3-4 DE Ronnie Cameron (Old Dominion)
S D.J. Campbell (California)
S Brandon Hardin (Oregon State)
MLB Dont’a Hightower (Alabama)
RLB Melvin Ingram (South Carolina)
RLB Ronnell Lewis (Oklahoma)
RLB Donavan Robinson (Jackson State)
FB Brad Smelley (Alabama)
MLB Bobby Wagner (Utah State)
S Tavon Wilson (Illinois)
Quarterback
Florida State
6-2 229
Draft Board Overall Prospect Rank: #130
Draft Board Overall Quarterback Rank: #7
Overall rating: 61 (late 4th)
40 time: 4.67
2/16/11: Christian Ponder’s stock is on the rise after the Senior Bowl. Ponder silenced his critics who said he wasn’t healthy, but he failed to silence his critics who said he doesn’t have the arm strength to be an NFL caliber quarterback. Everything 15 yards out in the Senior Bowl was horrible, just as it was on the few occasions he tried anything long at Florida State, in their dink and dunk offense.
Everything 15 yards or closer was very impressive however and most impressive was how good his footwork and timing were. He didn’t play under center a lot at Florida State, but he had the under center footwork down very well for his age at the Senior Bowl. He appeared very well coached. His timing was also impressive because he had only been working with those receivers for a few days. He was accurate and threw guys open and maybe believe he could be a starter in a West Coast offense.
I still don’t believe he’s a starter. His arm is just too weak. He can be a solid backup. He’s cerebral, well coached, and has a strong grasp of the fundamentals of the short game, but he’s going to throw too many picks when he has to force things downfield. He’s got solid mobility and can scramble better than average quarterbacks and his pocket footwork is very refined for his age, as he displayed at the Senior Bowl, but he’s too inconsistent downfield. He was inconsistent downfield all year and during the Senior Bowl. His deep ball is limp and slow.
NFL Comparison: Charlie Frye
CB Crezdon Butler- Clemson UP
A very impressive 4.41 at 6-0 191, plus he did well in his positional drills, which I find to be the most important thing from him as a late round prospect.
CB/FS Chris Cook- Virginia UP
He has free safety size, but he’s looked like a natural corner in this draft preseason, impressing as a big corner in the Senior Bowl and during Senior Bowl practices. A 4.43 40 surprised me a ton at 6-2 212 and is just the cherry on top for a guy who is quietly moving himself up very quickly. He could be a 3rd rounder.
CB Brandon Ghee- Wake Forest UP
Ran a very impressive 4.37 at 192. He’s an even better athlete than I believed and has a ton of upside if the coaches can bring it out of him. He probably isn’t going to slip out of the first 50 picks.
CB Joe Haden– Florida DOWN
Not going to knock him down too much, but the 4.57 at 5-11 193 hurts his chances to go in the top 10 as he competes with Derrick Morgan, Rolando McClain, and Jason Pierre Paul to go 7th to Cleveland. I do expect him to run a little better at his Pro Day, but really his lack of speed today can be attributed to his running style, which shouldn’t hurt him on the football field. He doesn’t have good track speed, but he has football speed.
CB Kareem Jackson- Alabama UP
Not necessarily known as a speed guy, but a 4.41 40 at 5-10 196 could have moved him up into the 2nd round. He ran over an entire tenth of a second faster than teammate Javier Arenas, who was always known as the speed guy.
CB/FS Myron Lewis– Vanderbilt UP
Kind of like Chris Cook, a cornerback with free safety size who had questions about his athleticism and speed. A 40 time alone won’t kill all of those concerns, but a 4.45 at 6-2 203 certainly helps as he tries to get drafted on day 2.
CB Trevard Lindley– Kentucky DOWN
Only benched 9 reps of 225 pounds and had a 4.53 40 at 5-11 183, but he was one of the worst cornerbacks in the cornerback drills. He has really disappointed in this draft preseason and has fallen from one of my favorite underrated prospects, to a 4th or 5th round guy.
CB Devin McCourty- Rutgers UP
Had the fastest (official) 40 time of any defensive back (though tape suggests Taylor Mays did run faster and the Combine measures just messed up) running a 4.34 at 5-11 193. He could be the Raiders’ pick in the top of the 2nd round and he could actually go higher than that. He was impressive in the Senior Bowl and combine drills as well.
CB Stephen Virgil- Virginia Tech DOWN
A 4.73 would be a decent time, if he were a 260 pound defensive end. Unfortunately, it won’t do anything but hurt you if you’re a 5-11 183 defensive back like Virgil.
CB Donovan Warren- Michigan DOWN
Didn’t come out and impressive at all today like I was expecting. I’m a big supporter of his, but I have to knock him down a bit after a poor day which started with a 4.59 40 at 5-11 183.
CB Kyle Wilson– Boise State UP
He didn’t run, but he didn’t need to. First he benched 25 reps of 225 pounds at 5-10 194. Then he ended his day by being, by far, the most impressive cornerback in the drills. If his 40 time is under 4.5 at his Pro Day, which it should be, he could be a first round pick lock.
S Eric Berry– Tennessee UP
Of all the good things we could say about Berry, freakish athleticism was not one of them. That is no longer the case as he ran a 4.40 at 6-0 211, benching 19 reps, and flying 43 inches into the air. He’s still a risk in the top 3 because of his position. If he were drafted in the top 3, he’d absolutely have to be a perennial Pro Bowler, otherwise it was a waste of a pick. That being said, he’s one of the few safeties I’d say is deserving of a top 5 pick and if the Chiefs didn’t need a left tackle so badly, he’d be a lock to go 5th overall. He still could if Russell Okung is off the board at 5.
S Chad Jones– LSU DOWN
A 4.57 isn’t bad at 221 pounds, but he measured in 10 pounds skinnier than expected and didn’t appear to be any faster. He also struggled somewhat in drills and only put up 9 reps on the bench press. He’s still an early 2nd rounder in my book, though, but barely.
S Taylor Mays– USC NEUTRAL
First he came out and ran an unofficial 4.24, tying Chris Johnson’s record and making Al Davis rise from his grave a few months early. However, officially he was listed at 4.41. Now, thanks to some work with modern technology, comparing Mays’ run side by side with other low 4.3 high 4.2 runs, it’s apparent that both times were wrong and Mays really did run somewhere around a 4.31 (ish?). This is good, but this was exactly what we were expecting from him.
S Dennis Rogan- Tennessee DOWN
What was he thinking coming out early?! He was never a standout on the field and a 4.69 at 5-9 185 is really bad. He is a longshot to get drafted in this strong safety class.
S Myron Rolle– Florida State DOWN
He had two questions around him coming into this draft preseason: is he committed to the sport and how would he fare after a year away from the game? He answered the first questions alright and, from his interviews, appeared committed, but a 4.68 40 at 6-2 215 shows he may not be quite in football shape yet.
Wide Receiver
USC
6-1 197
40 time: 4.53
Draft board overall prospect rank: #13
Draft board wide receiver rank: #1
Overall rating: 87*
1/17/10: Doesn’t get the big hype of guys like Dez Bryant and Golden Tate, but I think he’s the best overall wide receiver in this draft class because he possesses two traits, in addition to his natural athleticism, that very few wide receivers his age do, good route running, and a humble personality. He really knows how to get open and catch the ball at the best possible point and he’s not one to complain if a quarterback doesn’t throw to him. He’d be a perfect fit for a west coast offense and he can also return punts. He hasn’t been off the charts in terms of production, but he’s led the Trojans in catches and receiving yards in each of the last two years and had 70 catches for 1010 yards and 6 touchdowns this year in a pro style offense, despite having a true freshman at quarterback.
Update (11/2/09): Elite route running, good size, and excellent understanding of the game coupled with his humble nature makes this guy everything you want out of a #1 receiver.
10/12/09: Damian Williams is in a position to break the recent lack of success USC has had at producing NFL caliber wide receivers. He has the uncanny knack to run good routes, get open, catch the ball at its highest point, and do something with the ball after the catch. His route running and quickness and make him a huge big play threat. He already has 24 catches for 359 yards and a score in 5 games with a freshman quarterback at the helm this season. Yards per reception in college is often indicative of a prospect’s future success in the NFL because its often indication of their intelligence, route running, and quickness. Williams is averaging 15 yards per reception throughout his college career. He doesn’t have great straight line speed and should post a 40 time of a modest 4.45-4.49. However, he is extremely quick and has shown those skills on kick returns. He has great hands and rarely drops passes and is extremely intelligent. His intelligence and experience in a pro style offense at USC means that he could contribute in the NFL right away. He has good height, but needs to bulk up a little. He’s not a good run blocker because of his lack of good blocking form and good size. He’s not very physical and could get out muscled by NFL corners in man coverage. He really excels against zone coverage, running good routes, and finding holes in the coverage. Williams has great potential as a #1 receiver in a west coast style offense and could fit very well into other schemes because of his broad skill set.
NFL Comparison: Greg Jennings
*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here
Debate the Denver Broncos’ Offseason Possibilities in The Football Fan Forum
2010 Preview:
I don’t like Denver this year and I’ll tell you why. I know what you’re thinking, didn’t you predict they’d be bad last year and then they proved you wrong and even when they were playing well to begin the year, you still didn’t think it was a good team? Most of that is true, except they didn’t prove me wrong and they didn’t play well to begin the year.
They started out 6-0, one of those wins was on a freak catch that bounced off a defender, a catch that I’m willing to bet Brandon Stokley couldn’t make again in a game 95 times out of 100. Another was in overtime, a win that, if the coin had flipped the other way to start the overtime, they could have easily lost. The Broncos won on a long field goal after winning the coin flip, while Tom Brady had to sit on the sideline and watch. They also beat Dallas by a field goal, which is kind of an impressive win, but considering the Cowboys weren’t playing well at the time, and it was only a field goal, I don’t think it’s as impressive as it sounds when people say they beat the division winning Cowboys. They beat Cleveland and Oakland, two teams that ended 5-11. Their most impressive win was against San Diego and when I say San Diego, I mean a 2-2 Chargers team that struggled out of the gate, not the 13-3 one that ended the season very strongly and destroyed Denver in a rematch.
Now, of course, if they had continued to play well after that, then I would have seen them as legitimate. But the fact that they went 2-8 after their 6-0 start really shows that they weren’t as good as their record showed to start the year and adds a lot of life to the word “fluke” I used to describe some of their early wins. They could have easily been 4-2 or 3-3 to start the year last year, if a coin had flipped the other way or Stokley hadn’t made that catch or they had caught Dallas or San Diego at their best.
This year, I actually think they’ll be worse. Brandon Marshall was their top deep threat last year. Without him, this is a short throw offense only. We saw them try to be a short throw offense only, without Marshall week 17 last year, and they got destroyed by the lowly Chiefs. They picked off Orton three times on short throws, because the Broncos were becoming extremely predictable. Two of those picks were returned for scores, fueling a 44-24 Chiefs win.
Another thing with the short throw offense, it limits your running game because the defense can come out in an eight man box and still effectively guard the pass. Kyle Orton is simply not as good of a quarterback as Marshall made him look last year and his receiving corps is not going to help him out this year much. His top 4 receivers are two rookies, a player in Eddie Royal who struggled mightily last year, and a journeyman in Jabar Gaffney. His tight end is an undrafted 2nd year player out of Central Arkansas. They won’t help him as much as he needs. Also, remember Ryan Clady’s injury. That hurts Kyle Orton a lot as well. Unless Brady Quinn or Tim Tebow win the job and become a top 15 quarterback, this is not a good offensive bunch, and I can’t see Tebow doing that this year or Quinn doing that ever.
Defensively, they’re improved this year, but the loss of Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator hurts. Their age in the secondary hurts as well as they are projected to start 4 defensive backs over the age of 30 again. We saw last year how those guys tired out late in the season. That could happen this year, only worse. Justin Bannan and Jarvis Green are solid players and decent signings but shouldn’t be anything more than strong backups on a playoff team (which is were they were just that last year). Jamal Williams is also a solid player, but he’s getting up there in age. Their front 3 will be better this year, but still not as good as they need it to be. The loss of Andra Davis at middle linebacker also hurts their front 7 and I don’t think Elvis Dumervil can quite repeat what he did last year.
Overall, their offense is not going to be good and their defense is not going to be anywhere near good enough to make up for their offense’s shortcomings. Broncos fans can hate me all they want (and they do, trust me), but I am not a believer in this team this year.
Projection: 4-12 4th in AFC West
Power Ranking: 29
Last season: 8-8
Draft:
#22 WR Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech)
Thomas fills a need, but he’s not a very good player. He doesn’t run routes and he has shaky hands. He also is going to struggle to gain seperation at the next level and he is coming off of a foot injury. He was decently productive last year, but Danario Alexander was way more productive in a very similar offense (screen/short pass heavy) to Thomas and Alexander didn’t even get drafted. Neither of those guys have had experience running NFL caliber routes. I’m not saying they should have drafted Alexander here, but it’s pretty bad when you use a 1st round pick on a guy who, by all indications, is, at the very least, not much better than a guy who wasn’t drafted.
Grade: D
#25 QB Tim Tebow (Florida)
This is an interesting pick. I love Tebow and I think he can be a solid quarterback in the NFL. I think Tebow has to be very pleased with going to the Broncos. He won’t have to contribute right away. Josh McDaniels, as moronic of a drafter as he is, is good with quarterbacks. Tebow also fits the shotgun style offense the Broncos run. However, I can’t give them a great grade considering they traded up, losing a ton of value according to the NFL Draft Trade Value Chart in the process, to take Tebow over Jimmy Clausen. Plus, I can’t say quarterback was a huge need for the Broncos considering they already have Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn on the roster and their run defense is still horrible.
Grade: B+
#45 OT Zane Beadles (Utah)
Beadles is a pretty big reach here and I can’t say he fills a huge need. Beadles can play some guard, but guard isn’t a big need for them either, especially not here. You can find solid guards in the 4th or 5th round, if the Broncos wanted some depth behind Hochstein and Kuper.
Grade: D
#80 C JD Walton (Baylor)
Walton is the top center in this draft class in my mind and a decent value in the 3rd round and he does fill a need, but the Broncos still have not addressed the front 7, which was horrible last year. They got some solid front 7 players in free agency, but Jamal Williams is getting up there in age and both Jarvis Green and Justin Bannan shouldn’t be anything more than solid backups on good teams (that’s why they both were last year). Walton doesn’t have the positional value you’d like out of this pick considering how much help the Broncos need on the defensive line.
Grade: B
#87 WR Eric Decker (Minnesota)
I would have liked to have seen them take a front 7 player here, but after they traded Brandon Marshall, wide receiver became their biggest need and taking Thomas in the first doesn’t fill that need completely. Decker is a better receiver than Thomas in my mind and a great value in the 3rd round and if Thomas somehow pans out, extremely doubtful, Decker can be a solid #2.
Grade: A
#137 CB Perrish Cox (Oklahoma State)
Cox is a great value as a late 3rd round prospect in the 5th, but cornerback was the one defensive position they didn’t need to address. They have two solid starters in Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman and they traded this year’s first round pick for Alphonso Smith last year. What are they going to do about the front 7? They couldn’t stop anyone on the ground last year, especially late.
Grade: C
#183 C Eric Olsen (Notre Dame)
Huh? Josh McDaniels really hates positional value doesn’t he. Olsen is a solid value, but this is the 2nd center this have taken in this draft. I know it was a need, but two? Considering how low of a value the center position is and how much they need young talent in the front 7, this was pretty stupid.
Grade: F
#225 CB Syd’Quan Thompson (California)
Still not a front 7 player, but Thompson is a huge steal here and can play the role of nickelback in the future for this team, assuming one of Perrish Cox and Alphonso Smith don’t pan out.
Grade: B+
#232 RLB Jammie Kirlew (Indiana)
Finally a front 7 player, but rush linebacker was their least needed position of their front 7 needs. Also, Kirlew should not have been drafted because I don’t think he’s very good, and he doesn’t fit their 3-4 scheme at all. He’s basically a really, really, really poor man’s version of Robert Ayers.
Grade: D
Overall:
When Josh McDaniels took over this team, they were coming off of a season in which they were awful against the run. Since then, he has drafted two front 7 players, both of which are rush linebackers, and both of which don’t fit the scheme. This year, he made a huge reach in the 2nd round, drafted 2 centers, took a player who isn’t first round caliber at all in the first, and took two more cornerbacks. Tebow makes some sense and could be their quarterback of the future and Decker was a solid value in the 3rd round, but other than that, there wasn’t a lot to like. Overall, this team isn’t much better, if any better from this draft and considering they came in with two 2nd rounders, that’s pretty bad.
Grade: D
Key undrafted free agents
OT Chris Marinelli (Stanford)
RB Toney Baker (NC State)
TE Nathan Overbay (Eastern Washington)
RB Chris Brown (Oklahoma)
S Kyle McCarthy (Notre Dame)
TE Riar Greer (Colorado)
WR Alric Arnett (West Virginia)
Positions of need:
Nose Tackle:
They played Ronald Fields, a 311 pound former backup 3-4 defensive end as their primary nose tackle this year. The only reason they were better this season against the run is because, well, it was hard to be worse than they were in 2008 and/or Mike Nolan is a defensive genius. However, better doesn’t necessarily mean good. They were still really bad against the run, especially late in the season. A real nose tackle could fix that.
Signed Jamal Williams
Middle Linebacker:
Their top middle linebacker this year was Andra Davis, a former Browns castoff, and somehow, he had a good year. I’m guessing Mike Nolan had something to do with that and now Nolan is in Miami. Davis is also 30 and had one year left on his contract so they’ll need a longterm replacement next to DJ Williams in the middle otherwise they will suck again against the run. Rolando McClain is going to be very tempting at 11.
Signed Akin Ayodele, Traded for Joe Mays
3-4 Defensive End:
I may not have mentioned this before, but the Broncos sucked against the run late last season, well, really for more of the last few years. Even if, by some miracle, Robert Ayers bulks up enough to play the position longterm in the future, they would still need one more end.
Signed Jarvis Green, Justin Bannan
Rush Linebacker:
In case you could not tell, I was not a fan of the Broncos front 7 last year as shown by the fact that I listed every single 3-4 front 7 position as a need. Rush Linebacker will become even more of a need if Elvis Dumervil follows Mike Nolan to Miami. He had 17 of their 39 sacks last year. Even if Dumervil stays, they need to get someone opposite him. If it weren’t for Josh McDaniels stupidly hating Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler, I would just tell the Broncos to go with the best available 3-4 front 7 player for the first 4-5 rounds. If it weren’t for Josh McDaniels being an inept drafter, he might actually do that. Most likely he’ll just draft 17 defensive backs.
Wide Receiver:
As bad as their defense is, if they stupidly trade Brandon Marshall, this becomes need #1. In the one game they tried to play without Brandon Marshall, they got destroyed by the Chiefs because all Kyle Orton could do was attempt short throws to receivers who couldn’t do anything after the catch. Why do you think Brandon Marshall caught 22 passes in one game and the team still lost? They have nothing after him at receiver. If they let Marshall go and don’t replace him, their entire offense will look like it did week 17 last year for the entirety of the 2010 season. Dez Bryant has to be their pick at 11 if Marshall is traded. Hopefully McDaniels would get at least a 1st rounder in return for Marshall if he did trade him because then they could use that on defense.
Drafted Demaryius Thomas (#22), Drafted Eric Decker (#87)
Offensive Guard:
The top 4 guys on their depth chart at guard are all free agents. Hopefully they resign one and get another through free agency, but they may be forced to take one late in the draft. Guard doesn’t have a huge positional value which means McDaniels could target one in the first 3 rounds.
Tight End:
Tony Scheffler is also on Josh McDaniels’ naughty list for whatever reason and I doubt he’ll be brought back as a restricted free agent this offseason. Robert Quinn, their 2nd round pick in 2009, had a grand total of 0 catches this year. I know he was drafted as a blocker, but still, they could have drafted him as a blocker in the 7th round. Anyway, with both Quinn and Daniel Graham being blockers, they’ll need a pass catching tight end, maybe a guy like Garrett Graham in the 5th round. Or maybe they’ll just take another blocker like Colin Peek.
Quarterback:
Kyle Orton is a restricted free agent this offseason which means Josh McDaniels could have to part with his neck bearded lover. No worries, McDaniels can just draft Colt McCoy in the 3rd. Colt McCoy can do all of the things Kyle Orton can do. He can throw 5-10 yard passes out of shotgun, he can, wait, whoops, that’s it. He can even grow a neck beard too.
Traded for Brady Quinn, Drafted Tim Tebow (#25)
Free agents:
QB Kyle Orton (restricted)- resigned 1 year
QB Chris Simms- signed with Titans
QB Tom Brandstater
RB LaMont Jordan
RB Chris Brown
RB Kolby Smith
WR Brandon Marshall (restricted)- traded to Dolphins
TE Tony Scheffler (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million
OT Maurice Williams
G Ben Hamilton- signed with Seahawks 1 year
G Russ Hochstein
G Chris Kuper (restricted)- 1 year 2.5 million
C Casey Wiegmann- signed with Chiefs 1 year
NT J’Vonne Parker
3-4 DE Le’Kevin Smith- resigned
3-4 DE Kenny Peterson
RLB Elvis Dumervil (restricted)- resigned 6 years 61.5 million 41 million guaranteed
MLB Nick Greisen- resigned
MLB Andra Davis- signed with Bills 2 years
CB Ty Law
S Josh Barrett (restricted)- resigned 1 year
K Matt Prater (restricted)- resigned
Offseason moves:
Broncos sign RB LenDale White
Broncos waive RB Kolby Smith
Broncos acquire MLB Joe Mays from Eagles for RB J.J. Arrington and 2012 conditional pick
Broncos extend RLB Elvis Dumervil
Broncos claim RB Kolby Smith
Broncos re-sign RLB Elvis Dumervil
Broncos cut OT Maurice Williams
Broncos waive QB Tom Brandstater
Broncos sign FB Kyle Eckel
Broncos claim MLB Bruce Davis
Broncos announce retirement of G Matt McChesney
Broncos sign OT Maurice Williams
Broncos waive RB Chris Brown
Broncos re-sign MLB Nick Greisen
Broncos sign MLB Akin Ayodele
Broncos trade Tony Scheffler (Detroit) and a 7th rounder (Detroit) for a 5th rounder (Philadelphia)
Broncos re-sign QB Kyle Orton
Broncos re-sign TE Tony Scheffler
Broncos trade WR Brandon Marshall to Dolphins for 2010 2nd-rounder and 2011 2nd-rounder
Broncos re-sign WR Brandon Marshall
Broncos re-sign G Chris Kuper
Broncos re-sign S Josh Barrett
Broncos cut QB Chris Simms
Broncos cut ILB Andra Davis
Broncos cut NT J’Vonne Parker
Broncos re-sign 3-4 DE Le Kevin Smith
Broncos cut 3-4 DE Kenny Peterson
Broncos sign NT Jamal Williams
Broncos sign 3-4 DE Jarvis Green
Broncos re-sign K Matt Prater
Broncos sign CB Nate Jones
Broncos sign 3-4 DE Justin Bannan
Broncos re-sign G Russ Hochstein
Broncos sign RB J.J. Arrington
Broncos tender WR Brandon Marshall
Broncos tender RLB Elvis Dumervil
Broncos tender QB Kyle Orton
Broncos tender G Chris Kuper
Broncos tender TE Tony Scheffler
Broncos cut RB LaMont Jordan
Broncos cut C Casey Wiegmann
By Paul Smythe
The Miami Dolphins are in Minnesota and are preparing for their game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings are predicted by a lot of “experts” and analysts to beat the Dolphins, and that is a shame for those analysts. I hate seeing analysts messing up picks because they are paid to be experts and when they mess up it looks bad, but that is what will have to happen Sunday.
I am sorry to say it, but anyone who picked the Vikings to beat the Dolphins will be wrong.
Miami has not won two straight games since 2002, so this would be a pretty big win for Miami if they can pull it out. Especially since the Dolphins have really struggled to win at all in the beginning of previous seasons.
A lot will have to go right if the Dolphins want to beat the Vikings, but it is completely possible. People are overrating the Vikings, and especially Brett Favre, and they are underrating Miami this year. Brett Favre is nowhere near where he was last year.
Everyone knows it. They just do not want to admit it. But, they won’t have a choice other than to accept it when the Miami Dolphins come in and stomp on Favre and his team. In order to do that, though, here are three things the Dolphins will have to do:
1. Capitalize On Brett Favre’s Risks
Brett Favre is the king of risks.
There might as well be a variation of the board game Risk named after Favre called Risk: Brett Favre Edition. It would have a “waffling meter” that helps each player make decisions on attacking. Whenever a player wants to attack a country they would have to push a button and the “waffling meter” would decide whether the general wants to attack or not. The meter would go back in forth for an unnecessarily long period of time before finally deciding.
Just an idea.
Sorry about that, but I just couldn’t resist. I will try to stay on topic for the rest of this article, though.
Favre does like to take a lot of risks, and that can be a great thing for his Vikings or a horrible thing. It always seems like he is going to try and fit the ball in there. It doesn’t even matter to him if he has to throw it through a defenders chest, he will still try.
Sometimes it works, and he ends up a hero like he was for the majority of last season. Other times things don’t work out so well, and he just ends up looking like an idiot like he did after his interception in the NFC championship game last year.
If the Dolphins want to win this game, their secondary must capitalize whenever Favre has one of those urges to throw even when he shouldn’t, because when he gets an urge to pass the ball into an extremely tight spot he rarely doesn’t act on it.
No one on the Dolphins defense got an interception last week against Buffalo, but that will have to change this week.
2. Pressure Brett Favre
This goes with #1, but it is also important on its own. The Dolphins D did a great job putting pressure on Trent Green last week. They were able to sack him three times, but the best part of their performance was their ability to bat down the ball whenever Green threw it.
We need them to continue the sacks and bat-downs on Favre Sunday. Both are great ways to kill offensive drives pretty quickly, and they keep Favre from having any chance to throw the ball long.
Also, the more pressure that we can apply on Favre, the more likely he is to take risks and throw the ball where he shouldn’t. Pressure will turn in to turnovers, and that statement is always amplified when Brett Favre is the player being pressured.
Winning this game will start with pressuring the quarterback. It is a proven way to bring down prolific passing offense like the 2007 New England Patriots, so why would pressuring the quarterback not be a good way to bring down an offense without it’s number one receiver and an old, beaten-up quarterback?
3. Passing The Ball Effectively
At first I wanted to title this reason “Passing The Ball Downfield”, but I decided not to because we don’t need Chad Henne throwing the ball deep every passing play. Not that I think the Dolphins will take advice from me. I just don’t want people to think that I am some crazy fan who wants 80-yard bombs every play.
The Dolphins do need to keep their short-ranged passes in the offense for sure. Without them our offense would lose an important dimension. But, they do need to start throwing the ball longer than they did against Buffalo last week. 15 points is not good enough to win a lot in the NFL, and it was against the Bills, which makes it even worse.
We have the tools in place for Henne, now. We added Brandon Marshall for goodness sakes! What more could you want? Now all he has to do is get the ball to him.
Success on the long ball means more points, and more points means a better chance of winning. It is pretty simple.
If the Dolphins are able to do at least two of those three then they should come out with a win. I just can’t wait to hand Brett Favre another loss since we beat him two years ago. It will be nice to go 2-0 and really start the season off well.
() FA Rank
QB Michael Vick (#2)- franchised
Andy Reid brought the most out of Michael Vick this season, turning him into an MVP candidate and a true dual threat at quarterback, more than living up to his potential as a former #1 overall pick. He’ll get paid.
RB Jerome Harrison
RB Eldra Buckley
G Max Jean Gilles
G Reggie Wells
C Nick Cole
DT Mike Patterson
DE Victor Abiamiri
OLB Ernie Sims
OLB Akeem Jordan
MLB Stewart Bradley
MLB Omar Gaither
CB Ellis Hobbs- announced retirement
S Quintin Mikell (#46)
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.
S Antoine Harris
K David Akers- transition tagged
P Sav Rocca
Offseason moves:
Signed Rashad Jeanty
Franchised Michael Vick
Transition tagged David Akers
Signed Phillip Hunt
Below is a list of positional battles that will have significant fantasy consequences this season, thus making them extremely important to monitor in training camp.
Jonathan Stewart/DeAngelo Williams
Both backs are extremely talented and averaged more than 5 YPC last season, but they still both have to split carries, as Stewart had 221 last year and Williams had 216. Stewart is younger so this may be the year he gets a more significant chunk of the carries.
Jamaal Charles/Thomas Jones
Jamaal Charles had an amazing 2nd half last year with 1417 all purpose yards, despite not receiving double digit carries until week 10. He would be a lock to be a top 5 pick this year, however, the Chiefs decided to added Thomas Jones in the offseason. Jones ranked 3rd in the league in rushing yards last year, but turns 32 before next season and may have just been the product of New York’s amazing line last year. There’s a good chance that Jones cuts into Charles’ carries in a way that’s fantasy significant, even if it only means Jones gets the bulk of the carries inside the 20.
Joseph Addai/Donald Brown
Brown was drafted in the first round in 2009 as the apparent successor to Joseph Addai, a serviceable, but mediocre running back. However, Brown got hurt and was unable to put together a strong enough campaign to take Addai’s job at any point last year. Brown is healthy this year and Addai is still serviceable, but mediocre. He hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry in any season since his rookie year and his longest run in that time frame is a mere 23 yards.
Ben Tate/Arian Foster
Arian Foster took over the Texans starting running back job late last season, after Gary Kubiak changed starting running backs for the 10257th time last season. However, Kubiak further proved he wasn’t satisfied with his backs by drafting the talented Ben Tate in the 2nd round.
Michael Bush/Darren McFadden
McFadden had all the promise in the world when he was drafted 4th overall in 2008. However, injuries and a 3.9 YPC in his career have destroyed a lot of that promise and now he appears to be on the verge of losing his starting job full time to the up and coming Michael Bush.
Felix Jones/Marion Barber
Marion Barber has been the starter in Dallas for several years and now it appears 2008 1st round pick Felix Jones could take the lead back role. He has always been explosive in bursts, but hasn’t been the lead back on any level since high school.
Montario Hardesty/Jerome Harrison
Harrison was amazing in the last 3 weeks last season, with 593 total yards and 5 touchdowns, but issues about his size and durability caused the Browns to draft Hardesty in the 2nd round in 2010. Hardesty has been getting most of the first team reps in OTAs and camp.
Justin Forsett/Julius Jones
Julius Jones was a favorite of Jim Mora last year, but after Mora was fired, and new coach Pete Carroll’s project LenDale White was cut, Forsett began taking all of the first team reps, though Jones is still in the mix.
Fred Jackson/Marshawn Lynch/CJ Spiller
Spiller was drafted with the 9th overall pick this past April, in a complete surprise pick. It has been said by people inside the Bills organization that Spiller will receiver about 12 carries per game and line up in the slot at times. That will leave Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch to fight out for the rest of the Bills’ carries. Jackson was a great surprise story in 2009 with 1433 total yards, but Lynch is a 2007 first round pick who had two straight 1000 yard seasons to start his career, back in 2007 and 2008.
Matt Forte/Chester Taylor
Forte was the definition of fantasy bust last year. After going for 1715 total yards and 12 scores in 2008, he was a top 5 pick in almost every league, but dropped down to 1400 total yards and 4 scores in 2009, as he was fairly out of shape. The Bears brought veteran Chester Taylor in from Minnesota to compete with him. Taylor had a 1000 total yard season as recently as 2007, but dropped down to 3.6 YPC last year and 727 total yards last season as a clear backup to Adrian Peterson.
Larry Johnson/Clinton Portis
Portis has been the main man in Washington, with 1250 or more rushing yards in every year from 2004-2008, with the exception of 2006, but that all came to a crashing halt last year as, at age 28, Portis suffered numerous injuries and was held to just 494 yards last year. Johnson was brought in during the offseason and appears to be the back most likely to challenge Portis for his job.
Hakeem Nicks/Mario Manningham
Manningham had a great start to last year, but his inconsistencies and drops flared up late last year and he lost a lot of reps to 2009 1st round pick Hakeem Nicks. Nicks is expected to take Manningham’s starting job from him this year.
Roy Williams/Dez Bryant
Williams really struggled last year, especially late when he had a combined 2 catches for 18 yards in the last 3 weeks, prompting the Cowboys to draft Dez Bryant in the first round back in April. It is believed to be only a matter of time before Bryant takes Williams’ job, but a Bryant ankle injury during training camp may buy Williams a bit more time.
Devin Aromashodu/Devin Hester/Johnny Knox
Knox had 45 catches for 527 yards and 5 scores last year as a rookie and figures to be a good fit for Mike Martz’ new scheme in Chicago. Hester is an explosive former kick returner who improved last year in his 2nd year as a receiver and could break out in his 3rd year at the position. He also is a good fit for Martz’ downfield scheme. Aromashodu really stepped up late last season with 24 catches for 282 yards and 4 scores in his final 4 games last year and Bears quarterback Jay Cutler went on record in saying that Aromashodu was the most likely receiver to step up and have a breakout year this season.
Jacoby Jones/Kevin Walter
Kevin Walter has been the Texans #2 receiver for the past few years, but Jones is expected to give him a run for his money this season and possibly take his job.
Devin Thomas/Malcolm Kelly/Joey Galloway
Kelly and Thomas were both 2nd round picks in 2008 and were expected to compete to take the starting wide receiver this year, but offseason acquisition Joey Galloway, an experienced veteran, has been taking the first team reps in camp.
Jabar Gaffney/Demaryius Thomas/Eddie Royal
Eddie Royal had an amazing rookie year in 2008 as the Broncos slot receiver with 91 catches for 980 yards and 5 touchdowns, but when new coach Josh McDaniels came in, he made Royal their deep threat and his stats suffered as he only caught 37 passes for 345 yards and 0 scores. McDaniels has recently said that he sees Royal as a slot receiver so he may move him back, making him worthy of a late round pick again as he catches Kyle Orton’s girly armed short throws as a slot receiver. We’ll have to see where he lines up in the preseason. Gaffney had an amazing statistical week last week 17, albeit it was against the Chiefs, with 14 catches for 213 yards in a loss, with Brandon Marshall suspended. Gaffney is expected to compete with rookie Demaryius Thomas, a raw, but athletic receiver, for Marshall’s old #1 role.
Fred Davis/Chris Cooley
Cooley had 277 catches for 3143 yards and 22 touchdowns from 2005-2008, but got hurt week 7 last year and 2008 2nd round pick Fred Davis really stepped up big time in his absence with 48 catches for 509 yards and 6 scores last year. The two will compete for a starting job this offseason and one or the other could be traded.
One of the smartest moves of the day. If it isn’t broke, why change it. Brackett is a perfect fit for the Colts defensive scheme and he’s their defensive captain and he’s extremely consistent. The 33 million over 5 years is roughly the amount per year the Bears are paying Chester Taylor so it’s fairly easy to say the Colts got a great value here by staying exactly where they were.
Grade: A
The heart attack Jets were at it again this past Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. It was the Jets vs. their old coach, Eric Mangini. It was a homecoming for Braylon Edwards. It was Rex Ryan vs. brother Rob Ryan. It was a bunch of Ex Jets vs. their old teammates. It was all against the team that made the dumb trade for us to draft Mark Sanchez.
I’m definitely going have heart failure watching these Jets as nothing seems to come easy. Our last three wins have been wins that Championship teams are made of; you just find new ways to win games that seem lost at one point.
We got lucky in Denver with the pass interference call. We stole away a victory last week in Detroit with a miracle comeback. And then this week, we give up the lead with 44 seconds left in regulation and then win in overtime with just 16 seconds left. Sometimes luck is just with you and this seems to be one of those years like no other that I’ve ever had. Actually, back in 1998, we had 4 crazy 4th quarter comebacks that season, including the Monday Night Miracle, and that season took us all the way to the AFC Championship Game where the Jets fell apart in the 2nd half after holding a 10 point lead.
It would just be nice if we could win a game with out making us sweat it out at the end. I’d like to see a 31-10 victory already. But, I’ll surely take what has transpired through the first 9 games of the season and I’m surely not complaining about a 7-2 record as it could be a lot worse if the ball didn’t bounce our way.
The story of the game was Mark Sanchez passing for 299 yards, 2 TD passes, and 1 TD rush. But, there was as scare in the 2nd half when our Sanchize went down and Mark Brunell was warming up. However, our fearless leader re-entered the game to eventually lead us to victory. There were a few key plays in the game. There was an amazing scramble my Mark Sanchez who hit a limping Jerricho Cotchery who dove and made a miraculous catch for a first down to keep their drive alive which had put them up by 7 points after connecting a field goal. It could have been the catch of the NFL this season.
Unfortunately, the defense just couldn’t hold the Browns who walked down the field and tied up the game with just 44 seconds left. You would think that with a 7 point lead and the game on the line that our defense would have been able to stop the Browns. It was quite disgusting to watch as we had the game in hand and the defense let it slip away.
But, our lucky Jets, for the 2nd week in a row, won the coin toss. However, it didn’t result in a score. The overtime was back and fourth for a bit but things were looking bleak until the Browns, ex-Jet Chansi Stucky, turned over the ball in field goal range. The Jets then missed a FG in return. Luckily, we were able to get the ball back and Jets were in a 3rd and long situation and chucked the ball deep down field which was intercepted with about 1:34 left in the OT. This turned out to be the crucial play in overtime. The defender should have dropped the ball, forcing the Jets to punt. However, instinct took over and the Browns started with the ball on their own 1 yard line.
Our Defense was now not going to lose this game and before I could let out a deep breath; the Browns were punting the ball back to us with not a lot of time on the clock. It did help that the Browns threw on 1st down stopping the clock. Luckily, Jim Leonhard had a nice 18 yard punt return to help our field position and then on first down, Sanchez hits Santiono Holmes on a crossing route which resulted in a 37 yard TD with just 16 seconds remaining before the game would have been declared a tie. And again the Jets win.
Things didn’t start out pretty. We were playing from behind a lot in the first half. And we didn’t help ourselves with Nick Folk missing three field goals.
The most painful part of the game was coming out in the second half to conduct a 19 play, 10+ minute drive that resulted in zero points due to a missed field goal. Come on…you gotta make that kick.
Again, it wasn’t a perfect Jets victory but it was a victory and that’s all that matters in this game. If the keep playing like they do, I’ll take it as long as they win; but, I would like them to have a complete game already. Bring on the Texans !
Here are some interesting stats of this game:
http://khbirdmantalkingjets.blogspot.com/
Go back to Jets Fan Spot
Football Fan Spot 