Will it be a franchise cornerstone QB, RB, or WR? Then as the season progresses, are we installing a new offensive system? Can player A convert to position B to move from 3rd to 2nd on the depth chart at different positions? Is it really so far fetched that all of the focus, luck and potential come together in one season and they realize greatness overnight forcing the national media to appear like stunned infants with their thumbs up their @$$e$? Now if you are exclusively die hard on any of the 4 major sports inversely more so than any other maybe this is conversely true for you and your desired sport. Chances are, unless you are an apologist for or a believer solely in a different sport, that is not true.
The beauty is in ratings and believe it or not fantasy football. Fantasy sports were made popular by baseball, however, there are people how are not even true football fans who play fantasy football. The Superbowl is the single most watched television event in the world! Some may argue that on a single "regular season" event, NASCAR has higher ratings. The proof is in the championship game/race. If the points championship in NASCAR comes down to the final race, that race alone will not do a better rating than the Superbowl. That's the only sporting event even close. All games played in the World Series over the last decade added together probably wouldn't add up to one Superbowl. If the Spurs played the Pistons in 10 straight NBA Finals it wouldn't rival the Superbowl.
Maybe its the strategy, the controlled violence, the pretty boys separated from the trench players, the awkwardly skewed scoring scale, the multitude of mini battles adding up to them vs us, the spectacle of it, the fact that each game seems to be figurative life and death for a football fan, every snap counts, its a game that is separated by inches, whatever it is there is just something more intense and majestic about football. Regardless what your favorite sport is. Whether the traditionalist fans want to admit it or not, baseball might have been our nations pastime for over 100 years, but its not anymore. Baseball's fault or not, the torch has been passed. Like an Olympic relay runner, the torch has been passed and football is gaining separation with every passing second.
I Couldn't Care Less
The Michael Vick Experience
A large number of stories surface within the world of sports
that the powers that be decide
are note worthy of our attention to a nauseous frequency. The
problem is, that for the most part most of us don't care. Case in
point: Barry Bonds. The most recent installment of stories that I
don't care about is the Michael Vick Dog Fighting Saga.
In a nutshell, I am not a Falcons fan, so if he is found innocent it
won't mean much to me. Like O.J., I will always have my own
opinion of what the truth really is. If he is found guilty or agrees
to a plea bargain, I like most people will say he is a disgusting human being, I hope he never plays football again, and I hope to see him serving my a burger at McDonald's some day. Unlike most people however, I have not passed judgment yet. I prefer to let things take its course (while I don't pay any attention to it) and wait until it is officially over. Again, take the O.J. Simpson case. I thoroughly enjoyed the white bronco chase, but after that moment, I didn't pay any attention to it until a friend of mine called me over to his car as we awaited the reading of the verdict on the radio. I am sure I will get some input from a multitude of non-professional "experts" (i.e. friends, family, and acquaintances). The information will be impossible to ignore. I can assure you of one thing, though. I will continue to change the channel every time ESPN reports on it, tune down the dial to another radio station when the previous radio station reports on it, etc. I will not waste my time listening to half assed analysis on a case where the reporters are not in the loop. I am exponentially more interested in Joey Freaking Harrington's performance in Vick's absence than I am the details of Vick's absence.
On a personal note, I do enjoy the company of pets. I have a cat that things we are guests in her home and am pricing a dog. I love my pets but would not deem myself an "animal lover". Recently, I found a 10 week old Shiba Inu. A phenomenal animal if you are also considering a dog. As, I am not a sappy individual, I enjoyed the animal for about 15 minutes and couldn't help thinking how sick of an S.O.B. Vick must be if all of this is true. Absolutely deplorable if it is true. As I am not an unconditional animal lover, its kind of like kids. I like kids, but I am sure I would enjoy my own much better than anyone else's. I still cannot fathom the idea of what has allegedly occurred at Vick's Virginia residence. These are still living, breathing animals that didn't ask to be treated the way they were. Without knowing all of the information, it is certain to say dogs were harmed whether Vick is involved or not.
I do, however, have some knowledge of the dog fighting underworld. Not from a first person perspective of course. I grew up in the Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. area and have been very aware of the aforementioned dog fighting world seldom witnessed by the general public. I knew guys who had and trained dogs to do just what we are learning took place at Vick's residence. I have never witnessed this, nor will I ever. What I do know, is that like Elliot Ness cracking down on prohibition, Michael Vick may have brought a great deal of attention to a subject the masses involved thought they would never have to deal with. Most of these people truly love their animals and convince themselves that what they are doing is not inhumane or cruel. The other misconception is that the dogs are bread to be mean. That these dogs are somehow predisposed to be vicious. Sometimes that can be true, but more often than not they are merely working on instinct and feel trapped. Have you ever cornered a stray? Their instincts kick in and will do almost anything to escape even if your intentions are good. I have heard of scenarios similar to what most of us have heard of the Michael Vick's house setup. A circular "ring" with two entrances on opposite sides of one another. Picture this, two owners on opposing points of the circle. Each holding their respective animals. Now comes the beginning of the cruelty. Sometimes they use small yet annoying pain as motivation. Pinching a sensitive portion of skin. Continually flicking the nose. Yanking on the tail. Nothing the dog perceives to be fatal or detrimental but clearly annoying with the desire for it to stop. Then the worst of what I've heard. Smelling salts. If any of you have played football or hockey and have had the misfortune of experiencing smelling salts you know what I mean. With the dog firmly secured with one arm the owner places the salts reasonably close to the dogs nose. This need to escape becomes violently more urgent. They would do this repeatedly until the dog's sense of reality and sanity is all but gone. At this point the dog will do just about anything to escape the situation. From this point on, the dog should not be held responsible for its actions. Once the owner releases its grip, naturally the dog moves as quickly as possible away from its present location. Since the opposing dog is trying to do the same thing, they end up on a collision course for one another. When they meet each believes the other is just another obstacle. Naturally, the instincts kick in and anything in its way must be averted or dealt with. The "Dog Fight" ensues.
This has just been one example of what can happen from the owners own doing. It's disgusting, irresponsible, inhumane and any other adjective you can use to describe it. It is very wrong, but once again if Michael Vick wasn't Michael Vick it would just be some @$$hole who should do time. ESPN wouldn't cover it, FOX wouldn't cover it, CNN wouldn't cover it, etc. As Chris Rock once said, "If his name was Orentho the Bus Driving Murderer no one would care". Due to the fact that Vick is a pro athlete, the story is more note worthy? Poppycock. That's right I just dropped the obligatory "POPPYCOCK" mention. I recognize that its a terrble crime. But I do not acknowledge that it is any more important than the Jose Carranza story. In fact it is monumentally less important. Yet, if you allow the major sports media entities to dictate the news to you as if their words represent divine mandate, you would believe that the Michael Vick story is the most crucial and important story in American Sports History. The terrible fact of the matter is, that long after Vick's fate is realized there will be some other not so important story they will force feed us on an hourly basis.
The details of the Vick story aside (as I said, I will worry about it when its over) the bigger issue here is, at some point we stopped watching the games and thinking for ourselves. At some point, we decided our "game time" could be spent picking out drapes or mowing the lawn, because after all we can find out all we need to know from the world in sports in the time it takes to make my Monday morning coffee. Look, everyone has different priorities. Not everyone can spend all of their free time watching and re-watching games and analyzing games and strategy. We should be able to bridge the gap a little, though. Whether its Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, Pacman Jones, the latest substance abuse policy violator, or who's a better starting QB for the Carolina Panthers, how effective is the zone defense in the NBA, or is inter league play really good or bad for the game...Don't let other so called experts tell you wants right, wrong or important. Think for yourselves. For instance, in the 2006 NFL Draft, so called draft expert mel kiper jr (I won't capitalize his name because he's a hack) was only right on 17% of the first round. I was 54% correct and my business partner Mr. Morris was 71% correct. Just an example, we ALL need to start thinking for ourselves. Whether it's about Michael Vick's fate or breaking down the X's and O's at your company water cooler on Mondays.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Emerging Talent-Young NFL Players to Look Out for This Season
Every year, as fans, we are awaiting the emergence of the next great player (or just an improvement from last year). Here I will give a number of examples of players you may or may not have expected to produce on a high or highER level. Some may seem very obvious, if that's the case, then you are one of "MY PEOPLE".
In no specific order
1. Laurence Maroney-Surprise, surprise right? Again it's the process not the final score. Laurence Maroney is a no joke player. Have you checked last years stats recently? 745 yards and only 6 touchdowns. It probably seems like more because its the Patriots. There is a particular media giant who push the Patriots as if God put together a football team, so no doubt you believe Maroney had a solid season. In '07, I believe extenuating circumstances will contribute to a better season. A season that mirrors the hype Patriot starters will receive unconditionally. Introducing balance, football is a game of balance. The best way to ensure that a running back will succeed, is to ensure that he is not facing 8 and 9 in the box on every down. Submit arguably the second best quarterback Tom Brady, arguably the most TALENTED wide receiver in the game if not ever (based on talent recognized or not) in Randy Moss. As well as great complimentary receiver core members: Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, Chad Jackson, and Benjamin Watson. Any team who stacks the box, is asking Brady to destroy them with a simple audible at the line of scrimmage. If I were Belichek and his coaching staff, I would approach the game plan like Cedric the Entertainer in the Original Kings of Comedy, "I wish a
mother@#!&er would" stack the box!
2. Travis Henry-Bet you thought his career was done. There is a monacre that has surfaced since the mid 1990's. "Even you could rush for a hundred running behind Denver's O-Line". We will see how true that is. It is as simple as that. 1211 yards and 7 touchdowns for the freaking Titans! Now he goes to Denver? You have got be kidding me. To make things worse for opposing defenses, this is not the same team led by the over hyped Jake "the mistake" Plummer who only throws intermediate routes to Rod Smith and tight ends you've never heard of. Enter 2 other Broncos to this list, Jay Cutler and Javon Walker. Walker has already put up Pro Bowl numbers, but it has been quite some time since the glorious Favre to Walker connection. Believe me, since draft day 2006, Walker has been salivating over the potential passes from young Jay Cutler. If any NFL team really wants to contend their offense needs some kind of big 3. All of the recent SuperBowl champs have had it in some capacity. Great offensive line, 12oo yard rusher, prolific passing quarterback, and a prototype first option wide receiver sounds like a great equation for success.
3. Edgerrin James-This is more a story of an elite running back returning to grace. Believe it or not, 1159 yards rushing is a considerable down year. Albeit, the entire Cardinals offense could make this list. This is another story of extenuating circumstances. Leinart, Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Johnson are also still there, the difference is in first round draft pick Levi Brown, Offensive guru Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt and Offensive line coach Rus Grimm. It is conveniently popular to pick the Cardinals to contend. This time it makes considerably more sense. Any expert will say football teams are made in the trenches. Hopefully, for both Leinart and Edge's sake, let's hope they have appropriately begun to improve that area.
4. Thomas Jones-It always astonishes me when a championship caliber team unloads important pieces following a championship game/series appearance. The Bears did just that with Thomas Jones. Granted, they have Cedric Benson waiting in the wind. Even though, Benson was a top 5 draft pick, he still to this point is clearly unproven. Luckily for Jones, the New York Jets were ecstatic to unload trade pieces to aquire Jones. I say luckily because with the Jets there will be no Rex Grossman experiment. We all know what Chad Pennington can do. Lavereous Coles, and Jerricho Cotchery are what they are-namely not elite wide receivers. Thomas Jones will get more carries and they will lean on him often. 1210 yards and 6 touchdowns should be the lighter side of Jones' '07 production.
5. The Browns Offense (minus QB)-This may be perceived as just another homer pick on my part, but we will revisit this one 19 weeks from now. In 2006, Cleveland's overall offensive rank was 31st out of 32 teams. They only averaged 14.9 points per game, from the perspective of someone who watches them religiously-the vast majority of those 14 points came off of FG's not TD's. QB's sacks 54 times which was good for 2nd highest or ranking 31st of 32 in pass protection. An absolutely deplorable 32nd in yards per reception of ONLY 3.84. Can you believe that one? To top that off only 83 rushing yards per game. Most teams have one guy who averages 83 or more per game, our starting running back, backup running backs, trick plays, quarterback bootlegs, etc don't add up to 100 yards a game. Last season, this team had a starting QB who hadn't completed 16 games as a pro, a RB who was a converted FB to RB who succeed in the previously mentioned Denver offensive line, a playmaking TE who played 60% of the season on one leg, a diva minded number one WR with a propensity to drop anything in traffic, arguably the best possession receiver they never threw to, and a Div. 2 worthy offensive line-and that's before they got injured. Now the QB troubles seem to be similar in nature, Jamal Lewis looks better, stronger, faster, and tougher than he has since 2003. Our playmaking TE is about to steal the crown from Antonio Gates and Browns apologists are not the only one's saying that. Our diva Wide Receiver seems to have shed that persona-verbally, physically, and financially. Our possession receiver has been noticed thanks to the new system implements by former Charger offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. Finally, the Offensive Line, the Offensive Line. Good Googa Mooga! For those that don't know-from left to right Kevin Shaffer, Joe Andruzzi, Hank Fraley, Cosey Coleman, Ryan Tucker. Only 2 of those finished the season in their respective positions. Only one, Hank Fraley, will start '07 in his respective spot. Add Joe Thomas (best Off. Tackle in years to enter the draft), Eric Steinbach (young fringe pro bowler), Hank Fraley, Seth McKinney (would start on over half the teams in the NFL), and Kevin Shaffer (who was a successful blocker on the league's best rushing team 2 years ago-one problem. It was Atlanta and Michael Vick is left handed which makes Shaffer a tackle blocking the strong side not the weak side as he did last season. So at least now he won' t be playing out of position). Hoping that Brady Quinn takes over at some point in this season, since Frye and Anderson are second rate to be polite, we could be looking at a team who was forceably the worst or second worst in most offensive categories. Then to see them render statistics of a Running back over 1,400 yards, a Wide Receiver over 1,000 yards, and a Tight End over 1,000 yards all on the same team. Football is a game of balance, and in the construction of said team, GM Phil Savage has indeed begun to build a team the right way. With cornerstones and foundation pieces not a sexy 25th story penthouse on quicksand nestled over top of a fault line. Oh, and did I forget Eric Wright, THE BEST CORNERBACK IN THE DRAFT, PERIOD! Just for quick reference
QB Brady Quinn-QB of the future, b/w better than average and great
RB Jamal Lewis-Will be in the top 8 of rushing yds by seasons end
LT Joe Thomas-Best LT prospect since Bryant McKinney
LG Eric Steinbach-Pro Bowl LG
C Hank Fraley-Solid Center
RG Seth McKinney-Good RG
RT Kevin Shaffer-Decent RT playing his correct position
TE Kellen Winslow-Best TE in football
WR Braylon Edwards-Top 12 WR based on yardage by seasons end
WR Joe Jurevicious-Best possession WR in football
WR Joshua Cribbs-A progressing slot reciever with hybrid potential
DE Robaire Smith-A 4-3 DT with good 3-4 DE skills
NT Ted Washington-6'8" 365lbs enough said
DE Shawn Smith-A quality NT with 3-4 DE run stuffing potential
OLB Kamerion Wimbley-A flat out stud pass rusher. 12 sacks with constant double teams
ILB D'Qwell Jackson-A poor man's Jonathan Vilma in the making
ILB Leon Williams-Freakish ability and solid ILB instincts
OLB Antwan Peek-A forgotted stud in the 3-4 since his previous team switched to a 4-3
SS Sean Jones-Roy Williams/Ed Reed potential
FS Brodney Pool-Token FS with cover skills good enough to play nickel corner
CB Leigh Bodden-A legitimate big play stopper. Ask Chad Johnson
CB Eric Wright-The best cover corner in the draft and an instant starter
Of course this is the rosy side of potential meets opportunity.
In no specific order
1. Laurence Maroney-Surprise, surprise right? Again it's the process not the final score. Laurence Maroney is a no joke player. Have you checked last years stats recently? 745 yards and only 6 touchdowns. It probably seems like more because its the Patriots. There is a particular media giant who push the Patriots as if God put together a football team, so no doubt you believe Maroney had a solid season. In '07, I believe extenuating circumstances will contribute to a better season. A season that mirrors the hype Patriot starters will receive unconditionally. Introducing balance, football is a game of balance. The best way to ensure that a running back will succeed, is to ensure that he is not facing 8 and 9 in the box on every down. Submit arguably the second best quarterback Tom Brady, arguably the most TALENTED wide receiver in the game if not ever (based on talent recognized or not) in Randy Moss. As well as great complimentary receiver core members: Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, Chad Jackson, and Benjamin Watson. Any team who stacks the box, is asking Brady to destroy them with a simple audible at the line of scrimmage. If I were Belichek and his coaching staff, I would approach the game plan like Cedric the Entertainer in the Original Kings of Comedy, "I wish a
mother@#!&er would" stack the box!
2. Travis Henry-Bet you thought his career was done. There is a monacre that has surfaced since the mid 1990's. "Even you could rush for a hundred running behind Denver's O-Line". We will see how true that is. It is as simple as that. 1211 yards and 7 touchdowns for the freaking Titans! Now he goes to Denver? You have got be kidding me. To make things worse for opposing defenses, this is not the same team led by the over hyped Jake "the mistake" Plummer who only throws intermediate routes to Rod Smith and tight ends you've never heard of. Enter 2 other Broncos to this list, Jay Cutler and Javon Walker. Walker has already put up Pro Bowl numbers, but it has been quite some time since the glorious Favre to Walker connection. Believe me, since draft day 2006, Walker has been salivating over the potential passes from young Jay Cutler. If any NFL team really wants to contend their offense needs some kind of big 3. All of the recent SuperBowl champs have had it in some capacity. Great offensive line, 12oo yard rusher, prolific passing quarterback, and a prototype first option wide receiver sounds like a great equation for success.
3. Edgerrin James-This is more a story of an elite running back returning to grace. Believe it or not, 1159 yards rushing is a considerable down year. Albeit, the entire Cardinals offense could make this list. This is another story of extenuating circumstances. Leinart, Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Johnson are also still there, the difference is in first round draft pick Levi Brown, Offensive guru Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt and Offensive line coach Rus Grimm. It is conveniently popular to pick the Cardinals to contend. This time it makes considerably more sense. Any expert will say football teams are made in the trenches. Hopefully, for both Leinart and Edge's sake, let's hope they have appropriately begun to improve that area.
4. Thomas Jones-It always astonishes me when a championship caliber team unloads important pieces following a championship game/series appearance. The Bears did just that with Thomas Jones. Granted, they have Cedric Benson waiting in the wind. Even though, Benson was a top 5 draft pick, he still to this point is clearly unproven. Luckily for Jones, the New York Jets were ecstatic to unload trade pieces to aquire Jones. I say luckily because with the Jets there will be no Rex Grossman experiment. We all know what Chad Pennington can do. Lavereous Coles, and Jerricho Cotchery are what they are-namely not elite wide receivers. Thomas Jones will get more carries and they will lean on him often. 1210 yards and 6 touchdowns should be the lighter side of Jones' '07 production.
5. The Browns Offense (minus QB)-This may be perceived as just another homer pick on my part, but we will revisit this one 19 weeks from now. In 2006, Cleveland's overall offensive rank was 31st out of 32 teams. They only averaged 14.9 points per game, from the perspective of someone who watches them religiously-the vast majority of those 14 points came off of FG's not TD's. QB's sacks 54 times which was good for 2nd highest or ranking 31st of 32 in pass protection. An absolutely deplorable 32nd in yards per reception of ONLY 3.84. Can you believe that one? To top that off only 83 rushing yards per game. Most teams have one guy who averages 83 or more per game, our starting running back, backup running backs, trick plays, quarterback bootlegs, etc don't add up to 100 yards a game. Last season, this team had a starting QB who hadn't completed 16 games as a pro, a RB who was a converted FB to RB who succeed in the previously mentioned Denver offensive line, a playmaking TE who played 60% of the season on one leg, a diva minded number one WR with a propensity to drop anything in traffic, arguably the best possession receiver they never threw to, and a Div. 2 worthy offensive line-and that's before they got injured. Now the QB troubles seem to be similar in nature, Jamal Lewis looks better, stronger, faster, and tougher than he has since 2003. Our playmaking TE is about to steal the crown from Antonio Gates and Browns apologists are not the only one's saying that. Our diva Wide Receiver seems to have shed that persona-verbally, physically, and financially. Our possession receiver has been noticed thanks to the new system implements by former Charger offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. Finally, the Offensive Line, the Offensive Line. Good Googa Mooga! For those that don't know-from left to right Kevin Shaffer, Joe Andruzzi, Hank Fraley, Cosey Coleman, Ryan Tucker. Only 2 of those finished the season in their respective positions. Only one, Hank Fraley, will start '07 in his respective spot. Add Joe Thomas (best Off. Tackle in years to enter the draft), Eric Steinbach (young fringe pro bowler), Hank Fraley, Seth McKinney (would start on over half the teams in the NFL), and Kevin Shaffer (who was a successful blocker on the league's best rushing team 2 years ago-one problem. It was Atlanta and Michael Vick is left handed which makes Shaffer a tackle blocking the strong side not the weak side as he did last season. So at least now he won' t be playing out of position). Hoping that Brady Quinn takes over at some point in this season, since Frye and Anderson are second rate to be polite, we could be looking at a team who was forceably the worst or second worst in most offensive categories. Then to see them render statistics of a Running back over 1,400 yards, a Wide Receiver over 1,000 yards, and a Tight End over 1,000 yards all on the same team. Football is a game of balance, and in the construction of said team, GM Phil Savage has indeed begun to build a team the right way. With cornerstones and foundation pieces not a sexy 25th story penthouse on quicksand nestled over top of a fault line. Oh, and did I forget Eric Wright, THE BEST CORNERBACK IN THE DRAFT, PERIOD! Just for quick reference
QB Brady Quinn-QB of the future, b/w better than average and great
RB Jamal Lewis-Will be in the top 8 of rushing yds by seasons end
LT Joe Thomas-Best LT prospect since Bryant McKinney
LG Eric Steinbach-Pro Bowl LG
C Hank Fraley-Solid Center
RG Seth McKinney-Good RG
RT Kevin Shaffer-Decent RT playing his correct position
TE Kellen Winslow-Best TE in football
WR Braylon Edwards-Top 12 WR based on yardage by seasons end
WR Joe Jurevicious-Best possession WR in football
WR Joshua Cribbs-A progressing slot reciever with hybrid potential
DE Robaire Smith-A 4-3 DT with good 3-4 DE skills
NT Ted Washington-6'8" 365lbs enough said
DE Shawn Smith-A quality NT with 3-4 DE run stuffing potential
OLB Kamerion Wimbley-A flat out stud pass rusher. 12 sacks with constant double teams
ILB D'Qwell Jackson-A poor man's Jonathan Vilma in the making
ILB Leon Williams-Freakish ability and solid ILB instincts
OLB Antwan Peek-A forgotted stud in the 3-4 since his previous team switched to a 4-3
SS Sean Jones-Roy Williams/Ed Reed potential
FS Brodney Pool-Token FS with cover skills good enough to play nickel corner
CB Leigh Bodden-A legitimate big play stopper. Ask Chad Johnson
CB Eric Wright-The best cover corner in the draft and an instant starter
Of course this is the rosy side of potential meets opportunity.
A Fresh Perspective
Water Cooler Rants is a member of the Dynamic Fantasy Draft Help (FDH) family of Blogs and other new media outlets. We first and foremost started out as Fantasy Sports experts/analysts. Fantasy Sports is a great conduit to locating the truth and reason for everything in real sports. We take that approach in bring you the information that we do. Deep rooted analysis, researched information, crunched numbers arriving us all a conclusion that is Correct, whether it is popular or not.
Most sports fans seek perspective. Most fans do not have the time nor the inclination to do the heavy lifting to assertain said perspective. When choosing a career, I chose one that depended on my ability to do the heavy lifting. I provide perspective to those seeking it. What I have found over the years, is that most people defer to the "Media Powerhouses" for their information. Generally, this is not a problem. Except when the Powerhouses of Media do not do the analysis they should. They have a responsibility to their public to do or say what is right as opposed to what's popular. This indeed is not always the case. Major sports markets get the bulk of the run in heavy rotation. Just like in the music industry, the powers that be decide what you should care about. Ever wonder why no baseball team other than the Yankees get top billing? Why are the New England Patriots perceved to be America's team? Is it really hockey's fault no body is watching? These are some of the questions people should be asking.
It is very convenient for the people with the influence to say what is in their best interest. In this blog, we will entertain other aspects. Deal with topics major media does not believe is important to you. Because it's not in THEIR best interest. The bottom line is important. Things like box scores, averages, wins and losses. What I believe is more important is the process by which we arrive at said conclusions. We will probe all of this. If you want the news, you know where to get it. If you want background information, the cause of, the result of, the real reason for; then this is where you come to get it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy bringing it to the foreground.
-Jason Jones
Most sports fans seek perspective. Most fans do not have the time nor the inclination to do the heavy lifting to assertain said perspective. When choosing a career, I chose one that depended on my ability to do the heavy lifting. I provide perspective to those seeking it. What I have found over the years, is that most people defer to the "Media Powerhouses" for their information. Generally, this is not a problem. Except when the Powerhouses of Media do not do the analysis they should. They have a responsibility to their public to do or say what is right as opposed to what's popular. This indeed is not always the case. Major sports markets get the bulk of the run in heavy rotation. Just like in the music industry, the powers that be decide what you should care about. Ever wonder why no baseball team other than the Yankees get top billing? Why are the New England Patriots perceved to be America's team? Is it really hockey's fault no body is watching? These are some of the questions people should be asking.
It is very convenient for the people with the influence to say what is in their best interest. In this blog, we will entertain other aspects. Deal with topics major media does not believe is important to you. Because it's not in THEIR best interest. The bottom line is important. Things like box scores, averages, wins and losses. What I believe is more important is the process by which we arrive at said conclusions. We will probe all of this. If you want the news, you know where to get it. If you want background information, the cause of, the result of, the real reason for; then this is where you come to get it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy bringing it to the foreground.
-Jason Jones
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