By Vince Vitale 

The St. Louis Rams have trimmed their roster to 53 by cutting 20 players and placing two others on IR. There are really no surprising cuts here. For now 53 players are safe but probably not for long. Look for the St. Louis Rams to pick up a WR and/or RB off the waiver wire.

Offense

_ QB Keith Null

_ RB Chris Ogbonnaya

_ FB Dennis Morris

_ WRs Danario Alexander, Jordan Kent, Brandon McRae

_ TE Darcy Johnson

_ G Roger Allen, C Tim Mattran, T Ryan McKee, C Drew Miller, T Eric Young (IR).

Defense

_ DE Victor Adeyanju, DT Ernest Reid

_ LBs Devin Bishop, Bobby Carpenter, Cardia Jackson

_ CBs Quincy Butler, Marquis Johnson, Antoine Thompson

_ Ss Brett Johnson, Kevin Payne (IR)

http://www.stlouisramfan.com/ 

 

By Derek Arnold

Former University of Maryland Terrapin Josh Wilson was the hero in Houston, saving the Ravens from what would have arguably been the worst collapse in an important game in the team’s fifteen year history.  The Ravens blew a 28-7 lead, and were up by 15 entering the game’s final period.  However, as has been their M.O. this season, no lead was safe…

Two ESPN graphics detailing the Ravens’ fourth quarter collapses looked to be prescient and incredibly accurate as the Texans scored a touchdown and a 2-point conversion with just 21 seconds remaining in regulation to force the extra period.  With the way the Ravens defense played over the final quarter, overtime looked to be just a formality in what was to be another Ravens’ collapse and Texans’ come-back win.

Luckily, Josh Wilson stepped up to preserve the win for the good guys.

Let’s dive into this one a bit…

No blowout

With 14:30 to go in the third quarter, this game looked to finally be the complete dominant game that Ravens fans have been waiting for all season.  The offense had already put up 21 points, and touchdowns on two of their final three possessions of the half.  The defense had held the Texans’ high-powered attack to just a single score, a touchdown on a hurry-up drive to end the second quarter.  And kick returner David Reed set the franchise record for longest kickoff return with his 103-yard touchdown to start the second half.  Life was good in Purple Paradise.

Slowly but surely though, the wheels came off.  Again.

Letting them back in it

In fact, Reed’s kick return touchdown may have been a bit of a blessing and a curse.  Instead of a two-score game, the Houston Texans suddenly found themselves trailing by a full three touchdowns.  With any minute hopes of postseason play – and likely, their coach’s job – fading before their eyes, they developed a “nothing to lose” mentality.  They were forced to throw the ball, and be aggressive.  And with weapons like Houston has – wide receiver Andre Johnson, running back Arian Foster, tight end Owen Daniels – they are very capable of putting up points in bunches, which is just what they did.

On the ensuing possession after the kick return, Houston faced 4th-and-3 at the Ravens’ 41.  In a 21-7 game, they probably punt there.  Trailing 28-7 though, they were forced to go for it.  They converted, and seven plays later a Neil Rackers field goal made the score 28-10.

Then came the wonderful Cam Cameron “playing from ahead” offense

The Ravens next offensive play was a Ray Rice run for no gain.  After that, a nine-yard sack of Joe Flacco.  Two plays, and the drive was effectively over, as they faced a 3rd-and-19 at their own 13-yard line.  A 12-yard pass to Rice would be the Ravens’ final play of the quarter until he ran for 4 yards on the period’s last play.

In the entire third quarter, the Ravens offense ran 4 plays (not including the punt) for 7 yards.

Still, they led 28-13, so things were looking alright.

Defense gassed

Although they were on the field for about 13 minutes in the third quarter, the Ravens’ defense gave up only two field goals.  However, all that time on the field would result in some cumulative fatigue.  As a result, those third quarter field goals turned into fourth quarter touchdowns for Houston.

The offense again sputtered, picking up just two first downs before giving the ball back to the Texans. Five minutes and fifteen plays later, the score was 28-20.

The Ravens’ defense was struggling, and obviously needed a break before being sent back out on the field.

Then things really got weird.

More odd clock management

Last year, Ravens fans were frustrated with the way John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco managed timeouts and the clock in the final minutes of halves and games.  The Ravens’ two-minute drill was terribly ineffective in 2009, and many of us felt that just from having played Madden for a few years,  we better understood how to manipulate the game clock to our advantage than the Ravens did.

Obviously, that’s ridiculous.  But so is the way Harbaugh used…and continues to use…timeouts.

For whatever reason, those situations have been more rare in 2010 – the Ravens haven’t had too many occasions where they’ve had to run a two-minute drill and put up points. The first Pittsburgh game comes to mind, but that’s about it.

However, the Ravens’ coaches’ questionable decision-making with regards to clock management have reared their ugly head in other areas.  Last week, it was Cam Cameron’s decision to pass the ball on 2nd-and-5 in the game’s final minutes, resulting in Troy Polamalu’s sack-fumble and a Steelers win.  Last night, a similar situation presented itself.

The Ravens led 28-20 with 2:58 remaining in the game, and faced a 3rd down and 2 at the Texans’ 44-yard line.  Houston had just burned their final timeout of the half.  A first down here would seal the game for the Ravens.  However, failing that, just keeping the clock running would be the next best thing – a 1-yard run would result in a 4th down, but the Ravens could have taken the clock down to about 2:10, and then either used a timeout or taken a 5-yard delay of game penalty, punted, and pinned the Texans deep with two minutes to drive the length of the field, and – at best – a single stop of the clock from the two-minute warning.

Ravens Nation was screaming – RUN THE BALL.

Did Cam run the ball? Of course not. Incomplete pass, clock stops, and now Houston takes possession with 2:42 to go.  They would go 95 yards and score with, again, 21 seconds left.  The Ravens could have taken 40 seconds off the clock by running on 3rd-and-2.  You do the math.

When asked after the game about the decision to pass, John Harbaugh responded with some nonsense about “not thinking about the clock there,” and that “we wanted the first down.”  Really coach, NOT thinking about the clock at all? Your biggest ally at that point in the game?  Yeah, that’s not asinine or anything.

And did the rules change? You can’t get a first down by running?

“It’s all Cam’s fault,” is still a popular mantra in Baltimore today, even with the Ravens’ win.

Taking them with you?

As odd as the decision to run the ball on 3rd-and-2 was, the coaches’ use of timeouts down the stretch was even stranger.  As mentioned, the defense was GASSED.  They had nothing left.

Greg Mattison is being criticized today for his 3-man rush late in the game today.  There is some merit to that, however, there are other circumstances to examine.  It’s widely understood that the most exhausting thing to do in football is rush the passer.  Matt Schaub threw 62 passes in the game, the great majority of which were in the second half.  The Ravens didn’t have anybody with enough energy to blitz.  This was never more painfully obvious than when, with 1:07 to go, Schaub scrambled for eight yards to the Ravens’ 35.  On the play, Jarret Johnson was giving chase, but Schaub – who runs something like a 5.5 40 – looked like Mike Vick running from the tired J.J.

The defense had nothing left.  What the team did have left was timeouts.  Two of them, to be exact.  Twice in the final minute the Texans stopped the clock – once by running out of bounds and once with a spike.  Two opportunities for the Ravens to use a timeout and give their defense a breather while not “helping the Texans out” at all by stopping the clock.  They chose not to, for whatever reason.

I’m shocked that one of the players – especially an Ed Reed or Ray Lewis – didn’t look around at their exhausted teammates and say “f this, coach,” and take a timeout on their own accord.

Now, with 21 seconds remaining, the score is 28-26.  A stop on the two-point conversion try can still win the game.  With 21 seconds, any dreams of having time after the kickoff to move down the field and get into field goal range are out of the question.  These timeouts can do absolutely no good after this play. You can’t take them with you into overtime.

WHY NOT CALL A TIMEOUT AND REGROUP FOR THE 2-POINT TRY? YOU CAN STILL WIN THE GAME HERE!

This decision still boggles my mind.

The real hero

With all due respect to Wilson, perhaps the real hero of the game is Cory Redding.  Redding stood at midfield before the overtime period, and correctly guessed “tails” on the coin flip.  Had the Ravens lost the toss, I have no doubt that we would be talking about an 8-5 team today.  The utterly pooped Ravens’ defense was not going to go back out there and stop Houston, not without at least a small break.

Tails gave them that break.

With a chance to go win the game, the offense of course failed again.  They did at least pick up a first down and hold the ball for three minutes.  Apparently, that was all the defense needed.

In the two plays that they were on the field in OT, the Ravens got great pressure with four rushers on Schaub.  It was Haloti Ngata harassing him in his own end zone that caused the errant pass from Schaub that ended the game.

Thanks for the drops

This recap is getting a bit too lengthy, so I’ll cut it short and save some other observations (terrible O-line play, great special teams) for a later post.  However, any analysis of this game can’t ignore the fact that the Texans started the game unable to catch a cold.

Texans’ receivers dropped five or six passes in the first half, which went a huge way in allowing the Ravens to build the 21 point lead that, in the end, they needed every bit of.

Thanks for being terrible at catching, Texans.

Now the Ravens come back home to face the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints, who are finally getting healthy and seem to be hitting their stride as the season comes to a close.

Fun fun.

http://www.bmorebirdsnest.com/

Go back to Ravens Fan Spot 

 

 

Defensive End/Rush Linebacker

North Carolina

6-4 265

Draft board overall prospect rank: #5

Draft board overall defensive end rank: #1

Overall rating: 96 (Elite)

40 time: 4.58

4/17/11: Cutting his 40 time to 4.58 was just the start. Quinn had an amazing workout after having to sit out all year. If he had played last year, he could have easily gone #1 this year. Scouts have concerns about his ability to drop into coverage, but he’s only 20 and he’s athletic enough to learn. 

3/16/11: Robert Quinn could have been the #1 overall pick in this draft if he wasn’t suspended for something stupid by the corrupt NCAA. He had 11 sacks as a 19 year old true sophomore in 2009 for North Carolina. Dez Bryant proved last year that you can miss an entire season (Bryant basically missed all of 2009) and still have a productive rookie year. Quinn’s stock will take a minor hit with the suspension and he will be the #2 defensive end to Da’Quan Bowers and could actually fall out of the top 10, but he has the upside to be the best end in this class.

He proved he was in shape at The Combine. He didn’t light the world on fire with his measurable like he was projected to but a 4.67 at 6-4 265 is still pretty impressive. I don’t think he’s got character problems with the suspension. He got suspended for taking “improper benefits.” There’s no such thing as “improper benefits” in the NFL. He’s got a good motor on the field and he’s a tough gritty kid who has survived a brain tumor that could have killed him.

Speaking of that brain tumor, that won’t be a long term issue. He’s a very good athlete with long arms, good quickness, and a very quick first step. He struggles a bit against the run for his size, but he’s got good chase speed and just needs some work with his technique. I don’t know if he’s an ideal fit for the 3-4, though teams will probably look at him as a 3-4 linebacker with his technique. I didn’t think Vernon Gholston was an ideal fit for a 3-4 coming out of Ohio State a few years ago and look at him now, though there were probably other issues in play there.

In a 4-3, he’s got room to add weight to his frame with his long arms. I think he could play into the 270s and still maintain his explosiveness, but he’d have a real problem dropping into coverage in the 270s. Not that he doesn’t already.

He’s not a fluid coverage player, another reason why I don’t think he fits in a 3-4 well. He has the athleticism to turn into a good 3-4 player, but it’s a big risk. Plus, you just shouldn’t use a top 10 pick on a player and convert him into a 3-4 linebacker if he hasn’t already had experience playing linebacker. The last team to do that was the Jets with Vernon Gholston. Larry English and Robert Ayers are also first round picks turned rush linebacker busts in recent years. Clay Matthews isn’t, but that’s because he played linebacker in college.

NFL Comparison: Will Smith

 

 

By Eric Karkovack

 

A 3-1 start to the season was sealed with a somewhat frustrating 16-14 victory against the now 0-4 Carolina Panthers.  The Saints were without running backs Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush and the safeties were dropping like flies.  Roman Harper was already out with a hamstring injury, while Pierson Prioleau and Chris Reis were both injured during the game.

Injuries aside, the Saints let the Panthers hang around with some ill-timed turnovers.  First, it was Lance Moore fumbling at the goal line.  Next, it was running back Chris Ivory losing a fumble for the second straight week.  They both ended good-looking drives by the Saints offense.  Thankfully, the defense stepped up both times to prevent the Panthers from taking advantage.

Ivory (12 carries for 56 yards) was very effective running the football.  But the youngster from a small school has to learn how to hold on to the football.  With Thomas and Bush out, the Saints have to rely on Ivory and veteran Ladell Betts (13 carries for 47 yards).  If Ivory can’t hold on to the ball, Betts will have to take a more prominent role.

Drew Brees (33/48, 275 yards, 1 TD, 90.2 QB Rating) was very solid.  He didn’t seem bothered by the brace on his left knee (injured last week against the Falcons), but he was victimized by some key dropped passes.  The Saints just didn’t seem like they were in much of a rhythm.  Of course, the loss of your two top backs may play a role in that.

The Saints defense was solid, if not spectacular.  They sacked Panthers rookie QB Jimmy Clausen 3 times, but he did hold up pretty well.  Clausen was 11/21 for 146 yards, 1 TD and a 90.6 QB Rating.  The 55 yard TD pass to a wide open Jonathan Stewart was the biggest blemish for the defense.

Overall, they held down the struggling Panthers attack quite well.  DeAngelo Williams did bust a 39 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter, but the Carolina attack was inconsistent.

One area where the Saints were pretty true to form was special teams.  Veteran kicker John Carney took over for the slumping Garrett Hartley, and was 3-3 in field goals.  They were all short range, but so was Hartley’s key miss last week in overtime.  Carney looked steady, and that’s what the Saints need right now.

The special teams also forced a fumble on a 3rd quarter punt return by Captain Munnerlyn that led to a Carney field goal.

It’s hard to complain about a 3-1 start, even if it wasn’t as pretty as we’re used to seeing from the Saints.  Still, this team hasn’t clicked on all cylinders just yet.  It was already tough to lose Reggie Bush, but the Saints really missed Pierre Thomas today.  Not just his running, but his receiving skills and ball security make a big difference.

I got the feeling during this game that if the Saints had played an opponent who wasn’t struggling as much as the Carolina Panthers, the outcome may not have been the same.  The Saints have got to clean up the mental mistakes from the past 2 weeks as they move on to the second quarter of the season.  Too many promising drives have ended up in turnovers and they’ve let their opponents off the hook.

Thankfully, the team is still 3-1 and there’s no reason to hit the panic button.

Who Dat Awards:

Sedrick Ellis – He is wreaking havoc in the middle of that defensive line this year.  Whatever diet he’s on, I want some!

Remi Ayodele – Also creating some havoc and batting away passes.

Drew Brees – Stayed true to his “Cool Brees” moniker out there today.  He made some outstanding throws and avoided mistakes.

Ladell Betts – He looked fairly spry out there, coming off of major knee surgery.  This guy’s a player.

John Carney – The wily one added some stability with 3 field goals.

Usama Young – Saw some time at safety and did a nice job.  Even recorded a sack.

http://www.nosreview.com/ 

 

 

 

9/3/11: They could give San Francisco a run for their money as the worst team in the league, but Seattle does have the home field advantage of Qwest field working for them. Tarvaris Jackson was the worst starting quarterback hands down this preseason. It would be very surprised if he wasn’t benched for Charlie Whitehurst at some point this season, but I don’t know if Whitehurst will be much better.

The Seahawks went into week 17 in an interesting situation last year. They were 6-9 and missing their starting quarterback. If they lost by 15+, they’d set a record for most losses in a single season by 15+ with 10. For those of you who can’t do math, that would have meant that they lost all 10 of their games by 15+. However, if they won that game, which they did, they would make the playoffs. The Seahawks made the playoffs and actually won a playoff game. Let’s just say it was a weird season for them.

Matt Hasselbeck was their best player last season and a huge part of the reason why they won 7 games, made the playoffs, and won a playoff game. Hell, the old veteran could have easily won another playoff game if his receivers didn’t drop 7 passes and his defense could actually hold onto one of Jay Cutler’s interceptions.

Hasselbeck is gone, obviously a bad thing for this team. I could kind of understand this team letting Hasselbeck go in favor of seeing what Charlie Whitehurst has. He probably didn’t have anything, but they gave up the equivalent of 2 third rounders for him, as well as a sizable contract. They might as well at least make sure he doesn’t have anything.

Instead, the Seahawks let Hasselbeck go and won’t even be letting Whitehurst start. They let Hasselbeck go in favor of Tarvaris Jackson. Tarvaris Jackson is not a starting quarterback in this league. I don’t know why anyone would think he is. Without Hasselbeck and without the luck that allowed them to go 7-9 despite a minus 97 point differential, the Seahawks figure to be really bad this season.

The offensive line was a weakness last season, but should be a strength this season. Center Max Unger and left tackle Russell Okung missed significant time with injuries last season. Both are talented players and will help their offensive line now that they’re healthy, though Okung frequently suffers ankle sprains. He suffered one in their first preseason game, but is expected to be ready for week 1. He’s still an injury risk, but he’s very talented when healthy. The 6^th overall pick in 2010 allowed just 4 sacks and 16 quarterback pressures on 684 snaps last season. If he can ever play a full season, he’ll make a Pro Bowl.

The Seahawks also added 3 other offensive linemen this offseason, drafting James Carpenter in the first round, John Moffitt in the 3^rd round, and signing Robert Gallery from the Raiders. Carpenter, a reach in the first round, will start on the right side. Moffitt will start at right guard. Both will be hurt by the lockout, but they should be minor upgrades over what they had at the position last season.

Gallery, meanwhile, should be a major upgrade at left guard. Gallery, once a huge bust as the 2^nd overall pick in 2004 (after Eli Manning, before Larry Fitzgerald and Philip Rivers), has reinvented himself as a guard. He’s become one of the best guards in the league over the past few years. He reunites with Tom Cable, his Head Coach in Oakland. Cable is the offensive line coach in Seattle and was a huge part of the reason why Gallery was able to evolve into the player he is today.

Their receiving corps, another weakness last season, has been upgraded this offseason. The talented, but injury prone Sidney Rice is a huge upgrade opposite Mike Williams. Meanwhile, Zach Miller is a talented tight end and a huge upgrade over John Carlson, who has been relegated to being a backup. He could be traded. However, they won’t get the full value of their strong receiving corps because of how bad Tarvaris Jackson is at quarterback.

They also won’t be able to run the ball very well either. Marshawn Lynch has struggled behind poor run blocking lines in Buffalo and Seattle in his career. Lynch has the best offensive line of his career, so he won’t have any excuses this season. He should run better, but it is possible that the 2007 11^th overall pick just lacks the desired talent or motivation to be a strong lead back in this league. Justin Forsett will be his backup. Forsett can’t carry a load or anything, but he’s a nice change of pace back. Leon Washington, meanwhile, will focus mostly on being a dynamic kick returner. Washington is extremely talented, but will be hurt by the NFL’s new bullshit kickoffs at the 35 rule that has made kickoff returners far less valuable.

Speaking of that bullshit new rule, I have been looking for a place to write about it and why I think its bullshit. I figure this is as good a place as anywhere because Leon Washington might be the best kick returner in the league. He returned 3 kickoffs to the house last season. The NFL has moved the kickoff spot up to the 35, leading to two times as many touchbacks.

They have made this rule in the name of player safety. However, all the players hate it. The players would rather risk their long term health than play this pussy shit. I’m not saying they’re right for choosing that, but it’s their choice. They should be able to make it for themselves. They just shouldn’t expect the NFL to pay for their health care when they’re 50, broke, and can’t keep the drool in their mouths. They know what they’re getting themselves into and they want to get into it anyway.

I think it would be interesting to see what the players would choose if given a choice between getting to set their own rules and getting their health care covered when they’re retired. You see, the NFL is not just making these rule changes in the name of player safety. They want the players to be safe because they don’t want to spend a ton of money on their health care after they retire. It’s a financial decision by the NFL, which is fine, but I think the players should be given a choice between normal kickoffs, helmet to helmet tackles, etc and getting retirement benefits.

 

Anyway, back to the Seahawks. They managed 37 sacks last season despite having mediocre talent on the defensive line. Raheem Brock had 9 sacks and Chris Clemons has 11 sacks last season. Clemons had managed just 20 sacks in the previous 5 seasons, while Raheem Brock had managed just 28.5 sacks in his previous 8 seasons. Both had by far the best seasons of their careers last season. They could easily not repeat those numbers this season. Defensive line coach Dan Quinn is gone, taking a position as the defensive coordinator at the University of Florida.

One defensive lineman who will have a great season even without Dan Quinn is Brandon Mebane, who has been good even since before Quinn got there. He’s a fantastic run stuffer who offers a decent pass rush as well. He recently signed a long term deal. Red Bryant, another fantastic run stuffer, will start opposite him. He’s had injury problems in the past, but it’s noticeable when he’s not in the lineup. They’re much worse against the run without him.

Free agent acquisition Alan Branch, as well as Kentwan Balmer, and possibly even Colin Cole, once he returns from injury, will also see time on the defensive line. They love mixing things up and rotating defensive linemen. They should once again be strong against the run (15^th last year even with injuries), but they will struggle to generate a pass rush without Dan Quinn coaching up Clemons and Brock. There’s a reason they were interested in Osi Umenyiora.

At linebacker, gone is Lofa Tatupu, once their best linebacker and the heart and soul of this defense. Tatupu was cut this offseason because he refused to restructure his contract. David Hawthrone, who played on the strong side in place on the injured LeRoy Hill, will move inside. He’s a very underrated linebacker. He was their best linebacker last season.

On the weak side, the Seahawks are hoping Aaron Curry can live up to his potential as the 4^th overall pick in 2009. However, it is appearing that Curry will be one of those players who, while good, never lives up to his billing as a top 5 pick. You can’t exactly call him a bust either. He’s their 2^nd best linebacker after Hawthorne.

On the strong side, LeRoy Hill is back. He’s had legal problems and injury problems that have caused him to miss 21 games in the last 2 seasons, but he was an above average player before he got hurt. If he struggles or gets hurt again, they don’t have too many other options. 7^th round rookie Malcolm Smith is the 2^nd stringer. Career backup Matt McCoy could also step into that void. They also have undrafted rookie Michael Morgan in the mix. So basically, they are really hoping Hill can stay healthy.

The Seahawks don’t have a lot of talent in the secondary either. They ranked 24^th against the pass even with a solid pass rush. Marcus Trufant allowed a 60.2% completion percentage with 14.2 yards per completion and 6 touchdowns to 1 interception. #2 cornerback Kelly Jennings allowed a 54.3% completion percentage with 7 touchdowns to 1 interception. Both should be even worse this season, assuming the pass rush declines. Nickel cornerback Richard Sherman is a 5^th round pick rookie.

On safety, Lawyer Milloy is no longer a starter. That’s good news. He was one of the worst coverage safeties in the league last year. However, that’s about where the good news stops. His replacement, Kam Chancellor, is a 2^nd year player without a lot of upside. Easily the most talented defensive back on their roster is Earl Thomas, the 14^th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He should be even better in his 2^nd season, but I think the pass defense as a whole will be even worse this season. There’s just not a lot of talent in their defensive backfield and without a strong pass rush, their secondary could easily get lit up frequently this season.

With Matt Hasselbeck gone and, presumably, worse luck this season, this should be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. They have talent in their receiving corps and on the offensive line, but there’s only so much those guys can do if there isn’t the talent at quarterback and they don’t have the talent at quarterback. They also won’t be able to run the ball very well because I just don’t think Marshawn Lynch is that talented.

Defensively, they’ll once again be solid against the run, but they’ll really struggle against the pass, even more than last season because they’ll likely lack a pass rush. They have the worst quarterback in the division and they also have to play a first place schedule which almost isn’t fair. However, they have the magic of Qwest Field, which should win them a few games. They could easily go 0-8 on the road, however.

Quarterback: D

Running backs: C

Receiving corps: B

Offensive line: B-

Run defense: B

Pass rush: C

Pass coverage: D

Coaching: C-

Projection: 4-12 4^th in NFC West

 

 

On principle, I don’t agree with a team with quarterback issues spending 44 million dollars, with 18.5 million guaranteed, over 5 years on a wide receiver. Rice won’t be worth that to them until they can get a reasonable signal caller. However, if they can manage to get one next offseason, I think Rice is worth this money and they needed another receiver other than Mike Williams.

Grade: B

 

 

I had Tulloch as my 20^th rated free agent. He’s one of the best linebackers in the league. He’s only 26 and his 160 tackles last year were 2^nd in the league. I have no idea how the Lions got him for 3.25 million dollars for the 2011 season. There’s no way he didn’t leave a ton of money on the table to join the Lions. My only guess is that he really wanted to rejoin former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who is now the head coach of the Lions.

Grade: A

 

 

Nose Tackle 

Alabama

6-4 349

40 time: 5.64

Draft board overall prospect rank: #18

Draft board nose tackle rank: #1

Overall rating: 87*

2/27/10: Cody weighed in at 370 at his Senior Bowl weigh in after promising he’d be at 355 and his stock lowered. Cody weighed in at 354 today at the combine. He still needs to lose some weight, but I think I can move him back up a little after dropping him following the Senior Bowl. If you’ve ever seen this guy play, he might be the most agile 354 pound man you’ve ever seen. 

1/26/10: He is a large man. One can only hope he keeps his shirt on when he runs the 40 at the combine. 

             5/19/09: At 370 pounds, Terrence Cody is an athletic freak of nature deadly against the run. He has been given the nickname Mount Cody because of his size and he eats opposing centers for breakfast. His amazing run stuffing ability doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, or at least his own stat sheet, but he was a huge part of why Alabama was the longest undefeated team in College Football last year, as well as a huge part of their amazing defense. He gets a great push on the offensive line and opposing ball carriers rarely, if ever, break his tackles. He doesn’t have a great reputation for having a great work ethic, especially because of his size and high body fat percent, but when he has needed to lose weight he has. When he was a 410 pound nose tackle in Junior College who couldn’t get a Division 1 job because of his size, he lost 30 pounds and got a scholarship to the University of Alabama. When Coach Nick Saban was taking him out on 3^rd and longs because he is not much of a factor against the pass, he lost another 10 and will likely be an every down nose tackle next season. There are questions about his motor and his durability and he occasionally takes a few plays off. He is injury prone, which is typical for someone of his size. There are questions about his experience. He has only played one season at Alabama, 2 in junior college, so I think it was smart for him to return. As long as he doesn’t struggle or get hurt, his decision to return was smart. He is actually very mobile and agile for a 370 pound monster, and has great lateral movement, which helps against some of the quicker running backs, but he doesn’t have good chase speed at all and his footwork as a pass rusher is very subpar, so he won’t get a lot of sacks. Because of that, he can only realistically play one position at the next level, 3-4 nose tackle, which will be part of the reason why he is likely a top 20 pick and a top 10 pick like BJ Raji was in this past draft. Still, all in all, he’s a beast of a nose tackle and with more teams switching to the 3-4, he’ll be highly sought after. There aren’t that many pure run stuffing nose tackles like Cody out there and that is what a lot of 3-4 teams are going to be looking for in the 1^st round.

 Comparison: Kris Jenkins 

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

After winning 8 of their last 10 in 2009, once they replaced Kerry Collins with Vince Young, hopes were high going into 2010. They started off by winning 5 of their first 7 and adding Randy Moss, in a very uncharacteristic move. Normally this team doesn’t like to add big name, big ego players in the decline of their career, especially not at skill positions, but most agreed it was the right move.

However, things fell apart in a week 11 overtime loss to the Redskins. Vince Young hurt his thumb, but wanted to go back in. Jeff Fisher didn’t let him and Young threw the ultimate hissy fit, throwing his pads into the stands and walking out of a post-game locker room team meeting. Fisher then placed Young on IR to get him to go away and banned him from team facilities.

Stuck with a combination of Kerry Collins and Rusty Smith at quarterback, as well as a supporting cast that largely sided with Vince Young and thus didn’t play hard for Fisher after Young was put on IR, the Titans finished 6-10. Jeff Fisher’s job is safe for 2011, but it has been announced that Vince Young is done in Tennessee. They will either try to trade him or release him this offseason.

The relationship between Young and Fisher was doomed from the start. Young gets more of the blame from the media, but I think Young, Fisher and owner Bud Adams are all equally at fault. Fisher never made an attempt to embrace Young as his starter after Bud Adams forced him to spend the #3 pick in 2006 on him. Young was repeatedly benched, even mid game like he was week 2. And that was when he was playing well. This is another lesson in the importance of good Coach/Quarterback relationships.

The Titans will start over with a new quarterback this offseason, but it most likely won’t be a rookie. Jeff Fisher is in the final year of his deal and needs a good year to keep his job. That pretty much eliminates the possibility of them drafting a rookie. Their veteran options are fairly limited as well. Donovan McNabb and Kyle Orton are the only experienced starters on the market this offseason, unless Detroit makes Shaun Hill available or Dallas makes Jon Kitna available or Philly somehow doesn’t resign Michael Vick. I can’t see the Titans rolling the dice with someone like Kevin Kolb.

As for Randy Moss, he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t insult his quarterback’s hair like he did in New England or insult a chef’s cooking like he did in Minnesota. The only problem, he didn’t play well either. Moss caught 6 passes for 80 yards in 8 games, was benched before week 14, and didn’t play more than a couple snaps weeks 16 and 17.

Moss kept his mouth shut, but after that terrible performance, it’s safe to say that Moss won’t be in high demand this offseason. His negatives have officially outweighed his positives and at 34 years old in February, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t have a job come September. It also is worth noting that after Moss left New England, the Pats went 11-1 and Moss’ teams went 2-10. Teams should just stop trading with Bill Belicheck. No one ever wins.

 

 

I was thinking someone would overpay Clabo this offseason after he made the Pro Bowl last season. He’s an above average right tackle, but I don’t think he deserved to make the Pro Bowl and he definitely didn’t deserve to be paid like a left tackle or anything. So did the Falcons overpay Clabo? Clabo gets 27 million over 5 years with 11.5 million in guarantees. I think it’s a pretty fair deal. It’s not a great value or anything, but they didn’t overpay.

Grade: A