By Packrphan 

In the light of day, the day after the Green Bay Packers victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, a few observations. Nothing original. Just one person’s take on what went down in Philly. 

Special teams played far better than anyone expected. Jordy Nelson had some great returns and the coverage units kept Eagles returner DeSean Jackson in check for the most part. Punter Tim Masthay performed well in his debut. And K Mason Crosby set a team-record with a 56-yard field goal. He was long and accurate. Good to see. May all continue to perform at this level throughout the season.      

Aaron Rodgers had a not-so-great game. He was 19-31 for 188 yards. Yes, he threw a couple TD passes and when he was on he was on. But he started poorly and had two picks, one on a deflection and another on a ball that appeared to sail on him and missed his receiver badly. Chalk it up to an abberation.     

The offensive line…well, Rodgers was under pressure especially early in the game. For a while, the O-line was looking like what we saw early last season. There were instances where our two old tackles indeed looked old. I recall one instance where both Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher got beat on the same play. It seemed as if they picked up their protection in the second half. We can only hope they play at that level the rest of the season.      

The defensive line…coach Mike McCarthy had decided to have only four down lineman active for the game because of the scheme they thought they’d be running against Eagles QB Kevin Kolb; rookies Mike Neal and C.J. Wilson were not available. And that made things especially challenging when a couple things happened: Kolb left the game with a concussion sustained on a tackle by LB Clay Matthews (more on Mr. Matthews in a bit) and Michael Vick and his legs entered the game; and Cullen Jenkins sustained a broken hand on the first defensive series and had to play the balance of the game one-handed after being fitted with a club, and the oft-injured back up DE Justin Harrell sustained a left knee injury blocking on Crosby’s first field goal of 49 yards. So, for a while that meant the entire defensive line consisted of B.J. Raji and Ryan Pickett. The two heavyweights, to their credit, did a fantastic job all things considered. Harrell, by the way, has been placed on the injured reserve list (yes, again) and is done for the year (yes, again). As the TV crew noted during the game, Harrell had only played in 14 games during his prior three years with the team. At what point, a reasonable fan must ask — and has asked before — do you just reach an injury settlement with the young man and move on? Clearly, he’s going to have to be replaced by either a practice squad player, a free agent or trade. (We will leave aside the running discussion as to whether Harrell should have been a #16 draft pick to begin with…and, by the way, the answer is “No!”)      

Linebackers and secondary…Could Clay Matthews possibly do any more than he did yesterday? Man! He appeared to be operating at an entirely different level of speed and power. Fantastic. On the flip side, because of the scheme the Packers planned on running and then had to run with Vick in the game, it turns out that LB A.J. Hawk never played a down from scrimmage. They typically always remove him on passing downs and because the Pack played a nickel/dime defense most of the day, Brandon Chillar, Brad Jones and even undrafted rookie LB Frank Zombo (who had a sack, by the way!) got the reps. Hawk has seemingly disappeared from the defense. Perhaps he could be packaged and traded for either a defensive lineman or a running back (where depth was a concern going into the season and is even more so now…more on that in a minute). The secondary generally held up well. Charles Woodson was, as usual, constantly around the ball. Tramon Williams held up well as did, for the most part, rookies Morgan Burnett and Sam Shields. Shields got turned around and burned on one TD pass and looked very much like a rookie on that play. But all in all, seemed to hold his own for the most part.    

The running game…just when it looked as if that might come around, Ryan Grant left the game with an ankle sprain. Brandon Jackson had some nice runs taking the bulk of the carries after Grant’s departure. And FB/RB John Kuhn had a couple powerful runs, including a TD. Coach McCarthy said in his press conference today that Grant will not play in the upcoming game against the Bills. Jackson will be the featured back with Kuhn as the back up. But for all those fans who wanted the Packers to have more depth at running back, yep, we were right. That doesn’t get us anywhere, but we were right. Will Ted Thompson do anything to address the situation? It would be a surprise if he did. But that’s what makes surprises surprises, right? Let us pray…

Bottom line is that this was a statement game, if there can be such a thing in only the first game of the season. We knew the offense would put up points; not really an area of concern. Yet, this was a game where the offense, particularly Aaron Rodgers, wasn’t especially sharp. They still put up 27 points. The areas that were of concern had to do with the defense and special teams, both of which really helped carry the day yesterday. It’s a good sign.

For now, let’s hope that the injuries to Grant and Jenkins don’t present problems throughout the season. Let’s wish Justin Harrell well, as it’s obvious the young man worked hard to get back on the field despite his injury history. But let’s also hope Ted Thompson makes a few moves to add to the D-line and running back depth before they truly become positions of desperation.

Oh…did I mention that I predicted the actual final score of 27-20? (Yeah, I know…enough already!)

http://www.packerfansunited.com 

 

 

I love Tim Tebow, but if I were the Broncos, I’d do the exact same thing. Peyton Manning is reportedly healthy and free agents like him just don’t hit the open market ever. He would have been a good signing for any team without a proven top 10-15 quarterback and as much as I like Tebow, the Broncos count as one of those teams.

The Broncos are getting him at very reasonable rate (19.2 million per year over 5 years) and they’ve given themselves the necessary injury protection. They certainly have other needs, but they have plenty of cap room and will be the favorites to sign some of Peyton’s old teammates like Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark, and Joseph Addai, all of whom would fill needs. There’s also a chance to decide to sacrifice the 25^th overall pick to sign Mike Wallace.

The Broncos have set themselves up as perennial favorites in the AFC West as long as Manning is healthy and playing football. It’s not every day you have the chance to do that. It’s also not every day you have the chance to sign a future Hall of Fame quarterback. The Broncos absolutely had to make this move once Manning showed interest in them.

Grade: A

 

I’m going to do a little bit more number crunching for NFL Quarterbacks to see if sitting them their first year is the right way to go. My last quarterback number crunching blog showed that the majority of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL sat their first year before getting to the place where they are now. Today, we’re going to take a look at every first round pick of a quarterback from 2000-2006 (we need at least three years to judge a quarterback) and look at how their career panned out and hopefully answer some of the why they panned out or didn’t pan out as an NFL signal caller.

Chad Pennington- 2000 18^th pick overall by the New York Jets

Only made three appearances in his first two years in the league before taking over as the starting quarterback week 5 of 2002. He would impress in his early years as a starter and get a huge contract extension, but that extension would be a bit of a mistake on the Jets part because Pennington dealt with a lot of injuries during that time span. He did win comeback player of the year in 2006 and again in 2008, after being cut by the Jets and going to the Dolphins, and also finished second in MVP voting in 2008 after leading the Dolphins to a playoff appearance only one year after they went 1-15. He also is the NFL’s all time leader in completion percentage with 66% so despite injuries, Pennington has proved to be a great and tough quarterback. After getting hurt again in 2009 and going down for the season, Pennington has a chance to win his 3^rd NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2010, though it likely won’t be in Miami.

Michael Vick- 2001 1^st pick overall by the Atlanta Falcons

Vick played sparingly in his first year in the NFL, playing in 8 games and making 2 starts, as he was regarded as a bit of a project out of Virginia Tech because of his unorthodox style of play. Though he never became known as a guy with a great arm, 75.9 career QB rating, he quickly became known as one of the more exciting and unique players in the NFL, a guy who can do so many different things in so many different ways from the quarterback position. He has 3954 career rushing yards on 553 carries and 23 touchdowns on the ground and made the Pro Bowl in 2002, his first year as a starter. He would also make the Pro Bowl in 2004 and 2005. He signed a record contract extension in 2004, but this extension would proof to be a mistake, as Vick was suspended and jailed throughout the 2007 and 2008 seasons for dog fighting. He is currently a backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and has looked decent in small amounts of playing time. He is expected to get a shot at a starting job somewhere in the league next season.

David Carr- 2002 1^st pick overall by the Houston Texans

He made all 16 starts at quarterback for the expansion Houston Texans in 2002 and did not fare well with a 62.8 QB rating. He was also sacked an NFL record 76 times and lost 21 fumbles on the season. He next four years weren’t much better. He would finish his 5 year career in Houston with 59 touchdowns to 65 picks and a career record of 23-53. He would be cut following the 2006 season and replaced with Matt Schaub. He spent 2007 as a backup for the Carolina Panthers and 2008 and 2008 as a backup for the New York Giants. He has made 4 starts, all in 2007 with Carolina after Jake Delhomme went down with an injury, since being cut, but in those starts he has shown no signs of improvement.

Joey Harrington- 2002 3^rd overall by the Detroit Lions

Harrington made 14 starts in his rookie season for the Lions and had a miserable season, barely completing 50% of his passes, and throwing for 16 picks to 12 touchdowns. His next three years as the starter in Detroit, not much better. His record as a starter in Detroit was 18-37 and after the 2005 season he was shipped in Miami to backup veteran Daunte Culpepper, for a mere 6^th round pick. Harrington was forced back into the starting lineup in 2006 after Culpepper got hurt and did have a record of 5-6 as a starter that year, which isn’t awful. However, his 68.5% QB rating for the year, plus one game where he QB rating was 0.0, is awful. He was not resigned after 2006 and then signed a 2 year 6 million dollar deal to be the 3^rd string quarterback in Atlanta behind Michael Vick and Chris Redman. After Vick was suspended and Jailed in 2007, Harrington saw action in 12 games, but again had more interceptions than touchdowns and was cut after training camp in 2008 in a salary cap move. He had three small stints with the Saints in 2008 as a 3^rd string quarterback, but never saw game action and is currently a free agent.

Patrick Ramsey- 2002 32^nd pick overall by the Washington Redskins

He started 9 games as a rookie for Washington in 2002 with minimal success,  a 71.8 QB rating. He took over as the full time starter in 2003 and started 11 games before going down with an injury. Statistically, his 75.8 QB rating was decent in 2003, but he took so many sacks that he didn’t survive the season. He lost his starting job in 2004 to Mark Brunell, who new coach Joe Gibbs brought in. He took over for Brunell late in 2004 after Brunell got hurt and earned his starting job back for 2005, but lost it quickly after getting hurt and only threw 25 passes in 2005. He was traded to the Jets for a 6^th round pick in 2006, but only threw 1 pass as Chad Pennington’s backup. He was cut after the 2006 season and has seen minimal playing time in recent years as a backup in Denver and currently in Detroit.

Carson Palmer- 2003 1^st overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals

A perfect example of the redshirt year working to someone’s advantage, Carson Palmer didn’t make a throw his rookie year behind Comeback Player of the Year Jon Kitna, but took over in his 2nd season and has a career 88.4 QB rating with 126 touchdowns to 78 picks.

Bryon Leftwich- 2003 7^th overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals

He took over as Jacksonville’s starting quarterback in week 4 of 2003 after Mark Brunell got hurt. He had four decent years as Jacksonville’s starting quarterback with QB ratings of 73.0, 82.2, 89.3, 79.0 but lost his starting job midway through 2006 after 3 and a half seasons of injuries and an all around lack of grasp of the offense. He was brought in to backup Joey Harrington in Atlanta in 2007, but only saw action in 3 games and was cut after the season. He then went to Pittsburgh and saw little action as a backup, but won a Super Bowl ring. He then went to Tampa Bay in 2007 and saw 3 miserable starts before being benched for Josh Johnson. He has not been heard from since.

Kyle Boller- 2003 19^th overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens

Started 9 games as a rookie before getting hurt. He started 16 games in his 2^ndyear and put up average numbers with a QB rating of 70.9. He saw action in 9 games in 2005, but missed 7 games with turf toe. He lost his starting job in 2006 when Steve McNair was traded to the Ravens and only threw 55 passes in that season. When McNair got hurt in 2007, Boller took over again but 10 picks to 9 touchdowns and a 75.1 QB rating were not enough. After the 5-11 Ravens fired coach Brian Billick, Boller was out as starter and replaced with rookie Joe Flacco. Boller did not make a throw in 2008 because of a season ending injury and then was cut after the season and went to St. Louis, were he started a few games for an injured Marc Bulger, but has been unimpressive. His quarterback rating for his career has been 70.9.

QB Rex Grossman- 2003 22^nd overall pick by the Chicago Bears

Grossman only saw action in 8 games in his first 3 years, but that was not by coach’s choice. He had two major injuries in 2004 and 2005. He looked fairly bad in minimal action in his first three years throwing 4 touchdowns to 6 picks, but was named the Bears starting quarterback in 2006 once fully healthy. He started all 16 games and took the Bears to a Super Bowl, but statistically was very poor with a 54.6% completion percentage and a QB rating of 73.9. He lost his starting job several times to veteran Brian Griese in 2007 and in 2008 was the clear cut #2 quarterback after losing his starting job to Kyle Orton. He is currently a backup for the Houston Texans and has a career QB rating of 69.5.

QB Eli Manning- 2004 1^st overall pick by the San Diego Chargers (traded to New York Giants)

Eli Manning- Played sparingly in his rookie year, throwing 197 passes behind injury prone starter Kurt Warner and then took over in 2005 as the starter. He struggled early in his career, especially late in the season and at home in the Meadowlands, but worked through that and won the Super Bowl in 2008.

QB Phillip Rivers- 2004 4^th overall pick by the New York Giants (traded to San Diego Chargers)

Another perfect example, Rivers made 30 throws in his first two years as Drew Brees’ backup and then took over as the starter when Brees left to go to New Orleans and has started every game ever since and is one of the winningest starters in the NFL with a record of 44-18 as a starter.

Ben Roethlisberger- 2004 11^th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers

Made 15 starts his rookie season, so he’s a bit of an exception, but his unorthodox style of play makes him an exception to many things. Plus, it should be noted that he only threw 295 passes his rookie year so he was used conservatively.

JP Losman- 2004 22^nd overall pick by the Buffalo Bills

Was slated to be the starter his rookie year, but broke his leg and only saw 5 passes that year as a backup. He took over as the starting quarterback in 2005 making 9 starts, but a sub 50% completion percentage got him benched late in the season. He was much improved in his 3^rd year with a QB rating of 84.9, but didn’t lead the Bills to the playoffs, so there was still some concerns about him. The Bills drafted Trent Edwards in the 3^rd round in 2007 and Edwards took over when Losman got hurt in 2007. Edwards was named the starting quarterback in 2008, while Losman played sparingly, 104 throws, as his backup. He became a free agent after 2008 and signed midseason with the Oakland Raiders to be their 3^rd string quarterback behind Charlie Frye and JaMarcus Russell following the injury of starting quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. He also spent some time in the UFL. His NFL career QB rating is 75.6 but he has more picks, 34, than touchdowns, 33.

Alex Smith- 2005 1^st overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers

He saw nine games of action in his first season in the NFL, but was never really named the starter plus had to deal with an injury as Smith was one of the worst statistical starting quarterbacks in the NFL in 2005, completing only 50.9% of his passes and throwing 11 picks to one single touchdown. His QB rating, though limited over 165 throws, was a horrendous 40.8. However, Smith was still named the starter for 2006 and had a decent season in 16 starts, with a QB rating of 74.8, but he threw for as many picks as touchdowns, and didn’t win a lot of games. Smith missed time with injury in 2007 and it appeared that the injury really affected his play on the field as he had the 2^nd worst QB rating of any starter in the league at 57.2. He was benched for journeyman JT O’Sullivan to start the 2008 season and did not see any game action. After more than a year on the bench, Smith took back his starting job this year from struggling veteran Shaun Hill and with a career high QB rating of 80.2, he looks poised to keep his job into 2010.

Aaron Rodgers- 2005 24^th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers

While Brett Favre was history, Aaron Rodgers was sitting and watching for three years. When Favre retired and then signed with the Jets in 2008, Rodgers took over for Favre and has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He has certainly been a lot better than fellow 2005 1st round pick Alex Smith, who was drafted ahead of him and thrown into action during his rookie season.

Jason Campbell- 2005 25^th overall pick by the Washington Redskins

Took over as starter of the Redskins 9 games into his 2nd season and has been statistically alright with a career QB rating of 82.2. He is actually having a career season with a QB rating of 87.0 this season, but because his team is not winning and his 5 year rookie contract expires this offseason, he may have to look for another job this offseason, though he has proven he deserves one.

Vince Young- 2006 3^rd overall pick by the Tennessee Titans

Made 13 starts as a rookie in 2006, but his numbers in 2006 and 2007 as a starter were not pretty as he threw 21 touchdowns to 30 picks and had respective QB ratings of 66.7 and 71.1. He was the starting quarterback again in 2008, but after getting hurt in week 1 and then going missing for a few hours, the coaching staff decided it would be better for his mental health if he stayed on the bench in 2008. He regained his job after more than a year on the bench during week 8 of 2009 and has had his best season as a pro with a 85.2 QB rating and 10 touchdowns to 6 picks.

Matt Leinart- 2006 10^th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals

Made 11 starts as a rookie, but a completion percentage of 56.8% and more picks than touchdowns plus a 4-7 record were hardly impressive. He made 5 starts in 2007, but got hurt and was placed in IR. He was given a good chance to get his starting job back in the 2008 preseason, but he lost out badly by struggling in the preseason and Kurt Warner took the job and reestablished himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, taking the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. Leinart has thrown 85 passes in his last 2 years as a backup, but figures to get a shot at the starting job when Warner retires. I’m going to say that we haven’t seen enough of him for him to be any sort of data here.

Jay Cutler- 2006 11^th overall pick by the Denver Broncos

Took over for Jake Plummer 11 games into his rookie season, and made 5 starts. However, with 43 picks over the last two seasons, even though he is an established starter, its safe to say that he’s not so good at learning the offense, the plays, all the receivers routes, and developing good chemistry with receivers on option routes, learning and reading complex coverages and reading complex blitzes. Just saying.

Started majority of rookie year/bad career: 5

Started majority of rookie year/decent career: 0

Started majority of rookie year/great career: 1

Didn’t start majority of rookie year/bad career: 2

Didn’t start majority of rookie year/decent career: 2

Didn’t start majority of rookie year/great career: 5

Started majority of rookie year, struggled, benched for more than a year, regained starting job: 2

Not enough career action yet to be a significant addition to this study: 1

This study plus the last one I did should be eye opening. Of the 9 first round pick quarterbacks that started more than 8 games as a rookie, only three didn’t bust, two of them, looked like busts to begin with but were benched and then got that redshirt year in their 3^rd or 4^th year and then came back a better and more mature quarterback. Of the 9 first round pick quarterbacks that didn’t start more than 8 games as a rookie, from 2000-2006, 6 are still starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and one, Chad Pennington, would be if it weren’t for an injury. 

By Vince Vitale 

As I said in my St. Louis Rams 2010 Season Preview the biggest problem with the 2010 St. Louis Rams will be their lack of quality depth. I believe players 1 through 22 will keep the Rams in games, but the lack of quality depth from 23-53 will kill them. This fact already has reared it’s ugly head after only one game. Late in the game against the Arizona Cardinals with cornerbacks Kevin Dockery and Justin King injured the Rams were forced to play Bradley Fletcher on the weak side with safety James Butler filing in as the nickel corner. The Arizona Cardinals had two long drives late in the game and ending up winning 17-13 on a pass from Derek Anderson to Larry Fitzgerald, where it appeared there were some coverage issues on the play. 

To compound the loss to the Arizona Cardinals we are now finding out that the Rams had several key injuries during the contest. According to the Rams cornerback Kevin Dockery has a “significant” hamstring strain, and cornerback Justin King may also miss the Oakland game with a hamstring injury. So that leaves only Bartell and Fletcher so rookie Jerome Murphy will be forced into action. Luckily the Raiders passing game is not that good.

In addition to the weekend secondary the Rams will also be without LB Chris Chamberlain who fractured his toe and may be out for the season. Chamberlain is the first backup at the linebacker position and plays significant time on special teams as well. The Rams will now only have David Vobora and rookie Josh Hull to back up Diggs, Laurinaitis and Grant. Look for a heavy doss of Darren McFadden on Sunday.

On offense the Rams will be without TE Michael Hoomanawanui who suffered a high ankle sprain and could miss several games. Hoomanawanui who was the star in the preseason will be missed as Sam Bradford looks for a safety valve when pressured. Billy Bajema and Daniel Fells will have to step up. Not sure why the Rams kept 4 tight ends on their roster but now they will need them. The Rams who already have the worst receiving core in the league, and were damn lucky to get Mark Clayton will now be without starting receiver Laurent Robinson who aggravating an ankle injury, and never seems to be healthy. Marshall Faulk today said the Rams receivers are bums on NFL Network. The most disconcerting news of all today was that running back Steven Jackson had an MRI today for an inflamed knee and is listed as day to day. If the Rams have to play any games without Steven Jackson they will have a hard time scoring at all.

http://www.stlouisramfan.com/ 

 

 

OT Levy Adcock (Oklahoma State)

G Brandon Brooks (Miami-OH)

CB Ron Brooks (LSU)

MLB Zach Brown (North Carolina)

G Gino Gradkowski (Delaware)

S Brandon Hardin (Oregon State)

WR Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech)

CB Buddy Jackson (Pittsburgh)

WR A.J. Jenkins (Illinois)

RLB Cam Johnson (Virginia)

C Ben Jones (Georgia)

MLB Mychal Kendricks (California)

CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama)

C Peter Konz (Wisconsin)

RB Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati)

CB Josh Robinson (UCF)

WR Nelson Rosario (UCLA)

S Phillip Thomas (Syracuse)

MLB Bobby Wagner (Utah State)

 

 

Nelson is a solid safety who rated 28^th on ProFootballFocus. 18 million over 4 years might be a slight overpay for someone who doesn’t tackle particularly well, but the Bengals don’t have a lot of choices in a weak safety draft class and free agency class.

Grade: B

 

 

Defensive End/Rush Linebacker

Purdue

6-4 274

Draft board overall prospect rank: #10

Draft board overall defensive end rank: #3

Overall rating: 90 (Top 10)

40 time: 4.67

4/23/11: People who pay a lot of attention to the NFL Draft and the NFL in general will tell you that defensive linemen have been busting at a very high rate in the past decade or so. The reason for this, defensive lineman are normally the most athletic guys on the field with their combination of size and speed and they ride this all through college and a lot of them don’t have great work ethics. Then they get to the NFL, get paid millions and millions, and all of a sudden their motivation is much smaller, considering that their job description is basically to wrestle with 300+ pound guys.

Ryan Kerrigan is different. He’s a highly productive, high motor, strong work ethic kid. He truly loves the game. His motor never shuts off. He played on a bad Purdue team last year as poor offensive play led to the team going 4-8 and he still played every down hard. He managed 13 sacks after 12 the year before and 7 as a sophomore. He’s a highly productive 3 year starter who has never taken a play off.

He’s not the most gifted athletically, but all that means is that he’s had to work harder to get where he is and he can’t rely on his natural athletic gifts. For this reason, I think he has a never low probability of busting. His measurables aren’t terrible either with a 4.67 40 at 6-4 274. He also benched 31 reps of 225. He’s bulked up about 10 pounds from the end of last season, maintaining his speed in the process. This probably eliminates him from being a 3-4 linebacker, but I would have had some doubt about his ability to play the position even if he was in the 260s. He doesn’t have very fluid hips.

He’s going to be best in a 4-3 as a right end, a dynamic, tough to block, tenacious edge rusher with a non-stop motor. He refuses to be blocked. He’s not that sturdy against the run and he doesn’t have a great initial burst, but he’s already a very refined and proven pass rusher. He doesn’t need a lot of work and he won’t get complacent.

NFL Comparison: Chris Long

 

I thought someone was going to overpay the 32-year-old Moss in free agency. I have no idea why Moss resigned for a cheaper rate than he could have gotten on the open market (in my opinion) with the soon to be 2-14 Redskins. However, it’s a great move for the Redskins. They needed a veteran receiver and Moss is a great value at 3 years 15 million, with only 6 years guaranteed. He could decline in the next few years, but he caught 93 passes for 1115 yards and 6 touchdowns last year so he’s definitely worth this amount of money.

Grade: A