Uncategorized

Week 8 Fantasy Report

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

WR Antonio Brown- Pittsburgh

Percent owned (ESPN): 5.9%

Brown was everyone favorite deep sleeper in the preseason after a huge preseason. He’s quietly had 25 catches for 364 yards in 7 games this season, including 7 catches for 102 yards last week. Hines Ward is injured so Brown should continue to get more and more targets from Ben Roethlisberger, who loves throwing to him.

WR Jabar Gaffney- Washington

Percent owned (ESPN): 6.5%

Gaffney has 23 catches for 361 yards and a score in 6 games this year and that was with Santana Moss opposite him. Moss is done for at least a month and John Beck is comfortable throwing to him. Look for Gaffney to become the #1 receiver in this offense.

RB Delone Carter- Indianapolis

Percent owned (ESPN): 17.0%

It’s clear Carter is the best running back Indianapolis has. He rushed for 89 yards and a score on 10 carries last week. Joseph Addai is hurt and Donald Brown sucks.

 

WR Greg Little- Cleveland

Percent owned (ESPN): 9.0%

Greg Little has 17 catches for 160 yards in his last 3 games and seems to be Colt McCoy’s favorite receiver. He’s worth a pickup because he does have upside.

RB Alfonso Smith- Arizona

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.1%

Chris Wells is hurt, so Alfonso Smith would be the lead back in his absence. He doesn’t have a ton of value this week, but if Wells misses more than a week, Arizona plays St. Louis’ miserable run defense next week and Smith could be startable. Stash him on your bench for now.

WR Michael Jenkins- Minnesota

Percent owned (ESPN): 2.5%

Jenkins has 27 catches for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. Percy Harvin, for whatever reason, is not a starter and Bernard Berrian was just cut so Jenkins, who was Christian Ponder’s favorite target against Green Bay and had his first career 100+ yards game, looks like Minnesota’s best receiver as their offense gets better under Christian Ponder.

 

NFL Draft Live Blog 2012

stevenlourie Uncategorized

All times pacific

Day 2

6:37: Done with this. Too fast. Follow me @stevenlourie. 

6:34: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA a punter in the 3rd round. Cleveland’s off the hook. Jacksonville is now the laughing stock of the NFL. Mike Mayock said of Anger “he’s draftable.” Yeah, not this high. But I guess their offense does revolve around the punter. 

6:31: TJ Graham to the Bills. High upside, only one year starter at wide receiver, return man, which they don’t need. Major reach. Mayock had him in the 7th. So did I. 

6:30: DeVier Posey to the Texans. Someone will have to wake him up and tell him someone actually drafted him. 

6:27: By the time the Browns draft Brandon Weeden a wide receiver, he’ll have to retire.

6:25: Ronnie Hillman to Broncos, who trade up. Did Lamar Miller die? Browns still don’t have a WR.

6:23: Another DB to St. Louis. Trumaine Johnson will probably be a safety for them. Josh Robinson to Vikings. This is why you don’t take Claiborne in the first. Deep CB class. 

6:20: Allen to Colts. Love this. Luck loves tight ends. Best receiver left on the board. 

6:19: But Randle still a good value for the Giants. 

6:17: Not as high on Randle as most. Thought he was a year away and really struggled against both Brandon Boykin and Dre Kirkpatrick. Very inconsistent too. Also, had inconsistent quarterback play though and he has all the tools. 

6:16: Value pick for the Giants, Rueben Randle. They needed another receiver to keep Victor Cruz in the slot where he’s best. 

6:14: The good news with LaMichael James, he won’t drop two punt returns in the same game. 

6:11: Packers know what they’re doing. Casey Hayward out of Vanderbilt. They needed another defensive back. Hayward has phenomenal ball skills and tackled Trent Richardson for a loss twice by himself. Had a 1st round grade on him. Mayock had him in his top 40. Packers traded up to get him. All the smart people love him. 

6:10: What the hell did the 49ers need another running back for? Who plays guard? 

6:08: 49ers take random guy. LaMichael James.

6:07: Patriots only got a 5th round pick for trading down 30 spots. Desperation move. 

6:06: Will 49ers rescue Rueben Randle? Another wide receiver? They did work him out and they don’t have a lot of needs. Or will they go for need and take Brandon Brooks? Or random guy?

6:04: 49ers on the clock. Then the Packers. Patriots trade down like 30 spots. Needed to do it. Didn’t have any picks left. 

6:03: Nope. Kelechi Osemele to the Ravens. They get their offensive lineman. Solid value. 

6:02: Has to be Randle to the Ravens right? 

6:00: Looks like the Eagles untied Andy Reid. Defensive lineman: Vinny Curry. 

5:58: Talking about the Brock Osweiler pick with a friend.

Him: Would you have gone Rueben Randle there?

Me: Holy crap! That guy is still on the board?! 

5:56: Bucs take Lavonte David. Day 1 starter at a position of huge need and a great scheme fit. Love it. 

5:55: I love Brock Osweiler and he’s going to the perfect situation for him, but the Broncos need to win now. 

5:53: Peyton Manning will be thrilled that the Broncos got him a quarterback to throw to. Oh wait… 

5:51: Osweiler to the Broncos. Buccaneers on the clock after trading up again with Houston. 

5:49: Both Lombardi and Schefter think it’ll be Osweiler to the Broncos. Peyton Manning will love that… 

5:47: Mike Adams to the Steelers. Worth a shot in the 2nd for a team like Pittsburgh. Suspended twice, failed a drug test, arrested, didn’t interview well, didn’t workout well, underachieved at Ohio State. But he has more talent than any offensive lineman in this draft class. A big athletic 6-7 320 pounder when he tries. 

5:46: The Falcons announced Konz as a guard. They might have just replaced Harvey Dahl. 

5:43: Falcons take Peter Konz. Steal. Mike Lombardi thinks Steelers will take Mike Adams. Can’t argue. Broncos afterwards. They spent a lot of time with Brock Osweiler. Makes a lot of sense. 

5:39: Broyles will be the steal of the draft. Lions didn’t need a wide receiver, but who cares. Value pick. Rich get richer. 

5:35: Lions and Falcons have next two picks. One of them will take Peter Konz and get a steal. Rich will get richer. 

5:33: Still to the Bengals. Value pick for a team that likes rotation on the line. 

5:32: Rueben Randle is my pick to the Bengals. Trumaine Johnson is a 2nd name. 

5:28: Titans take Zach Brown. Very good player with high upside. Well worth the risk at 52. But did Peter Konz die? 

5:27: Nice by Mayock mentioning that one of the only times Ted Thompson has ever drafted up was for Clay Matthews. Worked out pretty well. 

5:25: Tennessee on the clock. Had Devon Still here originally in my re-mock. Maybe I’ll get one of those right. 

5:23: Schefter saying Worthy to the Packers. The rich get richer once more. 

5:21: Interested to see who the Packers take. They never trade up. They must love someone. Jerel Worthy? Devon Still? Trumaine Johnson? Lamar Miller? 

5:19: Pead to the Rams. Reach. Sub 200, not a lead back, 3rd down (catcher/blocker), change of pace, kick return, something else.

5:18: Rams pick is in. Guessing Lamar Miller. Green Bay traded up with Philadelphia after that. Must be someone they LOVE. They never move. 

5:16: Value pick for the Chargers on the defensive line. Kendall Reyes. Luis Castillo and Antonio Garay getting older. Had Still and Worthy rated slightly higher though. 

5:15: Just remember the Patriots only have one pick left. Now I REALLY hate that pick. Will probably be an F. Sorry Belichick. Gotta go by my board. 

5:13: A lot of buzz around Tavon Wilson leading up to the draft, but never saw him in the 2nd round. Tweener without a real position. In Bill we trust I guess. 

5:11: Pats take Tavon Wilson. WTF. 

5:07: Surprised I’m not surprised by the Seahawks’ pick. They worked him out. Bobby Wagner, linebacker, Utah State. 

5:05: Could also be Kendall Reyes to the Patriots, but they’ve already taken 2 front 7 guys. They love him though. 

5:04: Will make a guess for the Seahawks. Zach Brown. They love high upside guys. Patriots on the clock afterwards. If they pick and don’t trade down, expect Trumaine Johnson out of Montana. 

5:03: Seahawks on the clock. Time to draw a name out of a hat. 

5:00: Eagles take Mychal Kendricks. Was Andy Reid distracted by food? He never takes linebackers.

4:58: Hearing Alshon Jeffery to the Bears at 45. Is Konz still hurt? 

4:56: Rams picked up a 5th to move down 5 spots. My theory about the Rams trying to draft an entirely new roster sounds pretty good right now. 

4:54: My guess is Peter Konz to the Bears. Should have gone to the Chiefs. Allen isn’t a pure guard. Neither is Konz, but he could have played center and kept Rodney Hudson at his natural position. Oh, and Konz is a better player. 

4:53: Chiefs took Jeff Allen. Heh? 

4:52: Hmm…the Jets took a triple option receiver. But I’m sure Tim Tebow will just be a punt protector… 

4:50: Rams traded down again. Bears move up. Their pick is after whoever Kansas City takes. Guessing Kansas City passed on Konz. Would be a steal for Chicago.

4:48: Kansas City is on the clock. Can get this draft class’ best center Peter Konz if they’re smart.  

4:46: Jets trade up to get Stephen Hill. Forgot he was on the board. Great pick in the 2nd round. Could be the best wide receiver out of this draft class if he pans out. 

4:45: Martin fell to the 2nd round because he’s doesn’t have elite feet or elite power. However, he’s a good football player. Can play left or right side. Will play right side in Miami. 

4:43: Could be a right tackle for the Dolphins. Mike Adams and Jonathan Martin available, but they’ve worked out Bobby Massie. 

4:42: Bills get their tackle and take Cordy Glenn. 

4:41: Bills’ and Dolphins’ picks are in, but a logjam. Jets on the clock after moving up 5 spots with Seattle. Lamar Miller? Unless someone else took him.

4:39: Bills have their choice between Cordy Glenn and Jonathan Martin here. 

4:38: Silatolu only had 20 starts at Midwestern State? 40th pick? Huh? 

4:37: Or Silatolu. Guard from Midwestern State. Needed guard help makes sense. 

4:36: Expect Jerel Worthy, Kendall Reyes, or Rueben Randle to the Panthers.

4:33: Back to the Schwartz pick. What the hell are the Browns doing? Who is Brandon Weeden going to throw to? And why would you take Mitchell Schwartz over Jonathan Martin and Cordy Glenn. Worst pick of the 2nd round so far. Branch and Jenkins picks are fine. These picks are going too fast though. 

4:32: Jenkins to the Rams. He’ll be fine. There’s nothing to do in St. Louis. 

4:30: By the time Brandon Weeden has any capable receivers to throw to he’ll be 45.

4:29: Browns take Mitchell Schwartz. Jaguars take Andre Branch. 

4:25: Each team has legends announcing their 2nd round picks. The Browns had some 70 year old white guy. 

4:23: Expect Stephen Hill here to the Browns. 

4:21: Derek Wolfe to the Broncos. Defensive Tackle. Had it between Jerel Worthy and Kendall Reyes with Devon Still as an outside option. Wasn’t any of the 3. Slight reach, but a good football player at a position of need. 

4:18: Had Upshaw rated slightly higher than Melvin Ingram. Not an ideal fit anywhere like Ingram, but a pure football player. Mature pass rusher with great size and excellent motor, average first step though. 

4:15: The Ravens picked Courtney Upshaw. They love Alabama kids, but they also love Paul Kruger, a similar player they already have, which is why I thought this would be offensive line. This pick makes sense though. Great football player. Another solid pick by the Ravens, 

4:12: My interview with the newest Colt: Coby Fleener 

4:09: Coby Fleener stays with Andrew Luck, 34th pick to Indianapolis. 

4:05: Coby Fleener makes too much sense for the Colts here. Andrew Luck will love it and he fills a need at tight end because Brody Eldridge has 26 combined catches in the NFL and college. He’s currently tops on their depth chart. 

4:04: Rams pick is in: Brian Quick. 

4:00: Sticking with Fleener to the Colts, Glenn to the Ravens, Worthy to the Broncos, and then the Browns taking Stephen Hill, who they reportedly have 3rd on their board. They wanted to get Richardson, Wright, and Weeden out of the first round (via trade up), but Wright went 2 picks earlier so they took Weeden early. Now they need a receiver.

3:57:  Hearing this first pick will be Brian Quick out of Appalachian State, with Rueben Randle as a long shot option. Stephen Hill, my original pick last night in my Re-Draft, is another long shot.

Day 1 

8:14: Will have 2nd round/3rd round mock tonight.

8:09: Best available remaining: Zach Brown, Courtney Upshaw, Jonathan Martin, Stephon Gilmore, Devon Still, Cordy Glenn, Stephen Hill, Coby Fleener, Peter Konz, Brock Osweiler.

8:05: 3 backs in the first? Wow. Compared David Wilson to Ahmad Bradshaw in his scouting report. Now they have two. 

7:54: Final prediction of the 1st is Cordy Glenn to Giants. 

7:52: Tampa Bay taking Martin. 

7:51: AJ Jenkins to 49ers. Over Stephen Hill. Looks like I was dead wrong when I said they loved him. Had Jenkins to 49ers in the 2nd round.

7:49: Never mind, Broncos trade down again. Tampa Bay to 31. Maybe Worthy for them? They need help all over the depth chart. 

7:48: That leaves Cordy Glenn to Giants. 

7:46: Original pick still stands: predicting Amini Silatolu to 49ers. Same with Jerel Worthy to Broncos. 

7:45: Harrison Smith is the pick. Good pick. The safety class has officially fallen off a cliff. 

7:42: Vikings hop up back into the 2nd round. They love Harrison Smith. 

7:39: Perry it is. I had McClellin in my mock, but he’s not available. 

7:38: Whoa! Down time? I guess, gun to my head, it’s Perry for the Packers. 

7:34: Zeitler to the Bengals. Packers on the clock. Nick Perry? Courtney Upshaw? Harrison Smith? 

7:33: Schefter saying o-line to Bengals. Glenn? 

7:31: I think in 3 years we’ll see Mercilus as the best pass rusher in this draft class. Can have an Aldon Smith like impact as a rookie. Mercilus, Connor Barwin, Brooks Reed, look out AFC South quarterbacks. 

7:30: Courtney Upshaw to Bengals? They reportedly love him. 

7:28: Mercilus to the Texans. Their pass rush was fine, but I had Mercilus 6th on my board so I can’t complain. 

7:27: Looks like I have time to talk about the Lions pick. Reiff falling to 23 reminds me of Bulaga falling to 23 in 2010. The Packers got a steal. Same thing with the Lions. The rich get richer. Had this pick in my mock before I overthought things and put him higher. 

7:25: Houston on the clock. Hill? 

7:23: Patriots traded up again, giving up 4th rounder to take Hightower at 25. Edge rusher in a 4-3? 

7:22: My interview with the newest Steeler, David DeCastro.

7:21: DeCastro to the Steelers. Once again, the best teams get the best players. 

7:19: Good news for Detroit, they get their left tackle of the future and Calvin Johnson didn’t tear his ACL on the way up the podium. 

7:18: Schefter saying Reiff to Detroit, DeCastro to Steelers. 

7:17: Hate the Weeden pick for Cleveland. He’s career is guaranteed to be 6 years shorter than a normal pick. Plus by the time Cleveland is good, he’ll be like 31-32 at the youngest and needing a new contract. Much better value with a developmental guy like Osweiler in the 2nd. 

7:16: Detroit loves BPA. They have to take DeCastro right? Had Martin to them originally. 

7:15: USA! USA! USA! 

7:13: Weeden not attending the draft because he goes to sleep every night before 9. 

7:12: Schefter saying Weeden to Cleveland at 22. I said Richardson, Wright, Weeden to Cleveland. 2/3 not bad. 

7:11: Does Cleveland take a value pick and take DeCastro? They have to right? 

7:07: Wright to Tennessee. Jones unofficially to New England. Cleveland’s pick is in too.

7:06: 3 picks in the queue. Get your shit together Goodell. 

7:03: Patriots give up 3rd rounder to move up 6 spots and take Chandler Jones. Still no idea who Tennessee took at 20. Mercilus? 

7:01: The Patriots moved up. The Bengals moved (first draft day trade since 2004) This is a weird year. 

7:00: Original pick for Titans, Whitney Mercilus. Sticking with that. Not confident. 

6:58: Schefter saying McClellin for Bears. Somewhere Jay Cutler just announced he’s missing the entire 2012 season with a knee injury. 

6:57: BTW, 3rd in Huddle. #HumbleBrag #YourNotOnTwitterStopUsingHashTags

6:55: Original pick for the Bears was Chandler Jones so I’m sticking with him. But how can you pass on DeCastro? 

6:54: Chargers take Ingram. I’m surprised I’m not surprised. 

6:53: There has been only 1 offensive lineman drafted so far (Kalil). 

6:49: Chargers have options of pass rushers at 18, but they never do what you think. David DeCastro? Harrison Smith? Bruce Irvin? Oh wait… 

6:46: Bengals take Kirkpatrick. Can’t remember when I didn’t mock them a cornerback in the first round. Had him at 21. Makes sense at 17. Good pick. 

6:45: With the 17th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders select Carson Palmer, washed up quarterback, Cincinnati. 

6:43: Kirkpatrick, Upshaw, DeCastro options for the Bengals here. Would be surprised if it was anyone else. Bengals don’t make surprise picks. 

6:40: Jets take Coples. I’ve mocked him to them before and I had him going 16th (to the Panthers by trade). I’m counting that. I like the fit. Coples is an ideal fit as a 3-4 end and he can play some rush linebacker. Rex Ryan asked Coples to do linebacker drills at his Pro Day. They needed a pass rusher and I like him better than Jones and Ingram. 

6:38: First James Carpenter and then Bruce Irvin. Note to self, when mocking a player to the Seahawks next year, draw a name out of a hat. 

6:35: I had a 3rd/4th round grade on Irvin. The dude is Aaron Maybin. 

6:34: Jets now have choice between Chandler Jones, Melvin Ingram, and Quinton Coples. Thinking Ingram, but they like all 3. 

6:31: I’m going to say that counts. That’s the closest anyone got to getting that pick right. WTF. I knew the Seahawks liked Irvin, but making him the first pass rusher off the board. He’s like 235 pounds. He’s a situational player with off the field issues. WTF. 

6:30: I had Bruce Irvin to the Seahawks in the 2nd round in the mock draft I did in my head in the shower this morning. Does that count? 

6:29: I had Brockers at 14 to the Cowboys, does that count? 

6:27: With the 14th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams select Michael Brockers. Somewhere Sam Bradford just retired. 

6:22: Love the fit of Floyd to Cardinals. Better prospect than Reiff and will help Arizona recreate Fitzgerald/Boldin. 

6:19: I had Floyd at 13 before I mocked a trade there. For what it’s worth I said “If they stay put, I think they’ll take Floyd.” Does that count? No? Oh well. At least I’m tied for 4th in Huddle.

6:18: Cardinals take Michael Floyd at the urging of GM Larry Fitzgerald. 

6:17: Next 4 mock, Floyd, DeCastro, Chandler Jones, Melvin Ingram. 

6:14: My next guess, Floyd to Arizona. 

6:12: Love the fit of Fletcher Cox to Philadelphia. An ideal fit in the wide 9 scheme, Philly needs youth on the line. Cox is a much better player than Poe, better pass rusher, higher level of competition, faster, quick, more agile, not just a straight line athlete. Great pick. 

6:11: Schefter reporting Cox to Philadelphia. In Schefter we trust.

6:10: Eagles give up a 4th and a 56h to move up to 12.

6:08: Skip Bayless on Twitter about Tannehill. “A month ago, I’d have told you he’d be a 3rd or 4th-round pick. Goes 8 overall?” My response: “That’s because you’re a moron.” Seriously, no one had Tannehill in the 3rd or 4th round a month ago. He’s been in the top 10 since Washington moved up for Griffin and maybe even before that.

6:06: Eagles trading up to 12, presumably to grab Cox (though you never know with Andy Reid). I had them moving up to 7, but I’ve loved that fit for weeks. Much better player than Poe is Cox. 

6:05: Major reach by the Chiefs taking Dontari Poe. Tape doesn’t match up. Straight line athlete.  

6:01: Gilmore to the Bills won’t be a bad grade. He’s a little bit lower on my board than 10, but not outrageous or anything.

6:00: Sticking with DeCastro to Chiefs. 

5:58: I’ll always remember the 2012 draft as the one with all the trades and the one where Roger Goodell announced every pick 10 minutes after it happened.

5:57: Expecting Gilmore here to the Bills. Barron and Kuechly off the board.

5:54: Carolina on the clock. They take Kuechly. I think he was a better pick than Cox. Better player. One of the cleanest players in this draft class. Had him 7th on my board.

5:52: My friend texted me asking “What in the fuck is STL doing?” My answer: “They plan on drafting an entirely new 53 man roster.” 

5:50: Dolphins take Tannehill. Yes, a reach, but there wasn’t a better fit for him. They desperately need a long term savior. He won’t need to play right away. They have a solid defense to support him. And their offensive coordinator is his former coach so he won’t have to learn a new system. Probably a B or C.

5:48: Dolphins and Panthers have already made picks. Tannehill and Cox are my guesses. 

5:47: Will Miami take Tannehill? The more important question: will Giselle marry Tannehill? (so her husband can fucking throw and catch the ball at the same time) 

5:42: So far, I’ve liked all of the picks that have been made. I’ll have my official grades after the draft, but they’ll probably all be A’s with one B to the Browns for being duped into trading up. However, Tampa Bay trading down to take Barron will probably be a C or a D. Hmm…Morris Claiborne and a 4th or Mark Barron? Easy question, only one right answer. They didn’t pick it. 

5:38: The NFL Network has promised not to reveal picks early. It seems Schefter has made no such promise. 

5:37: Schefter reporting Buccaneers will take Barron. 

5:35: Schefter reporting Dallas will take Claiborne. 

5:33: Jacksonville takes Justin Blackmon. Blaine Gabbert must be thrilled. Justin Blackmon must be crying. 

5:32: St. Louis picks up another 2nd round pick moving down from 6 to 14 with Dallas. 

5:31: Or make that Claiborne to Dallas. Wow. Schefter reporting a trade up.

5:29: Jacksonville will take Blackmon. Expect St. Louis to take Claiborne. Tampa Bay will then take Kuechly, I expect, who they love. 

5:28: Tampa Bay picks up a 4th in the deal to move down 2 spots. 

5:27: Matt Kalil to Vikings. A. Obviously. I’ll argue they never had interest in anyone else. They just wanted to get him lower. Very shrewd. 

5:26: St. Louis will take either Claiborne or Kalil at 6, but I expect Kalil to go 4th. Schefter already tweeted it. Claiborne to St. Louis. 

5:24: NFL Network confirms Jacksonville/Tampa Bay trade. Expect Jacksonville to take Blackmon. Tampa Bay could be looking at Kuechly or Cox at 7. 

5:22: Schefter reporting Vikings take Kalil and Buccaneers trade their pick, presumably to Jacksonville. Damnit this is going too fast!!! 

5:21: Richardson to the Browns. Kalil to the Vikings? 

5:20: This is going too fast. Browns and Vikings have already made their picks. 

5:13: Logjam with the picks. The Browns have already turned in their pick before the Redskins could announce theirs. Richardson? Or are they trying to turn in a card with Griffin’s name on it and hoping the Redskins won’t notice?

5:11: Jason LaCanfora reports the Vikings don’t want to trade down any further than 5th. This makes sense and it solidifies my belief that they want Kalil. Tampa Bay doesn’t want Kalil. They want Claiborne. Minnesota could still take Kalil at 5. Still not confident enough to risk having to name my kids Peyton and Eli…

5:09: And the Redskins take Griffin. 

5:08: One of my friends just texted me asking me if I wanted to bet that the Vikings would take Matt Kalil. I asked him what the terms were. He said that if I lost I’d have to name my first two kids Peyton and Eli regardless of gender. No deal. Can’t do it. 

5:05: With the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select Andrew Luck. NOOOOOOOOOO my mock draft is ruined!!! 

5:04: The Indianapolis Colts are no longer on the clock. 

5:01: The NFL Draft should start the same way overtime starts. With a confused Ed Hochuli taking 5 minutes to explain the rules. 

5:00: The Indianapolis Colts are now on the clock. 

4:55: Twitter exchange (@stevenlourie)

@TheBurkeReport: how many pick do they (Minnesota) need!?!? 

Me: The Vikings intend to have every pick in rounds 4-7 

4:54: I wish NFL Network would show the Saints’ draft room so we could see everyone sleeping. 

4:49: Chris Mortenson reporting the Vikings would be willing to be trade partners with the Jaguars for Blackmon. That doesn’t make any sense. Minnesota wants Claiborne, Blackmon, and Kalil. All 3 of those guys will probably be gone at 7 unless someone reaches for Fletcher Cox. 

4:45: Jaguars trying to move up to take Justin Blackmon. Poor Blackmon. 

4:44: Been privileged to participate in various partnerships with various draftniks this year. I’m working with a draft game sponsored by Mel Kiper. I’m participating in Huddle Report’s mock draft contest (the standard for mock draft ranking on the internet). I’m did a draft debate with fanspeak’s Steve Shoup (@steveospeak) and others. That can be found here.

4:34: I love that NFL Network won’t be revealing the pick this year. The last time I did a live blog, I would try to predict the picks on the fly and literally 5 seconds after I predicted them, I’d find out it was already announced by Schefter or someone. Not this year. 

4:30: If Richardson is, in fact, the pick at 3, he’ll join Ronnie Brown and Reggie Bush as the only backs to go in the top 3 since 1998. For more, click here.

4:26: Even with Minnesota moving down, I think Kalil will be the pick for them. They would be absolute morons to pick Morris Claiborne and I don’t believe they’re that stupid. For why that would be a terrible idea, see my Mock Draft.

4:21: Belichick looks weird in a suit.  

4:18: Might as well grade the Luck and Griffin picks since we already know them. A. A. Pretty straight forward. These are two of the best quarterbacks prospect I’ve ever scouted.

4:16: Adam Schefter reports the Browns aren’t done dealing. He said he could see them making another move up to grab a 3rd first round pick towards the end of the round. I’m feeling VERY good about mocking Weeden at 31, with the Patriots moving down and Cleveland moving up. I’m also more confident now about mocking Kendall Wright to them at 22. Quote me on this: The Browns will end up with Richardson, Wright/Hill, and Weeden in some form before the draft is over. 

4:11: Minnesota has traded the #3 overall pick to Cleveland for the #4 overall pick and 3 other picks (4th, 5th, 7th). I love this pick for Minnesota. The Vikings had no use for Richardson so there’s nothing wrong with moving down one spot. They’ll still have their choice between their 3 guys, Kalil, Blackmon, and Claiborne. For Cleveland, they make sure they get their guy and they don’t give up a whole lot (they had like 13 or 14 drafts to begin with). Richardson would have gotten an A grade from me at 4. I’ll give it a B at 3 just because, even if they did miss out on Richardson at 4, there were other talented prospects at positions of major needs. Blackmon would have been a fine pick there. But, again, they didn’t give up much. Minnesota gets an obvious A. Now let’s just hope they don’t screw it up and take Claiborne or Blackmon.

1:03: I did this in 2010, but not last year because I was travelling. I’m bringing it back for this year. It will be updated frequently during the draft with all my thoughts. Everything will also be tweeted out (@stevenlourie). I’ll be back around 4 pacific time. All times pacific, updated posted in reverse order (earliest at the top). Feel free to comment at the bottom.

HTML Comment Box is loading comments…

 

Oklahoma State/Oklahoma

stevenlourie Uncategorized

Spotlight #1: Oklahoma State OT Levy Adcock

Spotlight #2: Oklahoma OT Donald Stephenson 

1st quarter

12:39: Adcock goes down on a run block, but his man doesn’t.

12:15: Adcock with a whiffed cut block. He’s been on Frank Alexander early in this one.

11:18: Adcock allows a tackle for loss or no gain on 3rd down and short, not converted.

9:43: Justin Blackmon with a great catch that won’t count because it was out of bounds. There was no way to bring this in, but he showed great leaping ability and hands to catch it in traffic.

6:55: Undersized 5-8 junior cornerback Brodrick Brown picks off Landry Jones in the end zone for his 5th pick of the year. Jones did force it into coverage, but just a great individual effort by Brown to rip the ball out of the receiver’s hands.

6:34: Adcock beat by Alexander, needs help from the back.

0:32: Stephenson with holding.

2nd quarter

4:42: Landry Jones strip sacked by an unblocked blitzing linebacker, taken back to the one by Stephenson’s man Blatnick.

3:48: Stephenson does a good job blocking one-on-one for a long period of time for Landry Jones backed up against his own goal line. I’ve been impressed with this kid. One sack allowed all season, good size at 6-6 305. Not sure why he’s a late rounder.

3:43: You could copy and paste what I just said, more good, long blocking one-on-one for Stephenson against the goal line.

1:59: Weeden has been well protected in this game, but Ronnell Lewis is hurt and Frank Alexander has missed a good chunk of this game. He’s back and he’s given Adcock trouble early in the first quarter.

 

3rd quarter

13:17: Blackmon does a nice job going up and almost making a catch despite pass interference. Another play that doesn’t show on the stat sheet with him. What will show on the stat sheet: 9 catches for 94 yards in just over a half.

11:56: Jones with a fumble, returned for a touchdown. This time Jones wasn’t even touched.

6:47: Jones sacked, but on a safety blitz from the opposite side of Stephenson.

5:23: Adcock with a great block on Alexander on a long touchdown run by Jeremy Smith. 37 yards, 41-3 Oklahoma State.

4th quarter

10:45: Stephenson, off balance, slips when locked on with a man, allows Oklahoma State to get a stop for a small gain.

8:15: Landry Jones picked off again.

0:00: I don’t think anyone saw this coming. Oklahoma State had been dominated in the Bedlam game for about a decade, but they came in as the higher ranked team so obviously it wasn’t unrealistic to foresee them winning. However, not like this. Oklahoma State erased years of struggled with a 44-10 win over Oklahoma here. Oklahoma State won this game in two ways, by dominating on offense and by dominating on defense. It was that simple.

First to the offense, Oklahoma State has an offense that, coming in, averaged roughly 50 points per game and this is without really dominating in the trenches. They’re more of an air it out team. Tonight, they were able to dominate in the trenches. You can imagine how scary that made them. The reason for their domination in the trenches had a lot to do with injuries on Oklahoma’s defensive line. Ronnell Lewis was done for the season before this game and Frank Alexander left in the 1st quarter with an injury and wasn’t the same when he came back.

This isn’t to take anything away from Oklahoma State’s offensive line. They played extremely well. Brandon Weeden had all day to pass, wasn’t sacked once, and was only touched maybe once or twice. They also paved the way on the ground for Oklahoma State to uncharacteristically run for 254 yards and 4 scores on 33 carries.

Left tackle Levy Adcock had had a bit of a rough senior season coming into this game. He’s had trouble with speed rushers and that caused him to drop from the late 1st round range to the 2nd or maybe 3rd round as teams would be looking at him more as a right tackle or guard. However, tonight he dominated Frank Alexander, though you have to wonder how much of that had to do with Alexander’s injury. Alexander was winning the matchup before he left midway through the first. Still, Adcock did a good job and this game will help his stock. Oklahoma State center Grant Garner did a very good job as well. He looks like a late rounder, but he showed good run blocking ability even with the ankle injury he’s been playing through for weeks. He’s a tough, gritty kid.

Brandon Weeden didn’t have to do much in this one, uncharacteristically. He went 24 of 36 for 217 yards, no touchdowns, and no picks. He had a pretty cushy game as he had all day in the pocket. His favorite target was once again Justin Blackmon, who had 10 catches for 95 yards. Blackmon also made a spectacular catch out of bounds and almost made an awesome catch against obvious contact that drew a pass interference penalty deep downfield. Blackmon came out with the seniors tonight so it looks like he’s NFL bound. As for Weeden, this game doesn’t change my opinion of him. He’s got talent, but he’s erratic and has problems with decision making. That would be fine if he was 22, but he’s 28. I don’t think he has much NFL value.

As I said earlier, Oklahoma State also dominated on defense. They had 5 takeaways, 3 fumbles, and 2 picks. 4 of those takeaways were Landry Jones’ fault. Jones really did not have a good game. He went 37 of 50 for 250 yards, no touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and 2 fumbles. One fumble he was under heavy pressure, but the other just slipped. Both of the picks were his fault.

Jones really has not looked good since Ryan Broyles went down. In 4 games without him, he’s 2-2, going 103 of 182 (56.6%) for 1208 yards (6.6 YPA), 2 touchdowns, and 5 picks. Oklahoma has also recently started taking him out of the game on the goal line and replacing him with Blake Bell. That is a compliment to Bell, a powerful runner, but also an indictment on Jones’ abilities. You don’t take your quarterback out of the game in the most important spot if you don’t have complete confidence in him.

It’s really looking like he’s been piggybacked by Broyles for 3 years. He doesn’t have the best arm, the best footwork, the best accuracy, the best leadership ability, and he’s played in a relatively easy offense to lead at Oklahoma. Right now, I wouldn’t call him a first round pick.

Jones was under pressure a lot more tonight than normal, which is part of why he struggled, but it’s not any excuse. He’ll be under pressure in the NFL too. Jones, who had taken 5 sacks all season (more of why he’s a fair weather quarterback), took 3 sacks, all of which came on a blitz. He didn’t show good pocket presence. He also took a few hits and was pretty consistently pressured.

The best of Oklahoma’s offensive lineman was left tackle Donald Stephenson. Stephenson had a tough matchup with Oklahoma State’s Jamie Blatnick, who had 7 sacks and 10 tackles for loss coming in, but didn’t surrender a sack and for the most part won his battled with Blatnick. Stephenson has only allowed 1 sack all season and looked good once again. He’s the left tackle for a prominent university and has good size at 6-6 305. I’m confused as to why he isn’t anything more than a late rounder. He looks like a mid rounder at worst to me. This game will hurt Blatnick a bit. He looks like a mid to late rounder.

Finally, Oklahoma had a few defensive players who didn’t have good games. I mentioned Frank Alexander. Alexander had been having an awesome season to this point and gets a bit of a pass from me as he had a tough matchup and was playing hurt in this one, but he didn’t play well here. He remains an early 2nd rounder. Travis Lewis played poorly as well, part of how Oklahoma State was able to uncharacteristically dominant on the ground. Lewis has not had a good season and could go as late as the 3rd round now in a stacked linebacker class. Oklahoma cornerback Jamell Fleming had a poor game. He was picked on early and often. He couldn’t cover Justin Blackmon at all and also gave up a couple of completions even when he wasn’t on Blackmon. As a late rounder, this performance hurts him.

 

Packers

stevenlourie Uncategorized

Packers vs. Vikings

stevenlourie Uncategorized

By Packrphan 

Installment #3 of the duel between the Green Bay Packers and the Ol’ #4-led Minnesota ViQueens kicks off at 7:20 p.m. tonight at Lambeau Field. The Packers are favored by 3 points — the home field advantage. Temps will be in the mid-50s, great for late October. Showers are expected to taper off. If rain persists, it may turn the event into a running game…which would favor the ‘Queens and RB Adrian Peterson. Especially since the Packers’ running game has basically been put on the back burner of head coach Mike McCarthy’s play calling, despite his protestations to the contrary. One of the keys to this game, though, is really about keeping Peterson contained more so than getting the moribund (look it up!) running game of the Packers going. Keep Peterson in check, as the Pack did in their two games last season, make Ol’ #4 have to throw the ball, get pressure on him — as the Pack did not in their two games last season — and that will go a long way to determining the outcome of this game.

On the flip side, Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers has to play better than he did against his counterpart in the two meetings of last season. It would help, of course, if his offensive line also protected him better than it did then. ‘Queens DE Jared Allen isn’t the sack machine he was a year ago and tonight is no time for him to begin reprising that role. Chad Clifton and Bryan Bulaga — likely getting the start at tackle again for Mark Tauscher — will have to be on their game. Rodgers, for his part, needs to get rid of the ball more quickly than when these teams last met. Of late, he seems to have reverted a bit to this old habit which could come back to haunt him and the Pack. Let’s hope not. RB Brandon Jackson and whomever else coach McCarthy tosses in to run a few times need to do enough to keep the Minnesota defense honest and out of a constant blitz barrage. Rodgers and his receivers also need to do a much better job of converting third downs. To date, that has been a situation which has contributed directly to the Pack’s three losses. If it’s the same old tune tonight…well, that wouldn’t be good.

The Packers’ defense should get a boost from having linebackers Brandon Chillar and Clay Matthews back in the lineup, along with DE Ryan Pickett. All three are still listed as questionable on the Packers’ injury report, but expectations are that they will see action. Matthews is obviously critical to getting pressure on Favre. And Chillar’s ability to cover over the middle will also play a role in the defense’s success tonight. Pickett’s ability to anchor the end of the line will also be key to helping contain Peterson. The news on the return to practice of CB Al Harris and S Atari Bigby this week was a plus, but no moves were made to make them active as of yet. Newly-acquired S Anthony Smith should see some action today backing up Charlie Peprah.

Special teams? Well…containing Minnesota returner Percy Harvin will be a challenge. And if they don’t that could be the difference between winning and losing this game. Add in the need by punter Tim Masthay to do a much better job than he has done recently in helping the Packers manage the opponents’ starting field position and this is still a major area of concern.

What’s the bottom line? For a lot of reasons, the Packers need to win this game. The season is not done, however, if they don’t. But getting the ‘Queens at Lambeau, with a distracted (we hope) Brett Favre, and with a healthier (relatively speaking) defense, is a plus. If the Packers offense can just put 4 quarters of consistent effort across, the Pack should take this game. But it will be close. Very close, as most of the games between these two teams are.

I’m calling it 24-23 Packers.

Go back to Packers Fan Spot 

http://PackerFansUnited.com

Quarterback Redshirt

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

The Seahawks are in a rare position this season. They are likely going to get a top ten pick as they are now 5-9 and recent lost at home to the previously 1-12 Buccaneers, but they already have a good veteran quarterback. For this reason, I believe they should take one, which may seem counter intuitive, but makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

Quarterback is single most cerebral position in football. You have to learn the offense, the plays, all the receivers routes, and develop good chemistry with receivers on option routes. You have to be able to learn and read complex coverages and read complex blitzes. For the most part, college quarterbacks don’t have to do this as much. A college quarterback, no matter who they are, needs a redshirt year, a year where they are nothing but a backup in case of injury, a year, where they can learn the offense, the routes, the receivers, the coverages, the blitzes, all of those things, in order to fully be a good quarterback in this league. Some require two.

However, with so many quarterbacks, especially elite quarterback prospects, being drafted early out of “we need this guy now” instead of, “well, we’ll need him in a year or two when he’s ready because we already have a decent veteran,” they lose this ability to have this necessary redshirt year. The list of guys thrown out into action in a major way in their rookie year include Joey Harrington (14 games his rookie year), David Carr (16 games), Patrick Ramsey (9 games), Kyle Boller (11 games) Byron Leftwich (15 games), Alex Smith (9 games), Vince Young (15 games).

Speaking of Smith and Young, both are doing decent jobs this season, in fact, of the three guys who have established themselves as guys who look like longterm starters in this league, Smith and Young are two of them. You might think this disproves my argument, but it actually strengths. Vince Young and Alex Smith both sucked when they came out. In two years before being benched, Vince Young threw 21 touchdowns to 30 picks and in three years before being benched, Alex Smith threw 19 touchdowns to 31 picks. However, after finally getting benched and finally sitting for a year plus, both have come back with good seasons and are establishing themselves as starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

The other of the three quarterbacks who have established themselves as starting quarterbacks this year is Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins. Chad Henne was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2008 NFL Draft and had the luxury of sitting behind veteran Chad Pennington for more than a year. When Pennington got hurt this year, Henne stepped in and has a decent quarterback rating of 73.9 and more importantly is 7-4 as a starter.

Need further proof? Let’s take a look at all of the quarterbacks who are established as starters in this leagues.

Chad Henne- See above.

Tom Brady- Brady sat his entire rookie season behind veteran Drew Bledsoe after being drafted in the 6th round of the 2000 draft with the exception of one game he played where he went 1 for 3 for 6 yards. He took over for Bledsoe after he got hurt in 2001 and has led the Pats to 3 Super Bowls wins since.

Mark Sanchez- Sanchez is a 2009 1st round pick who started his first game as a rookie this season. Its tough to make a decision on him yet, but he has 12 touchdowns to 20 picks this season so he has struggled.

Carson Palmer- 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.

Ben Roethlisberger- Made 15 starts his rookie season, so he’s a bit of an exception, but he’s 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.

Joe Flacco- Started all 16 games as a rookie making him a bit of an exception, but he’s still young and he has not extremely impressive so far. Plus, he plays in a conservative offense with a strong running game and a good defense to support him.

Peyton Manning- Started every game of his career making him an exception, but Manning is so good that he’s an exception to most things.

David Garrard- Played in 4 games as a rookie after being drafted in the 4th round of the 2002 draft, but only played in 17 games in his first 4 seasons, making 296 throws in that span of time so he definitely had plenty of sitting and watching time. He took over as the team’s starting quarterback midway through 2006 and hasn’t looked back, with a completion percentage of 60% or more in all 4 season since then and 56 touchdowns to 32 picks in that stretch of time.

Vince Young- See above

Matt Schaub- Spent 3 years on the bench behind Michael Vick throwing a limited 161 throws in those years, before being traded to the Texans in 2007 where he has been the starter ever since.

Phillip Rivers- 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.

Kyle Orton- Rushed into the starting lineup thanks to an injury to Rex Grossman during his rookie season and made 15 starts with a hideous 59.7 QB rating in those starts. Was not heard from until 2007 when he started 3 more games and then took over as the Bears’ starter in 2008 and then the Broncos starter in 2009 after being traded for Jay Cutler. His QB ratings for the last two years respectively are 79.6 and 89.2.

Matt Cassel- Didn’t make a start until week 2 of his 4th season after Tom Brady got hurt in 2008. He had a good 89.4 QB rating in 2008 and then was traded to Kansas City after Brady returned. He is currently the Chiefs starter and has a mediocre QB rating of 71.1, though he does have very little talent around him to help him out.

Tony Romo- Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 with the Cowboys but did not see any game action until 2006 when he took over for veteran Drew Bledsoe. Romo has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league since and is a two time Pro Bowler.

Donovan McNabb- Another exception, McNabb took over as starting quarterback midway through his rookie year and has had a successful career since, with the exception of a small history of injuries.

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.

Jason Campbell- 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.

Brett Favre- Threw 4 passes in his rookie season in Atlanta, then was traded to Green Bay directly after his rookie season. And the rest is history.

Aaron Rodgers- While Brett Favre was making that 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.

Jay Cutler- 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

Matt Stafford- Its too early to make a judgment on the 2009 1st round pick, who made his first start during week 1 of his rookie season, but throwing 20 picks to 13 touchdowns, despite throwing 5 touchdowns in one game against the lowly Browns, is not a good start.

Drew Brees- Played in one game in his rookie season with the Chargers and took over as the starting quarterback for Doug Flutie in 2002. Though he lost his starting job for a few weeks in 2003 and never established himself as a dominant starting quarterback in San Diego, after he left the Chargers for the Saints four years ago, Brees has been one of the best in the business.

Matt Ryan- Ryan started every game in his rookie season, but had a lot of help from a strong running game, a decent defense, and a weak schedule as he put up a 87.7 QB rating. This year, still the starter, he has struggled some, as their running game hasn’t been as strong nor has their defense, and their schedule is one of the toughest in the NFL. He has a quarterback rating of 79.1 this season and is averaging a lowly 6.4 YPA and I believe he is one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the NFL.

Josh Freeman- Hasn’t started every game as a rookie this season, but has started 7 games, and has 9 touchdowns to 14 picks, so, even though its still early, Freeman’s career has not gotten off to the best start.

Kurt Warner- Signed with the Rams as a 27 year old undrafted free agent in 1998, made 11 throws in his “rookie” year, and took over as their starter in 1999, leading the Rams to the Super Bowl. He has had his ups and downs since, but has made two more trips to the Super Bowl, and is a borderline Hall of Famer at this point with 207 touchdowns to 138 picks and a career 93.7 QB rating.

Matt Hasselbeck- Spent a year on the practice squad and 2 years backing up Brett Favre in Green Bay before being traded to the Seahawks, where he took over for started Trent Dilfer in 2002. He has made three Pro Bowls in his career as a starter, which could be ending soon and hopefully a good young quarterback is waiting on the bench for when he leaves Seattle or retires.

Alex Smith- See above

To make sense of all that I have broken it down into categories and categorized each player in one of those categories.

Started a majority of their rookie season, has had an average career as a starter: 2

Started a majority of their rookie season, has had an above average career as a starter: 3

Took over as starter in late 1st/early 2nd season, has had an average career as a starter: 1

Took over as starter in late 1st/early 2nd season, has had an above average career as a starter: 5       

Took over as starter in mid 2nd season or late, has had an average career as a starter: 4

Took over as starter in mid 2nd season or late, has had an above average career as a starter: 6

Still a rookie, too soon to tell: 3

Started a majority of their rookie season, sat for a period of more than a year after that, then regained a starter’s job: 3

Of the 24 non-rookie established starting quarterbacks profiled, 10 did not take over as starter until midway through their 2nd season or later, and another 6 did not start until late in their rookie season or early in their 2nd. 8 did start the majority of their rookie season, but of those 8, 2 are currently 2nd year players and 3 completely sucked and were later benched before regaining their job. The other three, Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, and Peyton Manning, started a majority of their rookie season and hit very few speed bumps in their career and are now Pro Bowl caliber quarterbacks, but they are extremely rare (3 out of 24). All 3 rookie starters this season have more picks than touchdowns showing that this trend could be continuing.

With drafting quarterbacks, the right move is the counter-intuitive one. Draft them when you don’t need them, or before you need them. Seattle is likely going to have a top ten pick this year and with current starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck being 34 years old, now is a perfect time for them to draft a big upside project quarterback, like Ryan Mallett, who I have said has Peyton Manning esque upside given the right amount of time and good coaching. Sam Bradford, who has the skills, but needs to learn a pro style offense, is also a good fit. 

 

 

Rams Hammered

stevenlourie Uncategorized

By Vince Vitale

The Rams game on Sunday remains us of some nights out drinking. Early on its all good you start with a glass of wine at dinner and then maybe head over to the bar for a couple more drinks. Then things start to go well and everyone is having a good time. This is about the time when someone decides to buy a round of shots perhaps Patron. A few shots later you find yourself out in the parking lot wondering what happened. Well we have all been there before, and the Rams were there on Sunday. 

With 1:37 left in the first half of play the Rams Darian Stewart recovered a fumble by Courtney Roby on the Saints 21 yard line with the Rams trailing 14-6. After being outplayed for most of the first half the Rams had a chance to get right back into the game. After a 6 yard run by Steven Jackson Sam Bradford dropped back on 2nd and 4 and threw a ball down the left sideline to Laurent Robinson who appeared open. What Bradford did not see was Malcolm Jenkins coming over from the middle of the field to pick off his softly floating pass. 96 yards later Jenkins was in the house and the Saints were up 21-6 and for all intensive purposes this game was put on ice.

The final numbers do not tell the story since the Rams played with a lot of heart in the 4th quarter and continued to put up stats. Although losing by 18 points Sam Bradford threw for 231 yards, while Drew Brees threw for 221. St. Louis Rams also outrushed the Saints 136 to 132 yards. As I stated in my game preview this game would come down to mistakes and execution.

The Rams most likely would need to win the turnover battle and needed to be better on third down conversions to have a chance to beat the Saints. While the turnover battle was tied at three the Saints by far won the battle. The interception by Jenkins most likely cost the Rams at least 3 points and gave the Saints an instant 7 points. In the 4th quarter Bradford also threw another interception from the Saints 7 yard line. As costly as those mistakes were the Rams compounded that by allowing the Saints to start 10 of 12 on 3rd down conversions while the Rams started 0-of-7. This helped allow the Saints to jump out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. For a team like the Rams that has a hard time scoring 20 points they can not afford to give up 14 points that quickly. The crushing blow was when Brees hit Colston on 3rd and 17 from the 17 when the Rams inexplicitly only rushed 3 and dropped 8 into coverage. The laser from Brees was just too hard for the Rams secondary to get there in time and the hole was dug.

After having a less than great game last week against the Arizona Cardinals Sam Bradford struggled again today with a QB rating of 56.3. With three games left to play Bradford is going to have to play much better to help the Rams win the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks lost 40-21 to the San Francisco 49ers today so the Rams remain in first place, but don’t look now the 49ers are once again only one game out. The will host the 8-5 Kansas City next week in a huge game for both teams.

On a side note congratulations to Steven Jackson for going over 1000 yards rushing for the 6th straight year!

Go back to Rams Fan Spot 

http://www.stlouisramfan.com/

Ravens Draft Grades

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

27. CB Jimmy Smith A-

The Ravens made this pick at 27 instead of 26 because a botched trade with Eugene Levy…er Jerry Angelo and the Bears forced them to go over their time on the clock. However, I’m not holding that against them because they still got their guy and it wasn’t even their fault. Smith fits the range well, but I had Brandon Harris rated higher as a cornerback. I also didn’t have cornerback rated that highly as a need. They may only have two under contract, but they’re either going to resign Chris Carr or sign Nnamdi Asomugha so they’d really only need a 4th cornerback. Yes, you can never have enough corners and a trio of Lardarius Webb (assuming he’s healthy), Carr/Asomugha, and Smith is pretty nice, but I think their pass rush was the bigger problem with their pass defense. Outside of Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata, they managed just 11.5 sacks. That’s not very many. They desperately needed a 3rd pass rusher.

58. WR Torrey Smith B

I think Smith was a reach by about a round here, though people obviously disagree with me. I don’t like his inconsistent production and small hands. However, there’s no denying he fills a need for them as a speedy receiver to stretch the field.

85. OT Jah Reid C-

Right tackle was definitely a need, as was right guard and Reid can play either of those positions. I just don’t get using a 3rd rounder on him. I had a 5th round grade on him. Also, I don’t like that they traded up for him.

123. WR Tandon Doss A-

Two receivers? Well I don’t hate it. Their receiving corps are pretty thin, but they had other needs. They need to get a 3rd pass rusher. Doss is a good value at this point though.

164. CB Chykie Brown B-

More cornerback depth here. They had other needs, but given that they technically only have 2 cornerbacks signed for next year, adding 2 cornerbacks in one draft isn’t a terrible idea. Also, Brown fits the range.

165. 3-4 DE Pernell McPhee C+

Well this is a pass rusher and McPhee fits the range, I just don’t think he fits the 3-4 scheme at all.

180. QB Tyrod Taylor B-

A backup quarterback shouldn’t have been high on their list, but Marc Bulger is probably gone as a free agent so this makes some sense even though he’s a minor reach.

225. RB Anthony Allen A

Willis McGahee probably will be gone this offseason so they need another power back to spell Ray Rice.

Overall:

This was a pretty solid draft. Only the Jah Reid selection was a major reach and at least they filled a need with that one. I would have liked to have seen them grab a 3rd pass rusher along with Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata rather than taking two cornerbacks, but Jimmy Smith in the first round was an above average pick. Torrey Smith was a reach in the 2nd round, but he fits their needs like a glove. There was nothing amazing about this draft, but it wasn’t bad either.

Grade: B

 

Reggie Bush Dolphins

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

Trade for New Orleans: They were likely just going to cut him for nothing so credit the Saints for getting a pick and a player in return. I don’t know much about Amaya, but if he can make the roster, he’ll be an added bonus in this deal.

Grade: A

Trade for Miami: All in all, the Dolphins are giving up 10 million over 2 years, a late rounder, and a reserve safety for Bush. I think they overpaid. Bush has never proven he can stay healthy and he’ll just be a backup running back to rookie Daniel Thomas. They gave up too much, particularly in terms of money, to get him.

Grade: C