Uncategorized

Free Agents 41-50

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 

41. G Harvey Dahl (Atlanta)- signed in St. Louis 4 years

One of the best guards in the league and coming off arguably the best season of his career, but he’s 30 this offseason, so teams need to avoid paying him for things he’s already done and pay him for what they think he can do.

42. OLB/RLB Manny Lawson (San Francisco)- signed in Cincinnati 1 year 3 million

Not much of a pass rusher with only 14.5 sacks in 5 years as a rush linebacker for San Francisco, but he’s solid in pass coverage and good against the run. He’d be best off with a new team, a 4-3 one, as a strong side linebacker.

43. CB Antonio Cromartie (NY Jets)- resigned 4 years 32 million

Inconsistent, streaky, and a bit of a head case, but when he’s on he’s on and his type of size, speed, and ball skills are rare in this league. He’s best in a scheme where he can play deep, rather than in close in bump and run and it appears tackling and stopping the run are against his religion.

44. OT Tyson Clabo (Atlanta)- resigned 5 years 27 million 11.5 million guaranteed

An above average right tackle, who made the Pro Bowl this season. That could inflate his value.

45. WR Braylon Edwards (NY Jets)- signed in San Francisco 1 year 3.5 million 1 million guaranteed

Talented, but inconsistent, drop happy and somewhat of a head case. His 80 catches for 1281 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2007 are his upside, but 16 drops to 55 catches in 2008 and only 45 catches for 630 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2009 are his downside. He’s a former #3 overall pick, but his 53 catches for 904 yards and 7 touchdowns, and only two drops, this year might have been just an effort to get a longterm deal. With 4 other Jets on this list to deal with, in addition to Brad Smith, and Brodney Pool, Edwards might have to find a new team this offseason.

 

46. S Quentin Mikell (Philadelphia)- signed with St. Louis 4 years 28 million

A solid safety for the Eagles for years and turned in his 3 best years in the last 3 years, but he’s over 30 so a big, longterm deal might not be the best idea.

47. 3-4 DE/DT Cullen Jenkins (Green Bay)- signed with Philadelphia 5 years 25 million

One of the league’s best defensive linemen when healthy, but he’s missed 17 games in the last 3 seasons. He had a career high 7 sacks in 2010, despite missing 5 games. He has experience in both a 4-3 and a 3-4. The Packers recent comments make it seem like they are ready to move on without him with Johnny Jolly hopefully returning from his suspension and 2010 2nd round pick Mike Neal waiting in the wings.

48. CB Ike Taylor (Pittsburgh)- resigned with Pittsburgh 4 years 28 million 9 million guaranteed

Pittsburgh’s best cornerback had a much better 2010 than 2009, but he’s not the same when Troy Polamalu isn’t on the field and he’s had a ton of help from his front 7. He’s no more than a solid #2 cornerback.

49. CB Chris Carr (Baltimore)- resigned 4 years 14 million 3.8 million guaranteed

Carr broke out this season, just in time for a new contract. The Ravens front 7 play may have helped him out big time.

50. TE Mercedes Lewis (Jacksonville)- resigned 5 years 35 million 18 million guaranteed

The former 1st round pick finally broke out in 2010, with 57 passes for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns in the last year of his rookie deal. He’s a mauling run blocker and a big target, but has a history of complacency and might have just played well this season because he smelled the money. 

 

 

Greg Hardy

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Defensive End 

Mississippi

6-4 277

40 time: 4.79

Draft board overall prospect rank: #76

Draft board defensive end rank: #8

Overall rating: 74*

3/23/10: I think he saved his stock and may have put himself back into day two consideration at his Pro Day. He lost about 8 pounds (now at 277) and ran 4.79, .8 seconds faster. He’s still talented and some teams may take this improvement and the lost weight as a sign of improvement. I still have my doubts, but this helps.

3/1/10: First Hardy came to the combine at about 20 pounds heavier than expected and he did not carry that weight well running a 4.87 40. He also put up 21 reps of 225 pounds. He already has the injury prone label and if enough teams give him the lazy label, he won’t go before the 3rd round.

2/27/10: He looked out of shape weighing in at 281 pounds, 20 more than expected. The injuries issues were already there in large part. The last thing he needed was concerns about his work ethic and character.

1/21/10: If he can put injuries behind him, he could be a very good player at the next level. He has 24 sacks over the last 3 years despite injuries and had 5.5 this year in 8 games and he has the skills to be a top ten pick, but he always seems to hurt something. He’ll probably be a 2nd round pick which could actually be good for him, teach him not to be complacent as so many defensive lineman who sign big deals become.

Update (11/2/09): When healthy he’s an elite pass rusher, however, he is always hurt in one way or another.

            7/30/09: Greg Hardy is a talented physical pass rusher. He doesn’t have the best timed speed, but he gets a good push off the line and is a great bull rusher. He’s very aggressive and is hard to keep out of the backfield. He has put up good production in college with 21 sacks in 27 career college games. He’s an above average run stopper for a defensive end with his good upper and lower body strength. His run stopping ability allow him to move inside on a 4 man line on passing downs. He has the potential to be a top 5 pick, but there are a few issues with him. He’s very injury prone and has missed 8 games in 3 seasons with injuries. He doesn’t have the best motor and can take plays off which is a huge red flag. He’s a streaky player who can be a star for a few games, but then disappear for another few. He has off field issues and was suspended for 2 games during his sophomore season. He only fits in a 4-3 because his lack of speed and his ineptness in pass coverage make him a liability as a 3-4 rush linebacker and he doesn’t have the size to play up front on a 3 man line. Of course, all of that was true of Robert Ayers last season and Josh McDaniels still drafted him to play in a 3-4 so anything could happen with Hardy. He’s currently a fringe 1st round prospect, but if he can play 100% this season and proof his foot injury is a thing of a past, he could shoot up into the top 10. He’s got good hands for his position and has played tight end at times, but he struggle with the fundamentals of pass coverage so I doubt he can guard tight ends as a 3-4 rush linebacker. If he can improve in this area, he could fit in a 3-4 which would help his draft stock. He plays a position that is always in great need and that will help him. 

NFL Comparison: Antawn Odom

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

Jahvid Best

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Running Back 

California

5-10 199

40 time: 4.35

Draft board overall prospect rank: #15

Draft board running back rank: #1

Overall rating: 87*

1/17/10: He could fall below CJ Spiller in the draft because of his concussion late in the season, but he’s a more complete player than Spiller. He’s got more explosive legs, he’s a better runner in between the tackles, and his 40 time is probably going to be faster. They are comparable players in terms of pure speed, but Spiller is more of a straight line runner while Best has better running back skills like initial explosion and good change of direction.

                9/6/09: To put it bluntly, Jahvid Best is fast. In terms of game speed, he may be the fastest player in college football. He has an excellent arsenal of quickness, speed, and moves and had a YPC average of 8.1 last season. He’s also a solid pass catcher. At a time with the wildcat and crazy offenses of the sort, speed guys like Best are becoming more and more valuable. Another season like last year’s and Best is probably a first round pick. In a way, Best is similar to Joe McKnight, CJ Spiller, and Noel Divine, the three big name speedsters who could come out this year, but I think he’s faster than all of them in terms of game speed. As for his timed speed, expect it to be somewhere between 4.31-4.35, with a possibility of a sub 4.3 time. Because of his speed, he’s a threat for a big play every time he touches the ball, but he’s also at risk for 1 or 2 yard clunkers every time he touches the ball. He’s not very big at 5-10 195. Normally you like your running backs to be about 200 pounds in the NFL and Best comes up just short. Even Chris Johnson, Tennessee’s speedster, is 200 pounds. He’s not a great in between the tackles runner and might never become an every down back in the NFL, though in an era with running back by committees and the wildcat offense, that doesn’t mean he’s not valuable and that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of going in the first round. He has good hands when means you could line him up in the slot to through off defenses. He has an injury history and had 2 surgeries this offseason, though after his first game this season, in which he had 137 yards on 10 carries and 2 touchdowns, it appears he has shaken those injuries off. Still, with his small frame you have to wonder if he can take an NFL caliber beating. In the end, this guy is a first day lock with his speed and has the potential, with another big season and a big combine, to make the first round, though, at this point, the early 2nd round seems a little bit more realistic, as he hasn’t proven he can carry the load by himself. His career high for carries in a season is 194 and he only has 233 carries in his whole college career.

NFL Comparison: Jamaal Charles

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

Jeremy Beal Scout

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Defensive End

Oklahoma

6-2 262

Draft board overall prospect rank: #105

Draft board overall defensive end rank: #16

Overall rating: 67 (late 3rd)

40 time: 5.13

4/12/10: When you look at Jeremy Beal’s stats, you’d think he could be a first round pick as a pass rusher. He has 27 sacks in the last 3 years, including 11 in 2009 and 9 in 2010, but he’s not very athletic and he’s having a terrible offseason. He struggled in the Senior Bowl and Senior Bowl practices, getting swallowed up by bigger offensive linemen in the trenches and causing people to wonder if he was only a linebacker at the next level.

He played some linebacker at Oklahoma, especially on running downs, because of his inability to play in the trenches consistently, so this isn’t a new problem. If he couldn’t play in the trenches in college, he’s going to have a lot of trouble consistently playing in the trenches in the NFL. Given this, it was good that he played some linebacker in college, as it will help him transition to rush linebacker in the NFL.

What won’t help him as a rush linebacker at the next level is his 40 time. He ran a 5.13 at The Combine. He struggled in coverage drills and he’s really not athletic at all with a 28 inch vertical and arms that are short. I don’t think he’s much more than a nickel rusher at the next level, but given his track record of success in college, I think he can be a very good nickel rusher.

NFL Comparison: Dewayne White

 

Jets Season Preview

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By Kevin Harrison

Two years ago in the AFC Championship, the Jets played a great first half against Indianapolis and then got mauled in the second half. That lead to a long off-season and a promise by Rex Ryan that we’d win it all.  Fast forward to a year later and another incredible playoff run and the Jets were in the AFC Championship game for the 2nd year in a row.  This time, it was in Pittsburgh who the Jets had beaten a few weeks prior.  This year, the Jets forgot to show up in the first half before staging a miraculous comeback that fell a little short.  The season ends again and a long off season of depression set in.

This off season was like no other.  We had lost two straight AFC Championship games with a 2nd year head coach who has promised the Jets would win the Super Bowl, and a 2nd year quarterback who’s been learning on the job and growing with ever game he plays. However, we had suffer the entire winter, spring, and summer months with a lockout over the split of nine billion dollars.  Once that was finally settled, it was a frenzy to sign players, get in shape, and start to practice.  The loss of all off season OTAs hurt but Mark Sanchez, who has been appointed team captain by Rex Ryan, let a few team workouts and practices which should help.  Rex again said we are going to win the whole thing.  Could the third time be the charm?  Only 12 times in NFL history has a team gone to three straight Championships.  The last time it’s happened was 2002 to 2005 by the Eagles.  So, the odds suggest that it’s time for a 13th team to get there 3 straight times.  However, this time, the third time, they are not going to fail.

Coming off two straight trips to the AFC Championship, Mark Sanchez, entering just his third season as the Jets starting quarterback will improve.  He has a solid offensive line to protect him and is in the third year of the same offensive system.  The only negative is that for the third consecutive year, he has almost an entire new crop of wide receivers.  Sanchez must continue to improve and reduce his interceptions while increasing his completion percentage.  Some of Mark’s percentage problem was due to the many drops by wide open wide receivers.  With his new receiving corps and the departure of Jerricho Cotchery, Brad Smith, and Braylon Edwards, three droppers, he should naturally complete more balls with the receivers dropping the ball less.  Sanchez needs to get into a rhythm earlier in the game and with Brian Schottenheimer running the same offensive and now trusting Sanchez more, there is hope that we can move the ball and score early as opposed to last year’s four or five 4th quarter comebacks.   Part of this will be Sanzhez playing smart football and he will also be helped by newly acquired Plaxico Burress who’s jumping ability should improve our red-zone scoring instead of settling for field goals.  Rex Ryan may call this team ground and pound, and our running game should help the passing game but with all of the receiving weapons we have, I hope that we can throw the ball a bit more than run the ball now that there is some confidence in the man behind center.  And, adding Tom Moore on the coaching staff to work with Schottenheimer and help in with our offense should be of great value as he is an offensive genius.  Maybe with Tom Moore helping on play calling, we can get the ball in from the 1 yard line this time (bad memories of the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh still.)

As for our receiving corps, it’s hard to say if we are better or worse.   As far as I’m concerned, Dustin Keller is the only tight end on our roster and we need to utilize him more.  This guy can get open and makes things happen.  There is no reason why he shouldn’t be catching at least 80 balls this year.  The coaching staff just can’t forget about him in the middle of the season again.  As for our wide receivers, signing Santonio Holmes was a no brainer.  He won about 3 or 4 games alone and that was after missing the first four games of the year.  It will definitely be nice to have Santonio for a full 16 games this season and he is the one wide receiver that was on the team last year so let’s hope Holmes and Sanchez built some chemistry.  Then, this is where things get dicey.  The Jets went out and signed Plaxico Burress who has been rotting in jail for the past 2 years.  Due to a tight salary cap, I thought this was a good move.  It gives the Jets another playmaker who can score in the red zone with his leaping ability.  Hopefully his rust can wear off quickly.   He basically replaces Braylon Edwards who basically signed for nothing in San Francisco.  I would have loved Braylon back despite his drops as he had a ton of key catches in the 4th quarter that lead to victory.  I guess a few DWI’s and bar fights made him expendable.  Then there was the issue of Jerricho Cotchery.  Jerricho has been a great Jet the past 7 years.  However, he didn’t want to be a 3rd receiver and asked for his release.  He still had two years under contract but the Jets obliged and released him.  I’m not sure that was too smart on the part of Cotchery as he was coming off winter back surgery.  To replace J-Co, the Jets signed Derrick Mason from the Titans.  This guy has had a solid career and despite being old at 37, he has still been productive and could be the perfect 3rd down receiver for this team. Finally, I’m liking what I’m hearing about the Jets 5th round pick, Jeremy Kerley.  This guy has the potential to be the 3rd down receiver one day and be a playmaker from what I’m reading.  He could also assume the role of departed Brad Smith.  The Jets had no choice but to let Brad Smith go for the money he was offered.  With this salary cap what it is, the Jets just couldn’t afford to keep him for the wildcat and for special teams.  This is a big loss but the Jets will survive.  With the new rules of where kickoffs start, this will prevent the long kickoff return taking away Smith’s biggest threat to return the ball.  I also loved the wildcat formation with Brad behind center but 98% of the time, it was predictable.  This guys was a quarterback in college so I’m not sure why the coaching staff didn’t let him throw the ball a bit more often.    Jeremy Kerley, Joe McKnight, and LT will all be getting a chance at running the wildcat as Brad Smith’s replacement and on “gadget” plays.

The Jets offensive line is good but I think it was still better two years ago when we had Alan Fanaca and I think our running game had some issues is short yardage situations last year due to the line.  The retirement of Damian Woody hurts as well.  However, we have two studs on the line in Nick Mangold and D’Brickshaw Fergueson. These guys are beasts.  Brandon Moore is solid as well but on the PUP list due to hip surgery in the off-season.  Rob Turner is slated to take Moore’s spot on the line.   Last year, Matt Slausen filled in great for Alan Fanaca and this year, Wayne Hunter takes over for Damian Woody.   While both of these guys may be ample solutions, I’m not 100% confident in their abilities.  I am truly hoping that Vlad Ducasse can contribute this year to see if his a failed project or a lineman with potential.  Still, these guys should do a good job protecting our franchise quarterback and hopefully open up some nice holes for our running game.   Our running game depends on this line and I’m hoping they can handle the task at hand.

I loved the Jets running back tandem of Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson.  It seems like Greene will take more of the load on 1stand 2nd downs this year with L.T. handling most of the 3rd downs but don’t let that fool you; LT can also be used in a double back set to catch balls out of the backfield as he has much better hands catching the ball than does Shonn Greene.  I think the goal is to keep L.T.’s legs more fresh for the stretch run this year then overuse him in the beginning of the year. All I know is that L.T. wants to win a Super Bowl before he retires, he’s hungry, and will do what it takes to help get this team to the promised land whether though running, receiving, or just his leadership presence.   Joe McKnight looked good at the end of the year in the little action he received.  I hope he steps it up this year and becomes that #3 back that will eventually be used to replace L.T. when he retires.  While Shonn Greene is more of a powerback, McKnight seems like a finesse back so it would be great to use McKnight to change things up.   With the retirement of Tony Richardson, we lost a lot of experience and leadership at the fullback position.  Hopefully, the Jets won’t lose a step with John “Terminator” Connor entering his sophomore season.  I know the coaching staff has high hopes for him and I just hope that he’s ready to assume the starting role.

The Jets defense, which was not nearly as good as it was two years ago, is supposed to be the strong part of this team with Rex Ryan’s defense.  I was disappointed with the defense last year giving up way too many first half points and having issues stopping the run until settling down in the second half.  This needs to change.  Jason Taylor was a total disappointment last year and I’m glad he’s back on the Dolphins.  Kris Jenkins who has been hurt for two straight years finally retired.   And the Jets drafted two defensive studs with their first two picks in the draft to replace Shaun Ellis who we let go only to sign with the Patriots and then wind up on the PUP list.  There is also a healthy Darrelle Revis who basically got hurt last year and was not 100% healthy until the second half of the season due to his extended holdout and missing all of training camp.  It’s nice to have him back for 16 games to put the opposing wide receiver on Revis Island.  The good thing is that besides the rookies, the defense is mostly the same including the coaching staff.

Let’s start with the strong part of the Jets – the secondary.  Darrelle Revis is 100% going into the season and basically gets no action as no one even attempts to throw in his direction.  Luckily, after a failed attempt to land Nnamdi Asomugha, who went to the Eagles out of the blue, we were able to resign Cromartie who was solid last year except for the first game against the Ravens and the New England debacle.  Having two great cornerbacks like that naturally helps the pass rush as quarterbacks will have difficulty finding an open receiver.  Things got a bit hairy at the end of the year when Jim Leonhard went down as he was the signal caller on defense.  Having him back is a huge plus with aspirations of getting back to the playoffs.  Dwight Lowery, Eric Smith, and Brodney Pool are back to help out in the secondary.  The biggest change for this team will be the emergence of second year player, Kyle Wilson.  From what I hear, he’s bulked up on weight, really studied this off-season, and has been hanging out with Revis to really learn the ins and outs of the position.   Since he did basically nothing this year, it’s almost like we have a new player on the roster to contribute.  The Jets also brought back Donald Strickland after a year off the team.  He already knows the playbook and will help in providing depth to the secondary.

I’m a little concerned with our defensive line and the pass rush.  The Jets gave the opposition too much time to throw the ball last year. Kris Jenkins, hurt all of last year, finally retired and our best defensive player in that final Patriots game, Shaun Ellis, we didn’t re-sign and let him leave and sign with the Patriots.  Also, Jason Taylor, while he didn’t have a great year, provided some pass rush.  Now, we are counting on our top two draft picks, Muhammad Wilkerson and Kendrick Ellis to help in this area.  Wilkerson has already been given a starting job and we have got to hope that Ellis doesn’t go to jail or get deported for his legal issues.   Joining Wilkerson on the line is Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito.  While both of these guys are by no means stars, they did a solid job last year.  We have got to hope that the two rookies live up to Rex’s expectations.  I’m also hearing good things about Ropati Pitoitua who is supposedly having a great camp after being hurt all of last year.  He should provide some good depth for the line.  Based on what we have, if these rookies aren’t what we expected, you sort of have to scratch your head on why we didn’t sign Shaun Ellis in this year were we could truly make the Super Bowl.

I actually like our linebacker core; however, they did disappoint me a bit last year in the way they tried to stop the run.  We were getting grounded and pounded last year giving up 8 yard chunks in huge situations.  It was a no brainer to sign David Harris to a 4 year deal as he is the key to the defense.  Bart Scott is an animal out there and Calvin Pace, who played most of last year hurt, is back to 100% healthy.  My biggest concern is Bryan Thomas who is starting to get old and is probably the weakest of our four starting linebackers.   I feel Jamaal Westerman could challenge Thomas for some playing time this season.

Our special teams could have a setback.  We didn’t sign Steve Weatherford, our punter, and let him sign with the Giants.  Weatherford was one of our best players last year so I still don’t understand letting him go considering he was always pinning the opponent deep. The Jets now have a battle for punter between T.J Conley who Rex loves and Australian kicker, Chris Bryan, who Westoff loves.  I couldn’t tell you a thing about either guy so I’ll leave it up to the coaching staff to pick the best guy.  As for the Jets kicker, I know they brought in Nick Novack to battle with Nick Folk.  Besides a few games, I thought Folk had a great year with extra points and field goals.  I believe Rex’s biggest issue is leg strength on kickoffs.  However, with the kickoff rule being changed, this should help in either kicker forcing a touch back.  With Westoff in charge, I know our special teams will be great.  Jeremy Kerley will be replacing Brad Smith on kickoff and punt returns and there is always Cromartie and Wilson on the roster as well if the Kerley experiment fails.

The coaching staff is intact so it’s the third straight year of a the same system.  You got to love consistency.  When in Jets history do you remember the same system being installed for 3 straight years especially with the same quarterback and core group of players?  The addition of Tom Moore will surely help with the offensive and despite no OTAs, except for the rookies and free agents, the players should have a great grasp on the playbook.

What concerns me is that the last that the Jets were favorites to reach the Super Bowl, Vinny went down in the first game with his Achilles and you know what happened from there.  One of the keys is obviously to stay healthy.  If Sanchez gets hurt, I’m not convinced we can get to the promised land with Mark Brunnell as quarterback at his age.

Some other points of interested.  There is no HBO Hark Knocks this year in camp to be any distraction so the players can truly focus on game plans, practice, and drills.  We had no distractions of holdouts this year ala Darrelle Revis.  Everyone got to camp as quickly as they got signed or as soon as they were allowed when the lockout ended.  This team is now adjusted to the new stadium; however, it would be nice if they played as good at home as they do on the road.

This season comes down to a few things.  First off, they need to have a better regular season.  You have to beat the teams you are supposed to beat.  You have to win at home.  You have to beat some of the good teams and win the AFC East to get at least one home game if not two in the playoffs.  Winning three games on the road to get to the Super Bowl is not impossible but it’s not easy either.

Can the Jets finally put this all together and win that elusive Super Bowl that has haunted this team and fans for over 40 years?  The talent is there.  The staff is there.  The fans are ready to rock the meadowlands. 

This year is Super Bowl or Bust.  If I want “bust”, I’ll watch porn.  However, if I want Super Bowl, I’ll watch the Jets.  I believe in Rex Ryan.  He’s said we were going to win it all while Obama is in office.  We’ve come close twice.  It’s now time they seal the deal.

http://khbirdmantalkingjets.blogspot.com/

Go back to Jets Fan Spot 

Josh Johnson 49ers

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Johnson’s contract is essentially for the veteran’s minimum with 2 million over 2 years. He’s had a bit of a rough NFL career so far as Josh Freeman’s primary backup in Tampa Bay after being a 5th round pick out of San Diego in 2008 with 10 interceptions to 5 touchdowns and a career 57.7 QB rating. However, Johnson was Harbaugh’s QB at the University of San Diego from 2005-2006 and had a 66 to 13 TD-INT ratio, which he followed with a 42-1 TD-INT ratio in 2007 after Harbaugh left for Stanford. Johnson and Harbaugh clearly wanted each other and, while he’s unproven, he’s perfect for a backup role in San Francisco, with Colin Kaepernick behind Alex Smith.

Grade: A

 

Key Lions

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By Ryan Glab

A look at four keys for the Bears to beat this week’s opponent.

1. Limit mistakes and protect the football

Let’s be honest, the Lions are a better football team than their 2-9 record belies. Yet, they’re a worse team than the Bears who have a lot of holes particularly on offense and shouldn’t be able to put up enough points to win the game. However, the better team doesn’t always win the game on Sunday and in most cases it’s because of mistakes (such as penalties, dropped passes, and broken coverage) and turnovers. Limiting mistakes and protecting the football is the most important key to this game because this is a game the Bears can and should win. Not only is starting quarterback Matthew Stafford out but backup Shaun Hill might be out as well with a broken finger on his throwing hand. That would leave third-string quarterback Drew Stanton to take the snaps, and we know how the Dolphins fared against the Bears two Thursdays ago with their third-string quarterback under center. Another Lions offensive weapon, explosive rookie running back Jahvid Best, has been battling turf toe and barely played the last two weeks. Maurice Morris is expected to start.

2. Beware the beast in the middle

Lions rookie defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, will soon be (if he isn’t already) considered the Lions’ best player. Arguments can be made for him or wide receiver Calvin Johnson, but that’s just semantics because one is a lineman and one is a skill player and they line up on opposite sides of the ball. Suh is an absolute beast and is 11th in the NFL with eight sacks, leading all defensive tackles. He’s a physically gifted player but it’s his intensity, high motor, and will to win that makes him one of the best defensive linemen in the game at such a young age. This is one of those games that you fear as a Bears fan, not so much that the Bears might lose (although, that is a concern), but you fear that a key offensive player, maybe Jay Cutler, could get hurt and miss some time. When I think of Suh, two plays come to mind. In the preseason, Suh grabbed Cleveland quarterback Jake Delhomme and nearly twisted his head off like a bottle cap as he slammed him to the ground. For those Bears fans who remember the crotch-chop gesture Delhomme gave us after the Panthers beat the Bears in the playoffs in 2005, we didn’t mind seeing Suh nearly decapitate him. But if that were Cutler, that would be a disaster waiting to happen. The second play that comes to mind from Suh is just recently against the Cowboys when Suh grabbed running back Marion Barber’s long dreadlocks and yanked him to the ground. In short, the Bears need to double team him all game and Cutler needs to roll away from him.

3. Shut down the run and execute the Cover 2

As mentioned previously, the Lions could start third-string quarterback Stanton, which means the likelihood of them passing the ball a lot is seemingly lower, at least early on when they’re not trailing by a lot of points. To take pressure off the young quarterback, the Lions will need to try to run the ball, but that could be a futile effort against the Bears’ No. 2 run defense. At some point, they’ll have to put the ball in the air and that’s when the Bears’ execution of the Cover 2 will come into effect. The Bears have been playing great defense this season and a big reason for that is the pressure the front four has put on opposing quarterbacks. After a slow start to the season, the Bears have picked up their sack total recently and are currently ranked No. 13 in the league with 23 on the season. More than half of those sacks (12) were recorded in the four weeks since their bye. If the Bears keep up that pressure on Stanton, interceptions and fumbles are sure to follow. Aside from generating turnovers, the Bears need to prevent the deep play as they face one of the league’s best receivers in Johnson.

4. Finish the game strong

I promised myself not to make a big deal out of it and I won’t, but it’s unavoidable not to at least mention it. Everybody remembers how the Bears won their first game of the season against the Lions. Guarding a 19-14 lead with under a minute to go, the Bears allowed Hill to drive the Lions down the field while playing prevent defense and Johnson hauled in a pass in the end zone with 24 seconds left in the game. Johnson was careless in that he started celebrating too soon and lost control of the football when it touched the ground. Everybody — both fans and media — wants to say the Bears were lucky, but there’s no luck involved. It’s a rule that has been in place for many years and instead of saying the Bears are lucky, how about pointing the finger at Johnson and giving him the blame he deserves? It was his mistake. Regardless, the Bears cannot let the Lions hang around in this game. That’s when odd things tend to happen and the ball takes funny bounces. Step on the gas pedal and don’t stop until they’re sweeping the aisles of hot dog wrappers and empty beer cups at Ford Field.

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Leonard Hankerson Scout

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Wide Receiver

Miami

6-2 209

Draft board overall prospect rank: #28

Draft board overall wide receiver rank: #4

Overall rating: 82 (early 2nd)

40 time: 4.45

3/28/11: Time travel with me for a bit. The year is 2008 and Kenny Phillips has just been taken 32nd overall by the New York Giants, the 14th straight year a Miami Hurricane went in the first round. In the two drafts since then, no Hurricanes have been drafted in the first round. Leonard Hankerson could be the one who puts a stop to this madness.

Despite quarterback Jacory Harris struggling mightily throughout the season, Hankerson still dominated for the Hurricanes this year. Hankerson caught 72 passes (30% of his team’s total) for 1156 yards (37% of his team’s total) and 13 touchdowns (62% of his team’s total). This was against good competition and he’s no one year wonder, leading the way with 45 catches for 801 yards in 2009 as a junior.

He was the star of the Senior Bowl and should have been MVP as he carried MVP Christian Ponder all game. Hankerson ran crisp routes and found the ball on under throws. He proved to be faster than expected at The Combine with a 4.45 at 6-2 209. He doesn’t appear to be that fast on tape, but he has adequate speed and good moves in the open field.

His main issue is drops. He has gigantic hands, but he drops too many balls. A lot of teams will have him significantly lower on their boards for this reason, while some will be intrigued enough by his physical prowess and production to give him a look in the first round. For me, the benefits outweigh his drops and I have a borderline first round grade on him. He’s so physical and productive and he is a very crisp route runner. He finds the ball well and is tough to bring down in the open field. He’s also a red zone target.

NFL Comparison: Pierre Garcon

 

 

Marcus Spears Cowboys

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Former first round pick Marcus Spears has disappointed in his 5 year career with only 8 sacks and was benched last year for Stephen Bowen, who recently signed with the Redskins. Needing a replacement, the Cowboys are giving Spears another chance, likely to start as that’s what this deal pays him like. Spears gets a deal worth 19.2 million over 5 years. It’s a mistake and a risk, but I don’t think it’s a huge one. It’s not completely farfetched that he becomes an average starting defensive end in this league.

Grade: C

 

Miami Draft Grades

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15. G Mike Pouncey C+

This one was pretty predictable. At one point, Mark Ingram was the consensus here. After his knee concerns were raised, Pouncey became the consensus here. I’m assuming they tried to trade down, which would have been the best scenario for this team as they try to reacquired a 2nd round pick, but I think there were better picks here. I don’t have a first round grade on Pouncey, though he does fill a major need.

62. RB Daniel Thomas A

Running back was one of their biggest needs heading into the draft and Daniel Thomas fits the range well. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown are both free agents and struggled last year. They have rebuilt their running game in the first two rounds with Pouncey at guard and Thomas at running back. That will help this team a lot. Chad Henne isn’t very good, but their defense is and now their running game is better. That will go a long way towards taking the pressure off of Henne.

111. WR Edmond Gates A-

They had bigger needs than wide receiver, but they could use some speed at the position as their top 3 receivers, Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, and Davone Bess are all speed receivers and Gates is a great value in the 4th round.

174. TE Charles Clay A-

Tight end is needed for the Dolphins and Clay fits the range, but I’m not sold on him as a tight end. He might be a tight end, but he might just be a fullback or a special teamer.

231. NT Frank Kearse D

This one didn’t make any sense. Defensive line depth was one of the few things they didn’t need and Kearse won’t be able to play special teams. On top of all that, Kearse was a minor reach.

235. CB Jimmy Wilson B

Cornerback depth was a pretty big need, but I had Wilson outside of my top 300 so this is a minor reach.

Overall:

The Dolphins’ main goal of this draft was to beef up their running game to help take some of the load off of Chad Henne and they did that in the first 2 rounds by getting Mike Pouncey and Daniel Thomas. Pouncey might have been a reach as the first guard off the board at 15, Thomas wasn’t a reach and there’s no doubting Pouncey will help beef up a position that was a huge need for them last year. They got a good value with Edmond Gates and Charles Clay could fill a need. I would have liked to have seen them take some sort of developmental quarterback behind Chad Henne, but overall, I liked this draft.

Grade: B