QB Ricky Stanzi DOWN

I want to see what he does in the game before I really knock him down because he is someone I liked more than most coming into this week, but he hasn’t looked good in practice. He threw several picks today. He checks down way too much. One of his picks was so horrible a coach told him “if you throw that, that’s going to get picked every time” and I have to agree with him.

QB Jake Locker DOWN

Again holding major judgment until the game, but he’s struggled in practice mightily. If he doesn’t perform this Saturday, all the blame will be on him, not his supporting cast, as was the case at Washington.

QB Colin Kaepernick UP

I know the other two haven’t been very good, but Kaepernick seems like the best North quarterback at this point. He’s a project, but he could be well worth it. He’s being called Cam Newton of the West and if someone takes a chance on Newton in the 1^st/2^nd range, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if someone took a chance on Kaepernick in the 3^rd/4^th round range.

RB Roy Helu Jr. UP

Again, tough to tell with running backs without pads and full tackle, but he looks good and he’s made some nice pass catches. He’s one of those guys who makes this list because he’s had a solid overall week and not because he particuarly stood out just today. Intrigued to see more Saturday.

WR Greg Salas DOWN

Impressed me earlier this week, much to my surprise, but had a few bad drops today.

TE Lance Kendricks UP

His hands as a short to intermediate option are very impressive. The ball doesn’t make a sound when it hits them and he’s got good speed as well. He’s small, but bigger, more productive, and all around more impressive than DJ Williams. I think it’s between him and Luke Stocker for the #2 tight end spot behind underclassman Kyle Rudolph. I give Kendricks the slight edge at this point.

OT James Carpenter DOWN

Impressed me earlier this week, but was atricious today. I don’t think he won a single one on one.

OT Derek Sherrod DOWN

I’m not seeing a first rounder in him. I know he’s got good upside, but he’s getting beat too often. Had one extremely ugly play where his quarterback would have gotten murdered if Sherrod was left alone on a man (Acho). He’s the OL version of Bailey, athleticism, but not much else. He’s a 2^nd rounder in my book now.

G John Moffitt DOWN

Worked out as a center and let’s just say it didn’t work out. He belongs at guard.

G Danny Watkins UP

Single most impressive offensive lineman this week for the South. 4 fantasic days. Can’t wait to watch him on Saturday. He’s 26, but he hasn’t played a lot of football so what he’s doing now is really impressive. He’s not going to have the 12+ year career you’d like out of a 2nd round guy, but he can improve still.

C Kristofer O’Dowd DOWN

Nothing new here. Still sucks. Having a terrible week. He can’t play one on one against bigger guys and he’s not very athletic either. His technique is a lot worse this week that it was on tape. I don’t know what’s going on.

C Kevin Kowalski DOWN

Doesn’t seem very athletic. He’s not doing well in one on ones this week. Undersized, slow, and doesn’t have the technique to make up for it.

 

DE Sam Acho UP

Very quick today and looked like an extremely fluid athlete in every defensive line drill. He’s undersized, so I’m interested in seeing how he does with his hand on the ground in full game action Saturday. I think he is athlete enough to play the 3-4, but he needs to prove he can play a 4-3. If he can do that, his stock could be in the 2^nd round range. If not, he’s a 3^rd or a 4^th.

DE Brooks Reed UP

Impressive again, motor never shuts off and that makes up for his lack of size. Quick, fiesty, and annoying (in a good way). He’s going to tire O-Lineman out.

DE Pernell McPhee UP

Lost all the weight he put on this season and it’s paid off. He’s having a good week. If he can stay in shape for the Combine and his Pro Day, and not having any more major weight fluxes, he could sneak into day 2.

DT Cedric Thornton DOWN

Getting dominated in one on ones all week. He didn’t look very fluid in technique drills. This small school kid needed a good week to get drafted before the first 5 rounds. He hasn’t done that.

DT Stephen Paea DOWN

Hurt his knee Monday and will have it scoped. He is supposed to be ready for The Combine, but you never know. He’ll have to prove his health at The Combine if he wants to move back up. He might slip into the 2^nd round now.

DT Ian Williams UP

There wasn’t a lot of one on ones between the offensive and defensive linemen today, but Williams was someone who stood out. He’s quietly having a good week. He can play the 3-4 nose as well as a 4-3 as a defensive tackle. He’s a run stopper with adequate pass rush. Good size at 6-1 3/8 311.

DT Sione Fua UP

Another guy who continued his impressive week today. A lot more mobile than you’d expect at his size and a smart kid with good technique. Could sneak into the 3^rd round as a nose tackle, but can also play the 4-3 as a defensive tackle.

NT Phil Taylor UP

Looked like a 265 pound end in the fluidity and technique drills and then went out and dominated one on one with great size and adaquate pass rushing moves. Very impressed with this kid. He’s my #1 nose tackle over Jerrell Powe if he plays well Saturday. He looks like an early-mid 2^nd rounder.

MLB Casey Matthews UP

Continuing to be impressive. Had a nice goal line pick and has flashed good ability in coverage all week. He’s quietly become a 2^nd rounder in my book and having one of the better weeks this week.

CB Kendric Burney UP

Not very big, not very fast, but when you play like he does, who cares. 5-9 184 with a 40 in the 4.5s likely, but he had two picks today, one of which was a very impressive end zone pick, he got his hands on two other balls, making excellent late, quick, breaks on the ball. He’s sneaky quick which might actually be more dangerous than flat out fast and athleticism. He was on Titus Young all day and locked up everyone’s favorite receiver with the exception on one excellent back shoulder throw in the end zone where Burney didn’t have a chance.

CB Curtis Brown UP

Had a good day in coverage. Seems athletic, fluid, made some nice plays like week. Impressive week.

S Quinton Carter DOWN

A good kid with his own non-profit, but not very fluid or instinctual in coverage. Might be just a strong safety or even a tweener. 

 

 

32(31). Kansas City Chiefs 1-3

The Chiefs fall to 32 despite their first win of the season last week for several reasons. One, they beat lowly Minnesota and they didn’t do it convincingly. Besides, they were at home. If that game’s played in Minnesota, they lose. My point will essentially be proven this week when they lose in Indianapolis. Also, Minnesota has a glimmer of hope in Christian Ponder, who could come on late and win a few games for them. Kansas City is stuck with Cassel. I have Minnesota ranked slightly higher for that reason. Also, Seattle looked good in a home loss to Atlanta so they move up 2 spots to 30 right above Minnesota.

31(25). Minnesota Vikings 0-4

A lot of people are calling for McNabb to be benched, which I don’t agree with. Yes, Ponder might be the best quarterback on their roster, but they brought in McNabb because they didn’t feel Ponder would be ready early this season. It’s still early and they’re doing the right thing by not rushing Ponder just because they’re 0-4, especially since Ponder would have a terrible supporting cast should he be made starter right now. Besides, it’s not like they’re in a playoff race. If McNabb starts the season 0-7 (entirely possible with Arizona, Chicago, and Green Bay next on the schedule), all that really does is help their draft status and help them land the blue chip left tackle (Matt Kalil?) they desperately need.

30(32). Seattle Seahawks 1-3

Seattle reminded us this week what we should have shown all along, they’ve got a tremendous home field advantage. They almost beat Atlanta, a week after beating Arizona. Simply put, this is too good of a home team in too bad of a road division (8-30 in the last two years on the road), to consider them favorites in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, no matter how bad their team actually is.

29(30). Jacksonville Jaguars 1-3

If the field crew paints the field on incorrectly, but no one is there to watch it, do they still suck at their jobs? I’d say yes. How do you mess that up? The field obviously confused rookie Blaine Gabbert, who completed just 16 of 42 for 196 yards. That has to be it. It can’t be that he’s just a bad quarterback or anything. All the “experts” loved him coming out of Missouri. They can’t all be wrong even though he threw just 16 touchdowns in a pass heavy offense his senior year.

28(27). Denver Broncos 1-3

Is Tebow starting yet? Ok, maybe I’ll change up the topic for the Broncos this week. Knowshon “Know Show” Moreno has 26 yards on 10 yards this year and is averaging a mere 4.0 per carry for his career. This week, he also famously had major trouble with an exercise back on the sidelines. Can we call him a bust? Hell, can we just agree that drafting running backs in the first round is not a great idea. Sure, you hit on some occasionally (McFadden, Peterson, Johnson), but for every one of those in the past two years, there’s a Moreno, or a Marshawn Lynch, a Donald Brown, or even a Jonathan Stewart, Rashard Mendenhall, Felix Jones, Chris Wells type, yeah, they’re solid, but were they really worth a first rounder, or a Jahvid Best, Ryan Matthews, CJ Spiller, Mark Ingram type, they’re still young, but there have a pretty slim chance of being McFadden, Peterson, or Johnson.

27(28). Miami Dolphins 0-4

Uh oh, Chad Henne is hurt and possibly done for the season. This is a huge hit to their chances in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. Credit the Dolphins for trying, they’ve contacted Trent Edwards, Brodie “0-10” Croyle, and Jake “pick six” Delhomme, but none of those look likely right now. They may have to resort to calling up our old pal JaMarcus Russell, because Matt Moore actually played decent (relatively) against San Diego (17-26 for 167 yards and a desperation time pick). He might win them a few games.

26(22). Indianapolis Colts 0-4

Can you win MVP if you don’t play a down, because if you can, Peyton Manning should be the clear winner. In 7 of the past 8 seasons, Peyton Manning has lost a minimum of 4 regular season games. Without him, the Colts have lost 4 in 4 games. The good news for Colts fans (unless they’ve really hoping for Andrew Luck), the schedule does get easier (Kansas City, Cincinnati), and Curtis Painter looked decently enough in his first career start where there’s potential for him to grow into a borderline sort of decent quarterback in the future, or at least one who knows how to utilize all the weapons the Colts have provided for him. They’ll win some games.

25(29). Cincinnati Bengals 2-2

Andy Dalton is having a Jekyll and Hyde type rookie season. He looked solid in the opener against Cleveland in a win, but then didn’t play as well in losses to Denver and San Francisco, before leading a big 2^nd half comeback against the previous 3-0 Bills last week. If Dalton can play well, the Bengals have the right combination of an easy schedule and a strong offensive line and running game to put up a decent wins total, but Dalton just isn’t someone I would trust to do that consistently at this stage in his career.

24(26). Carolina Panthers 1-3

All in favor of renaming Cam Newton “The King of the Backdoor Cover.” The Panthers are 3-0-1 ATS this season, despite a 1-3 record and there’s no one I’d rather have in the league down two scores with the ball against a prevent defense needing a “meaningless” touchdown to cover a line of 7 or fewer than Newton. New Orleans -6 provides his biggest test yet this week. Let’s see if he can keep it up. And this is not a slight on Newton’s abilities. For Newton to even be “The King of the Backdoor Cover” as a rookie is pretty remarkable considering he started just 1 season at Auburn.

23(24). St. Louis Rams 0-4

Sam Bradford might actually die in one of these games. He’s taken 18 sacks in 4 games. That’s actually 3 more than Jay Cutler and it’s not Bradford’s fault. He’s getting the ball out quickly, but this offensive line is not doing their part. What happened to them? Coming into the season they had 2 young, talented bookends in Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith, a big free agent acquisition in Harvey Dahl, and two other solid veterans in Jacob Bell and Jason Brown. Saffold especially has already allowed 7 sacks and 11 quarterback pressures in 4 games, despite only allowing 3 sacks all last year as a rookie.

22(20). Oakland Raiders 2-2

The Raiders thought they had a chance to beat Brady’s bunch, but you can’t turn the ball over in the end zone against them. They’re too good an offensive machine. End zone turnovers normally mean 14 point swings. I know Tom Brady wasn’t at his best last week, but the Patriots were smart and took what the defense was giving to them, which was a lot of yards on the ground. The Raiders rank worst in the league against the run and now have to face a healthy Arian Foster in Houston this week. At least they avoided Andre Johnson, who will miss the week with an injury.

21(18). Chicago Bears 2-2

The Bears beat Carolina last week, but they barely beat a poor Carolina team and they didn’t look very good doing it. Someone stole Mike Martz’ headset and called only running plays (31 runs to 17 to passes) and Matt Forte went off for 205 yards and a score on 25 carries. Cutler (9-17 for 102 yards and a pick) will actually have do to something in future weeks which will mean their offensive line will actually have to protect, so let’s not make too much from this win.

20(17). Cleveland Browns 2-2

This might be the most boring team in the league. They don’t suck, but they’re not good and I don’t think they’re even average. Plus, it’s almost like people have forgotten they exist. Nobody ever says anything about them and to tell you the truth, I can’t think of anything to say about them. They’ll continue to go .500 against crappy teams and they’ll probably struggle against good ones. 6 or 7 wins for them.

19(19). Arizona Cardinals 1-3

The Cardinals could easily be 2-2 right now. That non-fumble call on Victor Cruz late in the New York game that set up New York’s winning touchdown was ridiculous. However, at the same time, they sit at 1-3 and 2 games back of San Francisco, who is coming off of a huge win at Philadelphia, so San Francisco leapfrogs them this week.

18(21). San Francisco 49ers 3-1

As weird as it may sound, San Francisco’s win over Philadelphia wasn’t extremely unpredictable. Philadelphia had the worst turnover margin in the league. San Francisco had the best. That’s why Ronnie Brown backwards “passing” a ball after getting stuffed at the line for a fumble was as predictable as a play as weird as that can be. I didn’t think they could actually win on the road on the East Coast, who I knew they could give them a game. Now they have a 2 game lead with Tampa Bay coming to town. If they start 4-1, the NFC West race might as well be over. 4 wins should clinch it right?

17(23). Tennessee Titans 3-1

It’s tough to tell if this team is sneakily good or sneakily bad. They’re definitely sneakily something. They’re 3-1, but their 3 wins are against Denver, Cleveland, and a Baltimore team they caught off guard. However, at the same time, they’re 3-1 and on a 3 game winning streak and playing what appears to be good football. Needless to say, their game at Pittsburgh this week is going to be huge. If they win that one, they’d be 4-1 heading into a game with Houston for early season divisional dominance.

 

16(16). New York Giants 3-1

This team could be easily 2-2 right now. I already explained the Victor Cruz play. They are 3-1, but I’m not picking them to win the NFC East because they have the right combination of a tough 2^nd half schedule and a team that always sucks in the 2^nd half. They could legitimately be 6-1 heading into New England (Seattle, Buffalo, Miami in their next 3), and still miss the playoffs.

15(14). Dallas Cowboys 2-2

Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have written about how Tony Romo doesn’t deserve the blame for Dallas’ struggles this season last week. Romo gave the game away last week against Detroit, though he didn’t even have the game biggest brain fart. That came when Felix Jones ran out of bounds on 4^th down short of the sticks with less than 30 seconds left. Come on man!

14(15). Washington Redskins 3-1

Washington leapfrogs Dallas because Dallas looked hideous last week, even though Dallas did beat them the week before. I think Washington wins that game in Dallas. Meanwhile, we didn’t learn a lot about Washington last week because they didn’t play an actual team (St. Louis) and now they go on bye. Dallas always chokes. New York has a brutal 2^nd half. I don’t trust Grossman, which means that Philadelphia is still possibly the favorites in this division. They do have the most talent.

13(13). Pittsburgh Steelers 2-2

People disagreed when I put this time out of the playoff race before the season, but the NFL is a league of parity. Their defense is old. Their offensive line can’t run block or pass block. And they don’t do well after a Super Bowl appearance in the Big Ben era. Besides, Super Bowl runner ups typically struggle. If they lose at home this week to Tennessee, it’s time to hit the panic button. So far they’ve been better at home, but they’ve only played one game there and it was against Seattle.

12(12). Atlanta Falcons 2-2

You think they regret spending all that money on Ray Edwards? Edwards doesn’t have a sack this year and Atlanta has a team has 5, 4 of them coming in the opener against Chicago’s miserable line. Quarterbacks have had forever to throw on them, which is part of the reason why Tardvaris Jackson threw for 319 yards last week and almost completed a big comeback. The other part of it is their actual cornerback play. Brent Grimes has regressed after a breakout year last year in which he picked up the slack for Dunta Robinson, their big money signing. Meanwhile, Robinson has gotten worse this year and they have very little depth at the position.

11(11). Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-1

It’s never flashy with the Buccaneers, but Josh Freeman always gets it done in the clutch. Some quarterbacks and teams have just a knack for close dramatic wins. If they can go into San Francisco and get a win this week, easier said than done, they’ll be 4-1 and hosting the Saints, who also figure to be 4-1, week 6 in Tampa Bay in a game that obviously could have major playoff implications. Tampa Bay beat New Orleans last year week 17. Let’s see if they can do that again.

10(10). New York Jets 2-2

I think it’s safe to say this is not the same Jets team as last year. Their run defense and pass rush aren’t nearly as good. They can’t run the ball as well and aside from D’Brickashaw Ferguson, every single one of their offensive linemen has had problems, including the always dependable Nick Mangold, who is out with an injury. More pressure had fallen onto the shoulders of Mark Sanchez, who is proving every year that he’s nothing more than Trent Dilfer. He can piggyback a defense to a championship, but if he has to do it himself, you’re in trouble.

9(8). Philadelphia Eagles 1-3

The NFC East is still wide open the way I say it and Philadelphia does have the most talent. Andy Reid teams are typically slow starters so even if they fall 1-4 in Buffalo this week, I don’t think it’s quite panic time for them. They can still put together a 10-6 season and win this division, but they’re running out of chances. They’re in my top 10 still, but on a very short leash.

8(9). Buffalo Bills 3-1

Buffalo actually moves up after a loss to Cincinnati. They were predictably flat against Cincinnati and other teams did worse than them this week. If they can come back and beat Philadelphia, I see no reason why this isn’t still a legitimate 10-6 or 11-5 team. If they can’t, well they could be in some trouble and closer to proving their first 3 games to be a fluke. The AFC is weak enough with Pittsburgh and New York fading and Tennessee still a mystery for Buffalo to make the playoffs with 9 wins.

7(5). Houston Texans 3-1

The Texans fall after a huge win over the Steelers for two reasons. One, and most obviously, Andre Johnson is going to miss at least a week, maybe 3. Their offense and their whole team is not the same without him. The second reason is getting ignored, they shot themselves in the foot a lot, a characteristic of previous Texan teams. First they blow a lead against New Orleans and then they commit 9 penalties, 8 in the first half, against a Pittsburgh team they shouldn’t blown out the way they were moving the ball. They actually had to lead a 115 yard drive to open the game to score, thanks to penalties.

6(6). Detroit Lions 4-0

With the Packers traveling to Atlanta, a very tough place to win, it’s extremely possible that Detroit could be the league’s last undefeated team, just 3 years after they became the first 0-16 team in NFL history. If anyone knows of a local nuclear fallout shelter, please tell me because I have a very bad feeling about the fate of the world in the next week. We might be in trouble.

5(4). Baltimore Ravens 3-1

The Ravens slide a spot after a convincing Sunday Night win over the Jets because Joe Flacco didn’t play well in the game. In fact, you could say he was complete crap. He was 10 of 31 for 163 yards and a pick, but still won by 17 because Mark Sanchez was worse and Flacco’s defense and running game bailed him out. They won’t have a record number of return touchdowns every week, so the Ravens should at least be a little concerned about Flacco.

4(7). San Diego Chargers 3-1

I have a feeling I’m going to be changing the order of San Diego, Baltimore, and Houston every week. With Baltimore and Houston slipping for reasons mentioned before, San Diego moves up. San Diego hasn’t fixed their early season struggles at all, but the schedule makers have gifted them with a ridiculous easily first half schedule. Aside from New England, they’ve played Minnesota (0-4), Kansas City (1-3), and Miami (0-4), and now they have Denver (1-3), a bye, New York (2-2), and Kansas City (1-3). They could end up 5-2 without breaking a sweat and if they can turn it on the 2^nd half like they normally do, this is a 12-4 team with upside heading into the playoffs. Nate Kaeding is on IR so he can’t ruin it all for them this year.

3(3). New Orleans Saints 3-1

Nothing new here. New Orleans took care of business in Jacksonville and will take care of business this week in Carolina. Their real test is Tampa Bay week 6. If they can come out of Tampa Bay with a win, well, I guess I can’t really move them up, but they’ll stabilize their hold on the #3 spot, where they’ve been all season.

2(2). Green Bay Packers 4-0

Same old, same old. In a league where “sportsmanship” seems to mean pulling your starters in a blowout, as if to say, we’ll have mercy on you, I was glad to see Green Bay run up the score against Denver. If you can do it, do it. If you lose by 25+, don’t complain about it. You suck. You deserve. The NFL is not a league of mercy.

1(1). New England Patriots 3-1

I’m keeping the Patriots here until they prove they aren’t the best team in the league. I think they can beat Green Bay on a neutral field in the Super Bowl, and no, one loss to Buffalo didn’t change my mind. Green Bay is going to lose to someone too, at some point. Green Bay actually faces a losable test this week in Atlanta. 

 

 

Average total drafted in last 5 years: 16.2 

1. Coby Fleener (Stanford) 1-2

2. Dwayne Allen (Clemson) 2-3

3. Orson Charles (Georgia) 3

4. Ladarius Green (LA-Lafayette) 3-4

5. Michael Egnew (Missouri) 4-5

6. James Hanna (Oklahoma) 4-5

7. DeAngelo Peterson (LSU) 4-5

8. Taylor Thompson (SMU) 4-5

9. Rhett Ellison (USC) 5-6

10. David Paulson (Oregon) 6-7

11. Chase Ford (Miami) 6-7

12. Cory Harkey (UCLA) 6-7

13. Brian Linthicum (Michigan State) 6-7

14. Adrien Robinson (Cincinnati) 7-U

15. George Bryan (NC State) 7-U

16. Nick Provo (Syracuse) 7-U

17. Matt Veldman (North Dakota State) 7-U

18. Kevin Koger (Michigan) 7-U

19. Anthony Miller (California) 7-U

20. Beau Reliford (Florida State) 7-U

 

 

This move is being talked about as a good one because of Arizona’s struggles up front and Snyder’s versatility. After all, he has played every position. However, he hasn’t played any of them very well. Most recently, he was at right guard for the 49ers, ranking 73th or 75^th eligible guards on ProFootballFocus. For the Cardinals, he will probably play guard or right tackle, but he wasn’t worth 17.5 million over 5 years with 5 million guaranteed. He’s not very good.

Grade: C

 

 

Quarterback

TCU

6-2 210

Draft board overall prospect rank: #175

Draft board overall quarterback rank: #11

Overall rating: 53 (6^th round)

40 time: 4.84

3/28/11: As Mike Mayock says, Andy Dalton is someone who “grows on you.” The problem, so does mold. That doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. Ryan Fitzpatrick grew on Bills fans, but that didn’t make him a franchise quarterback. Dalton is the exact same way. He doesn’t have good arm strength. In fact, his arm is weaker than Fitzpatrick’s. However, he’s got good short accuracy and he’s smart and more importantly, he doesn’t look like a typical NFL quarterback. People want this guy to succeed.

He seems to be growing on NFL scouts as now it seems he could go in the 2^nd round to a team like the 49ers, the Redskins, or the Vikings. He struggled mightily at the Senior Bowl. In fact, I’d go as far as to say he was the worst quarterback there. He has terrible arm strength and couldn’t hit a wide open Leonard Hankerson, who burned Richard Sherman on a deep route. In fact, Sherman, who, again, got absolutely burned by Hankerson, was almost able to intercept it and probably would have if Hankerson hadn’t turned into a DB and come back and deflected the ball out of Sherman’s grasp at the last second.

There are things Dalton does well. He wins. He led TCU to an undefeated record this year, albeit in the Mountain West Conference. He’s got good short accuracy and would be best fit for a West Coast offense. He’s also mobile. He possesses all the intangibles and is very smart for his age. However, his arm strength is way too limited for him to be an NFL starting quarterback, let alone an elite quarterback. The comparisons to Kevin Kolb are off because Kolb has a much stronger arm.

NFL Comparison: Bruce Gradkowski

 

 

RB Chris Wells UP

Ryan Williams is done for the season. This is excellent news for Wells. The pick of Williams in the 2^nd round did two things for Chris Wells. It got rid of Tim Hightower, who stole a lot of carries from Wells last year. It also motivated him as he’s reportedly in the best shape of his career. LaRod Stephens-Howling will come in on obvious passing downs, but Wells is going to get the lion’s share of the carries for the Cardinals. Provided he stays healthy, the former first round pick could finish the season as a top 15 or even top 10 running back.

WR Chad Ochocinco UP

Brady targeted Ochocinco 5 times in 19 throws in his 2^nd preseason game, his first start. Ochocinco only caught 2, though he did score. However, it’s very nice to see that the Patriots see Ochocinco as a big part of their offense. They could have the best offense in the league again which means a lot of yards and touchdowns for Ochocinco.

RB LeGarrette Blount DOWN

So much for Blount as the every down back. Earnest Graham will now come into the game on obvious passing downs. However, Graham’s last decent season was 2007 and he’s 31. They still have next to nothing behind Blount on the depth chart and show no interest in signing anyone. Blount could still get close to 300 carries with Cadillac Williams gone.

RB DeAngelo Williams UP

Cam Newton is going to start week 1 for the Panthers. It’s not official, but the Panthers made him their starter for their 2^nd preseason game after another stinkbomb from Clausen in their first preseason game. This change should be official, which is good news for Williams. Just ask LeSean McCoy and Chris Johnson what playing alongside a mobile quarterback did for their YPC. Williams is expected to get a 2-1 split of the carries this season over Jonathan Stewart. If he can stay healthy, he should be poised for another huge year.

RB Jonathan Stewart UP

Stewart won’t get as many carries as he’s used to unless Williams gets hurt (still definitely a possibility). However, his YPC will be helped by playing alongside Cam Newton when he is in the game.

QB Peyton Manning DOWN

Colts Owner Jim Irsay says that the team is preparing for the possibility that Manning misses week 1. My money’s still on him starting, but this hurts his fantasy stock. He could have a slow start to his season.

WR Reggie Wayne DOWN

Any stock down for Manning is a stock down for his receivers.

TE Dallas Clark DOWN

Any stock down for Manning is a stock down for his receivers.

WR Austin Collie DOWN

Any stock down for Manning is a stock down for his receivers.

RB Ryan Grant UP

James Starks is hurt. He shouldn’t miss any games, but, in his absence, Grant has cemented himself as the lead back. He looks very good in games and also in practice, reportedly. He might not finish the season as the starter, but he’ll start the season as the starter, a very good thing considering how explosive this Packers offense is.

RB James Starks DOWN

Starks appears to have lost the lead back role to Ryan Grant. He’ll still see the field as a backup, but not as much as he could have had he had a strong preseason.

 

QB Colt McCoy UP

Colt McCoy looks like the real deal in the preseason. The injuries that slowed him down late last season appear to all be gone and he looks primed for a breakout 2^nd season. He could be this year’s Josh Freeman. I don’t know if I trust him to be a starter, but if I miss out on an elite quarterback and need a high upside backup, McCoy is someone I’d strongly consider.

WR Greg Little UP

McCoy’s favorite target is 2^nd round rookie Greg Little in the preseason. McCoy looks great and if he’s this year’s Josh Freeman, Little could be his Mike Williams. Tons of upside here.

TE Benjamin Watson UP

Any stock up for McCoy is a stock is up for Watson, who was his favorite target last season. Little and Watson seem to be his best two targets by far so both have fantasy value.

QB Joe Flacco DOWN

I should have done this update a while ago, but Flacco has lost two reliable targets in Derrick Mason and Todd Heap. Anquan Boldin is on the decline (30 catches for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns in his last 10 games last season, including playoffs) and Flacco never has looked comfortable throwing to Boldin. Mason was always the one he was comfortable throwing to and he’s gone. Lee Evans is in, but he won’t have a lot of time to learn the offense and both of his tight ends are inexperienced. He also has two rookie receivers hurt by the lockout. This will hurt his stats a bit.

WR Lee Evans UP

Flacco was always more comfortable throwing to Mason than Boldin. Evans doesn’t have a lot of time to learn the playbook, which limits him, but Flacco looked comfortable throwing to him in their first preseason game, which makes sense as he’s a similar type player to Mason. I don’t think he gets Mason’s stats from 2010 (61 catches for 802 yards and 7 touchdowns), but I think he’ll be close.

WR Nate Burleson UP

Consider this an omission, but a healthy Matt Stafford is very good for Burleson, the Lions #2 receiver. Burleson and Stafford had good chemistry last season in their limited time together.

WR Danny Amendola UP

St. Louis’ wide receiver situation is probably the most confusing in the league. Whichever two start should be valuable fantasy players with Sam Bradford at quarterback and Josh McDaniels at offensive coordinator. Brandon Gibson, Mike Sims Walker, Danario Alexander, Donnie Avery, and Danny Amendola are all battling for those spots. Only one thing seems to be for sure, Amendola is going to have a big part in the offense. He’s reportedly “head and shoulders” above all wide receivers out there and will probably line up in the slot, the same place he lined up in last year when he caught 85 passes for 689 yards and 3 touchdowns. McDaniels uses a lot of 3 wide sets so Amendola will see plenty of the field and could even be a starter. He is extremely valuable in PPR.

WR Brandon Gibson UP

For what it’s worth, Gibson has started the last two games for the Rams. Of course, Sims Walker missed one of those with an injury and many in the know expect Danario Alexander and/or Donnie Avery to overtake Gibson before the season, but he’s a nice name to keep in the back of your head late or in deep leagues.

WR Danario Alexander DOWN

Alexander has still not moved up to first string and unlike Mike Sims-Walker, you can’t blame injuries here. It’s looking like it’ll be MSW, Gibson, and Amendola as the 3 receivers for the Rams. He might still be worth a roster spot in deep leagues on upside if he does sneak into the starting lineup.

WR Donnie Avery DOWN

Like Alexander, Avery looks like he could be on the outside looking in. Unlike Alexander, there isn’t a lot of upside here. Avery was probably battling Amendola for the slot receiver role. I don’t think he can win that battle given what I’m hearing out of Rams camp.

RB Fred Jackson DOWN

CJ Spiller got the start at running back for the Bills in their 2^nd preseason game roughly 3 weeks after Chan Gailey said he wasn’t satisfied enough with Spiller’s blocking to make him the starter. Apparently that’s changed. Jackson still got action (Spiller got 6 carries with the first team, Jackson got 4) and Jackson was more productive with his carries (34 yards to 10), but I’m moving Jackson down because Spillers looks like he’s going to be more of a factor.

RB CJ Spiller UP

Spiller got the start for the Bills in their 2^nd preseason game. Jackson ran better, but it’s still worth noting that Spiller got the start. He looks like he’s going to be more of a factor than I originally thought this season.

RB Reggie Bush UP

Bush is expected to start for the Dolphins this season and will be given a chance to be a legitimate feature back. Daniel Thomas is still expected to get the goal line looks, but the rookie has struggled this preseason and will be simply a chance of pace back.

RB Daniel Thomas DOWN

Reggie Bush is expected to start in Miami. Thomas will still see some action and get the goal line carries, but Miami’s offense sucks. There won’t be a lot of goal line carries. Also, Thomas had two tries at goal line carries in their 2^nd preseason game and failed on both. He was removed for Lex Hillard, who did punch it in. Thomas is going to be way over-drafted in your league.

 

By Adam McFadden 

I would first like to dispel the myth that Green Bay gave us this game. Now I could buy the argument that we were given a win by the refs in week 1, although we thoroughly dominated almost every stat category of that game. So winning the statistics game really doesn’t matter if your team scores more points than the other team. But this game was won by the Bears, albeit in an ugly way. When a team records as many penalties as the Packers did, (I think they still may be getting a few more flags as we speak, Nick Collins) it is caused by putting pressure on the other team and putting them on their heels. We could thank Julius Peppers for this who seems to have earned his contract all in one game. So the argument that we were given this game just doesn’t fly with me because in my opinion penalties happen either from bad coaching or the other team causing the penalized team to think it must get that extra step, Tauscher was essentially scared out of his pants having to face Peppers. So that being said I am going to attempt to analyze parts of the Bears performance.

The offensive line was something that impressed me. I know the stat sheet says we were still allowing to many sacks, but I attribute most of those to Cuter simply holding the ball too long. This is something Bear fans need to get used to. Cutler doesn’t like to stay in the pocket when no one is open so he tends to try to escape it and in doing so will occasionally get sacked. I also thought I saw some decent holes in the run game and am surprised we didn’t run it more in an effort to control the clock and keep Rogers off the field. I also noticed a J’Marcus Webb sighting for a brief spell of Shaffer. Looks to me the coaching staff is finally coaching and trying to light that competitive fire withing their own team.

The defensive line is another thing that impressed me, without the services of Tommie Harris. As a unit they dominated by simply causing penalties (intentional grounding, holding and false starts), or should I say Peppers dominated and the other guys were just there to make sure Peppers wasn’t getting triple teamed. I know Rogers didn’t get sacked but this is where I attribute that to Rogers being so damn good in the pocket. I have to give it to Rogers he is possibly the best QB in the league, and it pains me to say this with Cutler on our team but I am a realist. As for some other individual performances I only saw Mark Anderson and Idonije get any kind of significant pressure, but no one was close to being as consistent as Peppers.

The linebackers were all over the run game as usual but as far as defending the pass they seemed to be just an inch or two off on many of Rogers throws. That first TD that went right by Urlacher seemed to be in reach of Urlacher’s hands, so although he looked good I think it is evident that he has lost a step or two. I tend to think that in 2005 that pass could have been picked off. There was also the long third down pass that Pisa seemed to just miss as it sailed over his hands and into Finley’s hands. The question is should the linebackers be in position to stop these or is the d-line not getting the needed pressure?

The secondary seemed to get picked apart all day, but it is understandable considering we allowed Rogers to do crossword puzzles in the pocket. And I have to reiterate that Rogers is just good. The wide receivers seemed to lack the separation which was evident by Cutler being sacked and tucking the ball away and running a few times. Considering on a tv I can’t watch what the receivers are doing I have to assume that they weren’t getting open consistently. The running backs seemed to have holes but without consistently running I can’t blame them for their low average, a running game needs to be allowed to get the ball more to judge it correctly. Jay Cutler was okay, but he was great at the right times. Special teams was highlighted by the return of Mr Ridiculous. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Gould missed a field goal that he is expected to miss, because any attempt outside of 45 yards and he becomes a below average kicker. Plain and simple we have to give some credit to coaching by the coordinators, and the philosophy of an overly aggressive zone defense instilled by Lovie Smith. And I liked the 4th and 1 call here but hated it against Detroit, they were completely different scenarios. I am not saying they are free of blame (coaches) or criticism but they have transformed this team.

This game was overall highlighted by great special teams, causing penalties, timely scoring drives, timely turnovers, and a bend but don’t break defense. But the game was not given to us! As easy as people could say that the Packers were sloppy with penalties we could easily say that we left an additional 10 points off the scorecard by a missed FG and a drop by Clark (a poor pass too). Right now we still aren’t a sure bet to win games but we are now a team that is developing and improving and doing this with an undefeated record!

http://www.dabearsandbulls.com/

 

 

2010 Record: 4-12

Draft Position: 3

2010 Season Recap: Click Here

Offseason Needs: Click Here

Free Agents/Team Transactions: Click Here

Draft Grades: Click Here

Key Offseason Moves: None

Bills Bloggers: Steve Janis, Mike “Coast”

 

2010 Posts: 

Wake Up Call for the Bills, Vikings 38 Bills 14, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills Preview, A Must Win for the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Bills 0-8, Chiefs 13 Bills 10, Ravens 37 Bills 34, The Buffalo Bills: Historically bad?, Jets 38 Bills 14

 

The Redskins cut OJ Atogwe so they needed another safety in the mix, but I don’t think Meriweather is much of an upgrade. He was cut by the Patriots surprisingly in Training Camp after 2 Pro Bowls, but when he was scooped by the Bears, it was apparent why the Patriots cut him. Meriweather was benched after a handful of starts and the Bears didn’t even try to retain him. The Redskins paid him 6 million over 2 years and will probably make him a starter. Those are both mistakes, but this was a weak safety class. Meriweather will probably be benched midseason, however.

Grade: C

 

 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished last year at 10-6 and have a serious gripe about not making the playoffs considering they finished 3 wins better than Seattle Seahawks, who made the playoffs. In addition to that, they crushed the Seahawks 38-15 week 16. Also, they were a win against Detroit (an overtime loss week 15) from being 11-5 and in the playoffs for sure, so they’re close.

But, their fans shouldn’t complain. This team was clearly a year ahead of schedule. This youth movement and rebuilding project was supposed to be a 3 year project, but Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, and Mike Williams had something to say about that. Josh Freeman got better as the season went on and the addition of LeGarrette Blount at running back gave this offense two dimensions.

Josh Freeman completed 61% of his passes for 7.3 YPA and 25 touchdowns against 9 picks. LeGarrette Blount rushed for 1007 yards and 6 touchdowns despite not receiving double digit carries until week 6. Mike Williams caught 65 passes for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns. Oh, and all 3 of them will be 24 or younger when the 2011 season starts.

The team as a whole got better as the season went on. They went from a team that just beat up on bad teams and couldn’t hang with good teams (25 point loss to Pittsburgh week 3, 25 point loss to New Orleans week 6) to a team that hung within 6 of Atlanta (in Atlanta) week 9, within 7 of Baltimore (in Baltimore) week 12, within 4 of Atlanta week 13 and then beat New Orleans week 17. Josh Freeman legitimately outplayed Drew Bress in that game and just the week before went 21 for 26 for 237 yards and 5 scores. I know they were playing Seattle, but that’s an impressive performance against anyone. Blount also rushed for 164 yards on 18 carries in that game.

Even more impressive is that down the stretch they were playing with an injured defense. In addition to missing Tanard Jackson, who got suspended for the year after week 2, they were missing Aqib Talib since week 13, Gerald McCoy since week 14, Brian Price since week 6, and Cody Grimm (Jackson’s replacement) since week 12.

If they can add two legitimate pass rushers in the first two rounds, and McCoy and Price stay healthy, and Grimm stays healthy and Talib stays healthy, that’s a pretty talented defense, especially in the trenches. Also remember that all of those players will be 25 or younger when the 2011 season starts.

Their schedule next season will be a bit harder than it was this year (10 games against sub .500 teams and a 9-1 record in those games), but they’ll also be better as they’ll be healthier, more experienced, and carrying the momentum of a strong finish. I wouldn’t be surprised if this team won a couple playoff games next year and if they keep it up, they could be a Super Bowl team in the near future. Raheem Morris has done a great job of transforming this from a 9-7 wasteland of 30 somethings with nowhere to go but down in 2008 under Jon Gruden to a 10-6 team of young promising kids with nowhere to go but up. And remember he did all this in just 2 short years.