Debate the 49ers’ offseason possibilities in The Football Fan Forum

2010 Preview:

There are a lot of questions surrounding this team, all of which exist as a result of their decisions on draft day. I detailed these in my assessment of their draft, but I’ll bring them up again. I’m not saying they had a bad draft, as they got a lot of talent, but the type of talent they got is what poses these questions. What if Alex Smith is not the right choice at quarterback and cannot run a Pro Style offense? It’s a valid question. Smith’s production in a Pro Style offense in the past has fallen way short of expectations. He was decent last year, but out of a shotgun spread. After drafting two monster run blocking offensive linemen in the first round this year, it’s safe to say, they won’t be using a spread this year.

What if they brought in too many guys with questionable character? They’ve had good success in the past with Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. However, both Taylor Mays and Anthony Davis had major work ethic concerns coming out of school, Davis going as far as to pull an Andre Smith, showing up out of shape to the Combine, and blowing off his Pro Day without telling anyone. Navarro Bowman and Anthony Dixon have been arrested. Nothing wrong with his character, but Mike Iupati is a major project. What if he becomes lazy after getting paid big money and doesn’t develop in pass protection? 

What if they can’t stop anyone through the air? This is an increasingly pass heavy league and their secondary, in terms of pass coverage, leaves a lot to be desired. Nate Clements looks like he will stay at corner this year, rather than move to safety as previously rumored. He’s had good years in the past, just not the recent past, and I wouldn’t bet on him having a bounce back year this year. Shawntae Spencer is a solid #2 corner, but nothing better. Dre Bly and Walt Harris are old. Dashon Goldston, Michael Lewis, and Taylor Mays are all good safeties, but all three excel against the run and aren’t up to par in pass coverage.

Their pass rush is amazing and could be even better this year if either Manny Lawson or Ahmad Brooks steps up as a true #1 pass rusher, but can their below average coverage ability be masked by a fierce pass rush and an amazing run stopping front 7 in an increasingly pass heavy league? They did rank 4^th in the league in fewest points allowed last year, but they ranked 15^th in total yards last year and may not be as lucky this year. They also ranked 21^st in total passing yards allowed last year, not a good sign.

They’ll run well this year. Frank Gore, assuming he stays healthy, should rank among the best in the league in total yards again this year, behind a revamped run blocking line. However, he’s not a consistent source of yards, even more so than most running backs. He had some brilliant games last year where he carried the team, but he also had 4 games of 33 or fewer yards in 13 games. That’s putting a lot of pressure on Alex Smith, who, as I alluded to before, is by no means an established top 15 quarterback in this league, especially in an under center style offense.

Because of the questions at quarterback for them and their deficiencies against the pass, I can’t call this an elite team. They’ll probably look pretty similar to what they were in 2009, in terms of wins and losses. Luckily for them, their division is so bad that the 8 wins they had in 2009 could win them this division.

Projection: 8-8 1st in NFC West

Power Ranking: 17 

Last season: 8-8

Draft:

#11 OT Anthony Davis (Rutgers)

I would give this an F if it were any other team. Davis is Andre Smith 2.0. He lacks motivation. He won’t stay in shape. He struggled in pass protection. However, if there’s anyone who can bring his talent out, it’s Mike Singletary. Still, I don’t see the need to trade up and I don’t think Davis will pan out longterm.

Grade: D

#17 G Mike Iupati (Idaho)

If there was a bigger statement made this draft than the Niners saying “Alex Smith is our quarterback,” show me, because I don’t think there is. The Niners passed up on a quarterback in Jimmy Clausen, twice, not caring about him possibly going to division rival Seattle or Arizona, so they could get some much needed offensive line help to protect Alex Smith. I like the Iupati selection a lot more than the Davis selection because I think Iupati will pan out longterm. Unlike Davis, he is not raw and lacks motivation. He is just raw. However, I cannot give this draft pick an A because in a few years they may have wished they had taken Clausen.

Grade: B

#49 S Taylor Mays (USC)

Wow, this guy lost a lot of money by coming back to school, didn’t he. I don’t think Mays is a first round prospect like some places, however, I love this pick in the middle of the 2^nd for the Niners. He fits what they want to do perfectly. They have a coach they can bring it out of him. He fills a need. And, it’s right in the middle of the 2^nd round where he would have been a steal if my books even if they didn’t have the perfect atmosphere for him to shine.

Grade: A

#91 MLB Navarro Bowman (Penn State)

Bowman has first round talent, but a bad attitude and a bad history of being arrested/suspended/put on probation. Also, I don’t think he fits the 3-4 scheme perfectly, but he is almost too talented for them to pass on at 91, so I can’t hate the pick.

Grade: B+

#173 RB Anthony Dixon (Mississippi State)

Dixon will fill a goal line and short yardage role for the Niners (who obviously want to get back to smashmouth offensive football) right away, but take a look at their first 5 picks. All 5 of those players either are raw, have motivation issues, or have been arrested. I know Mike Singletary has done good work with lower character guys or project guys before, but he may be bitting off more than he can chew here. He may explode midseason and have another epic rant.

Grade: A-

#182 TE Nate Byham (Pittsburgh)

Finally, a player who hasn’t been arrested or labeled a project. Byham is a blocking tight end, which wasn’t viewed as a need by me coming into the draft, but if they want to get back to smashmouth football, they’ll need a blocker like Byham. Better blockers could be had though.

Grade: C

#206 WR Kyle Williams (Arizona State)

A bit confusing because they already added Ted Ginn Jr. this offseason, who is a returner/receiver guy like Williams, but Ginn is known for some really ugly drops, so Williams could be their slot receiver sometime next year.  A better receiver was available, if not multiple better receivers, but this is a solid selection.

Grade: B-

#224 CB Phillip Adams (South Carolina State)

Why did the Niners wait this long to take a cornerback? Do they not think they have to stop the pass in this pass heavy league. Adams, however, is a very underrated cornerback, so I like the pick.

Grade: A

Overall:

The Niners made 4 statements with this draft: Alex Smith is our quarterback. We want to get back to smahsmouth run heavy football and think Alex Smith can run an under center offense. We think we can bring the best out of players and players with poor legal history or players who are projects don’t scare us. We don’t think we need to stop the pass. Those are some dangerous statements. What if Alex Smith is not the right choice at quarterback and can’t handle running an under center offense? What if Singletary brought in too many projects and not enough proven guys with clean records? What if they can’t stop anyone through the air? It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out, but I can’t help but think they could look back on this draft and regret a few things (not taking Clausen, not taking a CB in the 3^rd, not taking a few more high character leadership guys). However all things aside, the Niners draft class is one of the 5 most talented in the league, so I can’t be too harsh with their grade.

Grade: B-

Key undrafted free agents

QB Jarrett Brown (West Virginia)

CB Patrick Stoudamire (Western Illinois)

S Chris Maragos (Wisconsin)

WR Shay Hodge (Mississippi)

WR Scott Long (Louisville)

CB LeRoy Vann (Florida A&M)

MLB Keaton Kristick (Oregon State)

Positions of need: 

Cornerback:

Nate Clements is moving to free safety and both Dre Bly and Walt Harris are getting up there in years and, let’s be honest, neither of them have been much better than average over the past two years anyway. Walt Harris is also coming off of major knee surgery. I have my doubts about Shawntae Spencer as well, but he proved late in the season last year that he has potential as a future #2 cornerback, or at least a solid nickel corner. That would still leave them without a future #1 cornerback. If Joe Haden is available at 13, they will jump all over him. Even if not, I would be very surprised if they didn’t use one of their two first rounders on a cornerback. Donovan Warren, Kyle Wilson, and Brandon Ghee would all be options at 17.

Drafted Phillip Adams (#224), Signed Will James

Offensive Tackle:

Even when healthy, Joe Staley is more of a right tackle. If they drafted a future left tackle, they could move Staley to right where he belongs and move Adam Snyder and his 9.5 sacks allowed where he belongs, the bench. Bruce Campbell, Anthony Davis, and Bryan Bulaga could all be options at either 13 or 17.

Drafted Anthony Davis (#11) 

Rush Linebacker:

The Niners actually had 44 sacks last year, but they came from all over the field. Their team leader was Manny Lawson, a rush linebacker, with 6.5. If they could get a high upside future #1 rush linebacker, or a proven rush linebacker like Shawne Merriman, this offseason, they could be that much better as a pass rush and that will help their secondary. I would hope Mike Singletary realizes how risky it is to draft a rush linebacker in the first, but if he doesn’t, Jason Pierre Paul and Brandon Graham could be options at 17. More likely, he waits until the 2^nd and takes a high upside guy like Sergio Kindle or Ricky Sapp.

Signed Travis LeBoy 

Nose Tackle:

Aubrayo Franklin had a great year this season and, what a coincidence, its his contract year. There’s a good chance he either leaves as a free agent or stays and returns to sucking next year. Either way would require a backup plan and I have my doubts about Isaac Sopoaga’s as well, so there’s a good chance they take a young nose tackle in the draft this year. Unfortunately, with so many teams switching to 3-4 defenses in recent years, this nose tackle class is going to get very thin very fast. If the Niners are really not confident about the nose tackle position, they’ll have to reach for a guy like Jay Ross, Linval Joseph, or Edom Udofia in the 4^th round range.

Wide Receiver:

Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan are good starters, but they need a speed slot guy to stretch the defense, especially if they are really serious about going to a spread based offense. They could target a guy like Marshawn Gilyard or Dexter McCluster in the 2^nd or a guy like Jacoby Ford in the 3^rd. They may be partial to a wide receiver who has experience as a punt/kick returner too because their return game stunk last year. All three guys I listed prior would fit that job description.

Drafted Kyle Williams (#206) 

Quarterback:

Alex Smith appears to have won the longterm quarterback job, but he hasn’t exactly been a model of consistency to this point in his career. They’d be smart to use a mid to late rounder on a young backup. If they are really planning to go to spread based offense next year, their options here will be a lot greater than most teams because of how widespread the spread style offense is in college. A guy like Max Hall or Zac Robinson could be an option in the 5^th round.

Signed David Carr 

Middle Linebacker:

Patrick Willis is a beast, but they need someone longterm next to him as Takeo Spikes is 33 and has just one year left on his contract. This won’t become a huge need until next offseason, but they may want to start looking at the future and guy a nice depth guy in the draft. They will have a hard time passing on Rolando McClain if he falls to them at 13. Mike Singletary, a former middle linebacker himself, could start drooling at the thought of playing McClain next to P-Willis.

Drafted Navarro Bowman (#91) 

Guard:

David Baas could be upgraded at guard, but they have bigger needs. This one should only be addressed if they really fall in love with a late round guard prospect, which rarely happens. They may also feel that Mike Iupati is too talented to pass on at 17.

Drafted Mike Iupati (#17) 

 

Free agents:

RB Thomas Clayton (exclusive rights)- not tendered, signed with Patriots

WR Arnaz Battle- signed with Steelers 3 years 

OT Tony Pashos- signed with Browns 3 years 10.3 million

OT Barry Sims- resigned 

G David Baas (restricted)- resigned

NT Aubrayo Franklin- franchised

RLB Ahmad Brooks (restricted)- resigned 2 years

CB Marcus Hudson (restricted)- not tendered, signed with Panthers

CB Walt Harris- Signed with Ravens

CB ‘Dre Bly- Signed with Lions 

Offseason moves: 

49ers sign CB Will James

49ers extend MLB Patrick Willis

49ers sign RLB Travis LaBoy 

49ers acquire WR Ted Ginn Jr. from Dolphins for 2010 5th-round pick

49ers re-sign G David Baas 

49ers re-sign RLB Ahmad Brooks

49ers re-sign OT Barry Sims

49ers sign CB Karl Paymah

49ers trade QB Shaun Hill to Lions for 2011 7th-rounder

49ers sign QB David Carr

49ers tender RLB Ahmad Brooks

49ers tender G David Baas 

 

 

Spotlight #1: San Diego State QB Ryan Lindley 

Spotlight #2: San Diego State OLB Miles Burris 

1^st quarter

13:34: Lindley pressured and almost has it picked when he tries to throw it away. He needs to be smarter with that.

10:33: Lindley overthrows the back on a check down a bit, but the back could have hung on to this one.

9:50: A drop by Lindley’s receiver that almost gets the pass picked off. That should have been a first down. Instead, it’s the 2^nd 3 and out of the game.

9:37: After a penalty gives San Diego State new life, another one of Lindley’s passes is dropped. He should have caught this one, but again Lindley did leave it a little high and overthrow it a bit.

9:31: Lindley checks down to the back, finally completes one, goes for 16 yards after some nice moves by the back. Tank Carder, a falling prospect, missed a tackle on that play. The TCU linebacker is having a very poor year by his standards. Once a potential day 2 prospect, Carder is falling into mid day 3.

7:56: Lindley threads the needle for a first down. He put that ball in the perfect spot.

5:12: Lindley has another drop, this time by the back on the check down. It wasn’t the most accurate pass either, but Lindley is having terrible luck early. He’s 2 for 7 for 22 yards.

4:27: Lindley throws a limp ball behind the receiver and the defensive back is able to jump on it and deflect it. I don’t understand throwing to that receiver. He was covered and Lindley threw it very inaccurately.

2:02: Burris is able to beat a lineman for a borderline quarterback pressure.

1:51: Burris overpowered off of the play when rushing the quarterback.

0:13: Lindley complete for the first down on 1^st and 10, but throws off of his back foot.

2^nd quarter

14:27: Lindley has a screen pass set up, but is pummeled by a defensive lineman, forcing an incompletion.

13:24: Lindley puts a ball on an out route in the perfect place and the receiver is able to break a tackle and get a big gain, 33 yards.

11:26: Burris gets in on a tackle near the line, a small gain.

10:54: Burris gets into the backfield, but misses the tackle.

10:06: Junior cornerback Leon McFadden, who already has a nice deflection tonight, picks off the pass, goes 29 yards and then gets 15 more on a personal foul penalty. McFadden has been thrown away from all season and he looks like someone who is going to play on Sundays someday, but as he is a small school junior, I doubt he declares this year.

8:34: Absolutely terrible by Lindley. Lindley had a guy open deep. Instead, he threw it right to the safety. This wasn’t a bad decision, he saw the open guy, it was just terrible execution.

7:34: Burris gets outmuscled once again.

6:14: San Diego State puts a big hit on the quarterback as he released, but Casey Pachall shows resilience and completes it for a 31 yard touchdown anyway. Andy Dalton’s replacement, Pachall, looks much better than he did in his first career start against Baylor. He’s a sophomore and could be someone to watch in the future. He has nice numbers coming into tonight, 69.8% completion, 7.9 yards per attempt, and 13 touchdowns to 2 picks. Tonight, he’s 7 for 10 for 136 yards, 2 touchdowns, and that pick to McFadden.

5:58: Lindley checks down to the back.

4:59: Lindley throws a lob up for a receiver deep, just overthrow, receiver isn’t able to catch it on a dive. Close. San Diego State will punt it down 17-0 and Lindley is just 5 for 14 for 71 yards and a terrible pick.

3:32: Burris blown off a running play.

1:39: Burris gets pressure from behind on the quarterback, but Pachall hangs in there again and completes it anyway.

1:20: Burris initially makes the wrong read on the triple option, but he’s able to hang with the play and be the first one to get to the ball carrier. He couldn’t bring the ball carrier down himself though, which is troubling.

0:59: Pachall picked, this time it’s the other cornerback. Larry Parker with his 4^th pick of the year. However, at 5-11 170, he’s undersized and he’ll be hurt by being a small school cornerback. Besides, it’s not that hard to get 4 picks if teams are constantly throwing away from the other cornerback, Leon McFadden. Still a very nice play in this particular instance. Parker looked like a receiver on that pick.

3^rd quarter

10:59: Burris unblocked into the backfield with the quarterback pressure, forcing Pachall to throw it early for an incompletion.

9:55: Lindley drops back to pass and gets picked. A poor decision, an underthrow, and it’s unclear who he was throwing to. There was no receiver in the area. He sucks tonight, 5 of 16 for 71 yards and a pair of ugly picks. He’s completing just over 50% of his passes on the season against weak competition. I fail to understand why this guy is regarded as a mid rounder.

9:05: Burris relentless in pursuit after the back changes directions from east to west and gets in there on the tackle for a short gain.

6:56: Another ball off the hands of a San Diego State receiver, almost picked on the deflection.

6:30: Lindley sacked quickly.

6:09: Lindley checks down to the back, who doesn’t have a lot of space and is tackled for a loss after a great closing move by the defender.

5:34: Lindley leaves another one high, receiver can’t hang on and it’s batted up into the air. A lot of these “drops” have been on Lindley’s poor accuracy as much or more as they have been on poor hands by the receivers.

5:29: Lindley throws off his back foot, but strong enough to throw a perfect spiral through coverage in the end zone for a touchdown to the big 6-6 tight end. This is the one time tonight Lindley has looked good, but he wouldn’t have even been on the field there had TCU’s punt returner not muffed a punt.

4:40: Burris doesn’t fill a gap after the nose tackle was double teamed, and the running backs gets a sizeable gain through a big hole. Bad angle and instincts there.

2:16: Lindley throws high into coverage and the tight end is able to go up and get it there, and then break a couple tackles for a huge gain. Lindley put that one in the right spot, leaving it high for the receiver with a height advantage (6-6) and a pretty, accurate spiral as well. 39 yards.

1:56: Lindley rollouts and throws off his back foot and he’s literally inches away from completing it deep to the receiver. A different receiver might have been able to catch that.

1:52: Lindley with some momentum now, finds an open guy underneath for 8 yards. A better decision that he’s been making tonight.

0:42: Lindley overthrown and incomplete out of the back of the end zone on a fade.

4^th quarter

13:39: Lindley has nothing open in the end zone, so he checks down to the fullback, who has a clear path to the end zone for Lindley’s 2^nd touchdown of the night, 20-14 TCU, San Diego State is back in this game. Excellent decision by Lindley.

12:07: Miles Burris with a huge sack off the edge, forcing a punt by TCU. San Diego State has a shot to go up here.

10:42: Lindley with a clutch excellent decision and huge play on 3^rd and 12, finds the back in space with room for the first and he does get it.

10:08: And now Lindley has it picked off. So much for that.

5:23: Burris overly aggressive on a running play, going for the quarterback unblocked and taking himself completely out of the play as TCU was able to punch it in for 6 pretty much untouched.

5:09: Lindley back to work, complete for an intermediate gain.

5:00: Lindley with another intermediate completion, almost moving the gains again. He’s got a little momentum.

4:40: Lindley throws a bad, inaccurate ball, tipped up by the defender and almost picked.

0:00: I came into tonight excited to see Ryan Lindley, who is being mentioned as a potential mid round pick out of a small school. However, I was extremely disappointed. Lindley is barely completing more than 50% of his passes against weak competition. He struggled against Michigan and he struggled against a tougher defense here in TCU. He was 15 of 41 for 201 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 picks. His picks were ugly, especially the first two.

He had a lot of so called “drops”, but so many of those were because of because Lindley wasn’t accurate. With some better receivers, maybe he’s 18/19 of 41, but that still sucks, especially with how ugly those first 2 picks were. He flashed and I understood the types of things people are excited about with him, but he’s so inconsistent and so inaccurate. I don’t think he’s anything other than a late round flier at the most. His footwork needs work and his accuracy and decision making are terrible.

As for Miles Burris, he’s fast and a solid edge rusher, but at 235 pounds, he’s so small. He can’t play the rush linebacker position in the NFL like he does in college at his size. He’ll have to either be a 3-4 middle linebacker or a 4-3 outside linebacker and I don’t think he does the types of things he’ll have to do there well enough to be a starter at either of those positions at the next level.

He’s still small for either of those positions and he’s terrible against the run. He barely drops into coverage so it’s tough to say he makes up for his run play with his pass play. He might just be a situational player at the next level and a mid to late rounder in the 2012 NFL Draft.

 

Debate the Chargers’ offseason needs in the The Football Fan Forum

2010 Preview:

The Chargers have a cakewalk of a schedule this year. The Chargers play a total of 4 playoff teams from last year, one of whom, Arizona, lost their quarterback in the off season. The Chargers always start slow, but I can’t see that happening this year. Look at their first 6 games, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Seattle, Arizona, Oakland, and St. Louis. This is still a very talented team. They won 13 games last year without being able to run the football at all. With the addition of Ryan Matthews, they should be able to run a lot better this year. If anything they won’t be worse on the ground because, well, they can’t be worse on the ground. It’s not possible.

However, once again it doesn’t really matter what they do in the regular season. They win 11, 12, 13, 14 games every year seemingly. That won’t change this year. They have to show up in the playoffs this year and until they do that, I won’t predict them to do that. They just choke in the playoffs way too often.

Projection: 13-3 1st in AFC West

Power Ranking: 3 

Last season: 13-3

Draft:

#12 RB Ryan Matthews (Fresno State)

I don’t see the need to trade up all the way to 12 to get Matthews. The highest that Matthews could have gone was 20 to Houston and even that was a stretch. Plus, I don’t see the need to draft Matthews, a one hit wonder, in the first round. This is a deep running back class. Guys like Montario Hardesty and Ben Tate and even Deji Karim are future starting caliber backs available in rounds 2-4. The Chargers have too many needs (given that like half of their starters are free agents in 2011) to be trading up to get running backs they didn’t need or didn’t need to trade up for. The Chargers gave up a lot of picks and a veteran to get this deal done. Finally, Knowshon Moreno was drafted 12^th by the Broncos last year and he is much better than Matthews. Matthews was not deserving of this spot.

Grade: D-

#79 MLB Donald Butler (Washington)

Butler was a bit of a reach, but fills a need and fits the scheme. Tim Dobbins was traded in the deal to get Matthews and he could have been upgraded anyway. Butler has decent upside and if he pans out, he could be a starter for this team, but they could have done a little bit more with this pick. Butler is the classic late riser meaning that he raised his stock significantly after the season so you have to be wary.

Grade: C+

#110 S Darrell Stuckey (Kansas)

Stuckey is great value and could have been a late 2^nd early 3^rd round if the safety class wasn’t so strong and/or teams that drafted safeties in the 2^nd or 3^rd round knew what they were doing. Stuckey looks like a future starter for this team and in the 4^th round, that’s pretty good.

Grade: A

#146 NT Cam Thomas (North Carolina)

For the second straight round, the Chargers have drafted a guy who looks like a future starter. That’s hard enough to do in the first 2 rounds, let alone the 4^th and 5^th rounds. Thomas is a major steal here who could have gone in the 2^nd, so, even though they needed to keep picks to take much needed depth, I love their decision to move up for him.

Grade: A

#168 QB Jonathan Crompton (Tennessee)

As I said before, pretty much half of the Chargers’ starters are free agents in 2011. They need depth. However, Phillip Rivers is under contract for another 5 years so a backup quarterback was not the kind of depth I was referring to.

Grade: C-

#235 TE Derrick Epps (Miami)

They needed other types of depth, but a blocking tight end was needed to replace Brandon Manumaeluena, so this isn’t a bad pick.

Grade: B+

Overall:

They did some things I didn’t like, but I think it’s safe to say they got 3 future starters, if not four, out of this draft and with 6 picks, that’s not bad. However, they had a bunch more picks before they decided to trade them away to move up for some guy who didn’t need and didn’t need to move up for, at least that far. This draft helps them alright in the short term, but not so much in the long term.

Grade: C+

Key undrafted free agents:

WR Jeremy Williams (Tulane)

MLB Kion Wilson (South Florida)

RLB Brandon Lang (Troy)

RB Shawnbrey McNeal (SMU)

WR Seji Ajirotutu (Fresno State)

FB Cory Jackson (Maryland)

CB Traye Simmons (Minnesota)

Positions of need:

Running Back:

LT is gone and Darren Sproles is a restricted free agent. Sproles is not an every down back anyway so the Chargers will look for a running back early in the NFL Draft. They like complete players, who can pass catch and pass block, in addition to run the football very well. A guy like Ryan Matthews or Jonathan Dwyer could be targeted in the 2^nd round or first even if they really like one of them and want to secure him.

Signed Marcus Mason, Drafted Ryan Matthews (#12)

Offensive Tackle:

You can’t blame LT alone on his decline last year. None of the Chargers running backs ran well and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Their offensive line, especially the right side, didn’t open up a lot of blocks. If they can get a true run blocking right tackle in the NFL Draft, they’ll pull the trigger. Ciron Black is one of the best pure right tackles in the draft class and he could still be available when they pick in the 3^rd.

Signed Tra Thomas 

Wide Receiver:

Both Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd are free agents, albeit restricted. They don’t have much depth behind either anyway and Floyd could be upgraded because he’s borderline at best.

Offensive Guard:

The Chargers inability to run block wasn’t all the fault of their right tackles. Their interior blockers weren’t very good either. They need at least one upgrade at guard this year, even if not two.

Middle Linebacker:

Both of their middle linebackers were fairly mediocre last year, as they have been for years. There also isn’t a ton of depth behind either. They could take a middle linebacker if one they view as a value falls to them in the early to mid rounds.

Drafted Donald Butler (#79) 

3-4 Defensive End:

Igor Olshansky was not replaced after he left as a free agent last year. It’s not a very important position but, if one falls to them, they could take one in the middle rounds.

Safety:

There safeties overall are pretty mediocre, especially at strong safety after Clinton Hart was cut, but they have other needs so this one might get ignored again.

Drafted Darrell Stuckey (#110) 

Nose Tackle:

Jamal Williams will be 34 next season and he’s coming off of a major ACL injury. Nose tackles are extremely valuable and the Chargers don’t have a true one on their roster at the moment. If Terrence Cody is there at 28, it wouldn’t surprise me if they took him. The Chargers have a history of doing what people don’t expect them to. They happen to be one of the toughest teams to predict in terms of mock drafts.

Drafted Cam Thomas (#146) 

Free agents:

QB Charlie Whitehurst (restricted)- tendered (3rd)

RB LaDainian Tomlinson- signed with Jets 2 years 5 million

RB Darren Sproles (restricted)- resigned 1 year 7.2 million

RB Michael Bennett- signed with Raiders

FB Mike Tolbert (exclusive rights)- resigned

WR Vincent Jackson (restricted)- tendered (1st, 3rd)

WR Malcom Floyd (restricted)- tendered (1st, 3rd)

WR Kassim Osgood- signed with Jaguars 3 years 6.6 million

WR Demetrius Byrd 

TE Brandon Manumaleuna- signed with Bears 5 years

TE Kris Wilson- resigned for 2 years

OT Marcus McNeil (restricted)- tendered (1st, 3rd)

OT Jeromey Clary (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.6 million

C Eric Ghiaciuc (restricted)- signed with Patriots

NT Jamal Williams- signed with Broncos 3 years 16 million

NT Ian Scott 

3-4 DE Antonio Garay (restricted)- resigned 2 years

RLB Shawne Merriman (restricted)- tendered (1st, 3rd)

RLB Antawn Applegate (restricted)- resigned

RLB Marques Harris (restricted)

MLB Tim Dobbins (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

S Kevin Ellison- signed with Seahawks 

Offseason moves:

Chargers cut S Kevin Ellison

Chargers cut NT Ian Scott

Chargers sign WR Josh Reed 

Chargers sign OT Tra Thomas 

Chargers re-sign WR Malcom Floyd

Chargers sign TE Randy McMichael

Chargers trade MLB Tim Dobbins to Dolphins in 1st-round swap

Chargers re-sign RLB Antwan Applewhite

Chargers re-sign MLB Tim Dobbins

Chargers re-sign OT Jeromey Clary

Chargers re-sign RB Darren Sproles

Chargers re-sign FB Mike Tolbert

Chargers sign CB Nathan Vasher

Chargers waive WR Demetrius Byrd

Chargers trade QB Charlie Whitehurst to Seahawks for 2011 3rd-rounder and the swap of 2010 2nd-rounders

Chargers sign CB Donald Strickland

Chargers claim RB Marcus Mason

Chargers Trade CB Antonio Cromartie to Jets for conditional 2011 third-round pick

Chargers re-sign TE Kris Wilson

Chargers cut NT Jamal Williams

Chargers tender RB Darren Sproles

Chargers tender QB Charlie Whitehurst

Chargers tender WR Vincent Jackson

Chargers tender RLB Shawne Merriman

Chargers tender OT Marcus McNeill

Chargers tender WR Malcom Floyd

Chargers tender OT Jeromey Clary

Chargers tender MLB Tim Dobbins

Chargers tender RLB Antwan Applewhite

Chargers tender FB Mike Tolbert

Chargers re-sign 3-4 DE Antonio Garay

Chargers cut RB Michael Bennett

Chargers cut RB LaDainian Tomlinson 

 

Offensive Tackle

Notre Dame

6-8 305

40 time: 5.19

Draft board overall prospect rank: #129

Draft board offensive tackle rank: #13

Overall rating: 64*

1/27/10: After measuring in at 305 pounds, 25 less than he was listed, and a very low number for someone trying to make a name for himself as a mauling right tackle, Young has been really bad in practice. His coaches have been yelling at him all week and he’s just not getting the memo. 

1/26/10: Weighing in at 305 when you’re best chance of getting drafted early is as a big mauling right tackle is bad. He’s not a great pass blocker either so scouts may see him as a man without a position. 

1/19/10: He should have declared last year and could have been a 1^st round pick as a left tackle. However, this year, he was really exposed at the left tackle position for Notre Dame as part of one of the worst offensive lines in the country. He could still be drafted in the 2^nd or 3^rd round as a big run blocking right tackle because of his athleticism and his run blocking skills. He has good upside.

            10/31/09: Sam Young has been one of the biggest hyped offensive linemen in the country since he committed to Notre Dame as the top offensive line prospect in 2006. Later in 2006, he became the first Notre Dame freshman ever to start the season opener on the offensive line. He was a freshman All-American in ’06 as well and had a very bright future. He hasn’t really lived up to that hype since his freshman year. He hasn’t improved his pass blocking in the way that scouts felt he would and projects as a right tackle. However, he’ll likely be one of the first right tackles off the board. He’s a big mauling offensive lineman at 6-8 320 and overpowers defenders. He plays with ferocious tenacity on the offensive line and really is a great run blocker. However, he doesn’t have the lateral quickness to be an elite pass protector or left tackle. USC’s quick defensive ends really exposed this earlier this season and made the big fella look silly. He’s a big guy capable of stopping multiple defensive ends, but NFL weak side ends are going to be way too quick and too strong of pass rushers for them to be bothered too much by his height and bulk. He’ll pancake a lot of defenders, but he’ll also get beat way too often. The draft range for him seems to be early 2^nd round following the USC game because not too many teams will draft a right tackle in the first round, even if it is a right tackle as strong and solid as Young.

NFL Comparison: Adam Terry

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

 

The Colts are getting an average center (18^th on ProFootballFocus) for a reasonable rate (3 years 10.8 million), but when you compare what Satele got to what Matt Birk (9^th) got (3 years, 8.3 million) and to what Nick Hardwick (12^th) got (3 years 13.5 million), the Colts overpaid for Satele a little bit. Hell, even Chris Myers (1^st, 4 years 25 million) and Scott Wells (4^th, 4 years 24 million) were signed to reasonable deals. Oh, and Satele was recently arrested (disorderly conduct). It’s not like the Colts didn’t need a center with Jeff Saturday gone, but they overpaid a little, especially for someone with legal troubles.

Grade: B

 

By Vince Vitale 

Saturday the St. Louis Rams named Sam Bradford their starting quarterback for the 2010 NFL season that will kick off next Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. With great power comes great responsibility, and that responsibility was earned and has been given to Sam Bradford. Bradford finished the preseason 33 of 55 for 338 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a QB rating of 95.9. An injury to A.J. Feeley early in the preseason gave Bradford just the opening he needed. I believe Sam Bradford is the real deal and I look forward to watching him for many years to come, in a St. Louis Rams jersey.

St. Louis Rams Coach Steve Spagnuolo said “We’re confident, the staff is confident. The team is confident. It’s well deserved. He deserves this opportunity…. It was evident these last three games that he had pretty good control of what we’re doing, that the team rallies around him.”

Sam Bradford said “Obviously I was extremely excited, I feel like coach has given me a great opportunity here to start next week versus Arizona. But I realize there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that opportunity.”

Bradford said he is ready for the challenge “Definitely. I’m a competitor,” Bradford said. “I sat on the bench last year with an injury and it’s something that I did not enjoy at all. Just to have the opportunity to play football again, it’s really something that I look forward to.”

http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

By Vince Vitale

The St. Louis Rams have signed quarterback Sam Bradford to a 6-year $78 million contract, with $50 million in guaranteed money. Sam Bradford is the first NFL player to ever get $50+ million in guaranteed money. The Rams deal with Sam Bradford could actually max out at $86 million dollars if Sam meets all incentives. Sam Bradford was able to get $6 million more than the deal Matt Stafford received from the Detroit Lions in 2009, and Sam will also receive $8.3 million more in guaranteed money than Matt. 

According to reports the St. Louis Rams wanted to sign Sam Bradford in time for the team’s first full-squad workout on Saturday. The St. Louis Rams training camp will be open to the public for the 3 – 4:30 p.m. session on Saturday. 

So Rams fans Sam Bradford is finally here. The same Sam Bradford that completed 604 passes for 8403 yards and 88 touchdowns while playing with the Oklahoma Sooners. It is time to watch Sam Bradford set St. Louis Rams training camp on fire with his pin point accuracy and leadership. Sam  Bradford is now 50 million steps closer to being the St. Louis Rams starting quarterback.

http://www.stlouisramfan.com/ 

 

By Vince Vitale 

John Clayton of ESPN.com wrote an interesting piece ranking NFL quarterbacks. John tells us who he believes are the elite quarterbacks in the NFL and who he believes has a chance to become an elite quarterback. John’s definition of an elite quarterback is; “An elite quarterback is one who can complete better than 60 percent of his passes, has the potential to throw for 4,000 yards and has fourth-quarter comeback ability.”

It appears that not only Rams fans are getting excited about the future of Sam Bradford after his great night against the New England Patriots, John Clayton is impressed as well. John Clayton gives Sam Bradford a 85% chance of becoming an elite QB in the NFL. Imagine that after only 3 preseason games and missing most of his 2009 college season Bradford is still held in high regard. How high, well ONLY Jay Cutler was ranked with a higher chance (95). That’s right John Clayton prefers the potential of Sam Bradford over Mark Sanchez, Matt Stafford, and Kevin Kolb.

 

http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

 

Quarterback 

Oklahoma

6-4 236

40 time (projected): 4.75

Draft board overall prospect rank: #6

Draft board quarterback rank: #2

Overall rating: 92* 

3/29/10: Bradford looked great in his Pro Day, showing the stronger arm that it was predicted he would have when he showed up 15-20 pounds heavier to The Combine. The Rams have not announced him as the #1 pick, saying they are going to wait until his private workout with them on the 19th, but I would be very surprised if he wasn’t the pick and they didn’t have a contract in place with him before draft day on the 22nd.

 2/26/10: It is reported that Bradford’s shoulder examination went excellent. I am also hearing that a dozen or possibly more NFL GMs were asked about Clausen and Bradford and all of them liked Bradford more. I still like Clausen more, but that won’t matter, if the Rams like him more. I haven’t made this decision final, but I think I could have Bradford atop my mock next week. He also bulked up from 218 to 236, a very impressive feat and necessary for someone whose arm strength was a question mark.

1/16/10: Quite the opposite of Clausen, he’s a proven winner with very mature decision making, but he doesn’t have Clausen’s arm or experience in a pro style offense. There’s no denying the season he had in 2008, but the fact that when Bradford got hurt this year, his freshman backup was actually able to put up close to similar numbers may show that Bradford is just a system quarterback. Then of course there’s his injured shoulder which is a red flag. He has a better arm than about 90% of the quarterbacks in this draft class, and his decision making is great, but there are some red flags here.

Update (11/2/09): Shoulder injury is a concern, but I still think this is one hell of a football player and I doubt he drops out of the top ten. There are going to be a lot of teams with bad quarterbacks drafting in the top ten this year.

Injury Update (10/26/09): Bradford will have season ending surgery on his right shoulder, but has announced that he will declare in for the 2010 NFL draft, likely to avoid the possibility of a rookie salary cap in 2011. Scouts will have major questions about the durability of his shoulder and this could be a very good draft class for quarterbacks in the eyes of NFL scouts so he’s not a top 10 lock. During his workouts, he needs to show everyone who he is and why they fell in love with him in 2009, otherwise he could fall far.

Injury update (10/2/09): Bradford has been ruled out of this week’s game against Miami with the separated shoulder. He hasn’t played since the first game of the season. NFL scouts have a short memory so every game Bradford misses, the more he falls on scouts’ boards and the more he falls, the more likely he is to return for his senior year in 2010. I’m not taking him off my Big Board just yet because he could still declare and if he does, I still see him as en elite quarterback prospect, but NFL scouts might not. I would advise him to return.

          5/18/09: Simply put, Sam Bradford produces. He led Oklahoma into the National Championship game, winning the Heisman trophy in the process, and only losing twice, to Texas and Florida, each of whom finished in the top 5 last season. I’m not a big fan of just looking at stats but his can’t be ignored. He produced a 180.86 quarterback rating and threw only 8 interceptions to an amazing 50 touchdowns last season, as a sophomore. And these weren’t padded numbers. He worked in a pro style offense, that also ran the football, quite a bit actually, rushing for 2779 yards and 45 touchdowns on the year. He led what looked like the greatest show on turf last season, both as a leader and a pure player. His 6-4 height allows him to get an amazing view of the field as he really didn’t make a lot of mistakes, throwing 8 picks all year in 483 attempts. He did work out of the shotgun a lot last season and had the privilege of playing with an amazing offensive line in front of him, so he rarely had to make plays on his feet, but he did rush for 5 touchdowns last season. His footwork is questionable. He doesn’t have the biggest or most accurate arm. It remains to be seen how he’ll deal with pressure. The only team to be able to put any sort of pressure on him last season was Florida, against whom he had his worst game by far, 26-41 2 picks. Though that was not an awful game, it certainly wasn’t amazing and he didn’t win. He’ll face tough pass rushes like Florida’s every week in the pros and he’ll likely go to a team whose offensive line isn’t in the best shape, as he’s likely a top 3 pick. He can answer the concern about his ability to handle pressure this year. Oklahoma lost a good chunk of their offensive line to the pros during the offseason. A loss against Florida has given him a bit of a reputation as a choker, but, again, he can prove everyone wrong this year by winning the National Title, which he certainly has a shot to do. In the end, I’m just nit picking a little bit. Bradford is a hell of a quarterback and while that has been said about a lot of guys who ended up being busts, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to say it. He should avoid the junior curse as, while he is only a junior, he redshirted in his freshman year so he’s been on the Oklahoma team for 4 years. The one thing that worries me is the fact that his footwork isn’t great. Matt Leinart was great except for his footwork coming out and now he’s holding Kurt Warner’s clipboard. That being said, I’d have no problem taking him #1 overall. I like him as a quarterback more than I liked Matt Stafford, more than I liked Matt Ryan, more than I liked Brady Quinn, and definitely more than I liked JaMarcus Russell.

NFL Comparison: Eli Manning

* for a breakdown of what this rating means, click here

By Eric Karkovack

Growing up as (most likely) the only Saints fan in my Pennsylvania hometown, I quickly realized that my favorite team had virtually no national profile.  They weren’t the team regularly featured on SportsCenter.  I was lucky to get a box score of the previous week’s game in our local paper.  Even the official NFL merchandise catalog contained a precious few Saints items. 

My, how times have changed.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past year, it’s been hard to lose sight of the Saints.  Not only are they featured prominently in several NFL ads, but the team is in high demand with corporate sponsors as well.  Just a few weeks ago, a Verizon commercial came out depicting a Saints vs. Jets matchup in the middle of the woods.

NBC’s Today Show broadcast live from New Orleans in anticipation of the season opener against Minnesota.  Including that game, the Saints will play in 4 primetime games during the 2010 season.  Plus, they’ll visit Dallas on Thanksgiving, their first ever game on turkey day.  I feel like I’m just scratching the surface of their significant appearances.

And, apparently, the NFL and its partners are giving the people what they want:  More Saints!  Their Super Bowl victory against the Indianapolis Colts was the most watched program in American TV history.  And last week’s opener was the highest-rated opening night in NFL history.

Of course, this media frenzy has come partly due to the Super Bowl championship.  But you could see the seeds being planted back in 2006.  That’s when the Saints returned to New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina the previous year.

The Saints made it to their first-ever NFC Championship Game, acquired high-profile players in quarterback Drew Brees and running back Reggie Bush.  More importantly, they served as an inspiration for the entire country.

Last year’s championship just sent things into a whole other stratosphere.  The team and city’s story, along with their special relationship, has won the hearts of a lot of people.  Even casual football fans don’t seem to mind smiling at what’s happened to New Orleans and its Saints during this past year.

I also have to credit the entire Saints organization, from owners Tom Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc, coach Sean Payton and the players themselves led by Drew Brees.  The team’s dedication to community service has made them beloved at home and admired by people all over.

This is a rare combination of off-field tragedy, on-field success and a franchise willing to give something back to its fans.  The result has been something that Saints fans could only dream about for the past 4 decades.

Perhaps the Dallas Cowboys will have to make room for a new “America’s Team”?

http://www.nosreview.com