I don’t like giving long terms to players over the age of 30 unless they’re elite. Florence is not only not elite, he isn’t much more than an average starter. He’s only going to get worse as he turns 31 in December. I don’t think he’s worth 5 million per year now, let alone in 3 years after his contract is done. Why did the Bills draft all those cornerbacks when they were just planning on overpaying Florence to return?

Grade: D

2010 Record: 13-3

Draft Position: 27

2010 Season Recap: Click Here

Offseason Needs: Click Here

Free Agents/Team Transactions: Click Here

Draft Grades: Click Here

Key Offseason Moves: None

By Ryan Glab 

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

1. Make a commitment to the run game

It’s a fact we knew the moment that Mike Martz was hired as offensive coordinator and were prepared for before the season even began. It was evident that Martz historically ignored the run and focused more on the passing game. After witnessing last week’s dismantling of Jay Cutler, surely Lovie Smith has gotten into Martz’s face and let him know that he’d like to see more from the run game. We know Matt Forte and Chester Taylor haven’t had much success this season due to a lack of running room, but the Bears must make an effort to run the football this week. Even a running attack that doesn’t net a healthy yards-per-carry average can still play a factor in a game plan. I keep referencing the 2007 Bears-Packers game at Lambeau Field, three years ago tomorrow (Oct. 7). Cedric Benson rushed 27 times for 64 yards, a paltry 2.3 yards per carry. But because Benson rushed more times than Brian Griese threw the ball that game, it set up the game-winning touchdown. On third-and-two and with a little over two minutes to go, the Packers stacked the box as the Bears came out in a running formation. The Packers bit on the playaction fake and Griese hit a wide open Desmond Clark for a 34-yard touchdown. If the Bears had attempted to run the ball more against the Giants, how many less sacks would Cutler have taken? How much less punishment would he have endured? What’s to stop a defensive line from pinning its ears back and rushing the passer every play if they know the Bears won’t run the ball? If Culter plays this week, I hope Martz commits to running the ball more to lessen the beating he’ll take. If he doesn’t play, that’s all the more reason to run.

2. Get rid of the ball quickly on passing downs

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. That old adage rings true. While you may be able to introduce him to new concepts, he’s still going to do what he knows best. So, even if Smith has commanded Martz to call more run plays this week, that doesn’t mean Martz will stick to the game plan. In fact, Martz is notorious for changing the game plan on the fly based on what he sees in the game. Hopefully he’ll learn from last week and understand the importance of getting rid of the ball quickly. Martz certainly learned that during the Dallas game and Cutler and the offense adjusted and Cutler was able to get rid of the ball before the pressure could get to him. In a perfect world, Martz would be blessed with a solid offensive line featuring at least two Pro Bowlers that would allow Cutler to take seven-step drops and spread the field like the days of the Greatest Show on Turf. He can’t do that with one of the league’s worst lines. Here’s hoping that whoever is taking snaps from Olin Kreutz, he’ll have more three- and five-step drops and hit more receivers underneath the coverage.

3. Focus on defending the run

The Panthers have a rookie quarterback under center and will be missing at least one, and maybe two of their top receivers this week. Dwayne Jarrett, a talented underachiever, was released by the team on Tuesday after his second arrest in less than three years for driving while impaired. Their top target, Steve Smith, suffered a high ankle sprain and may not play this week. Panthers coach John Fox said Smith was day-to-day, but Smith was walking around on crutches Wednesday and doesn’t look ready to play anytime soon. Regardless of who is at wide receiver, the Panthers have always been a running team featuring a talented duo in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The Panthers run game only ranks 17th, so they’re not without their problems. The Bears defense got its first real test of the season last week from Ahmad Bradshaw, who rushed for 129 yards on 23 carries, and Brandon Jacobs, who rushed for 62 yards on 6 carries, but a good chunk of those yards came late in the game when the contest was already getting out of hand. If the Bears can stop the Panthers’ run game, it’ll put that much more pressure on young Jimmy Clausen.

4. Put pressure on Clausen

After a modest starting debut in Week 3 against the Bengals, Clausen nearly led the Panthers to an upset over the Saints last week. Still, his numbers are far from flashy and the majority of rookie quarterbacks will buckle under pressure. Clausen has thrown two interceptions, has fumbled four times and lost two of them, and has been sacked four times in his two and a half games of action this season. I think back to last week’s triumphant return to Philadelphia for current Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb and I’m hoping for a similarly triumphant return for Julius Peppers. It’s unknown as of now if new defensive end Charles Grant will play on Sunday, but if he does I’m sure he’ll help upgrade the defensive line. Grant has had a successful career in the NFL and is flat-out a better player than Mark Anderson. Whichever three players are lining up next to Peppers, the onus is on the front four to generate a consistent pass rush that will rattle Clausen. Even if the Bears can’t sack him, they at least have to make him feel uncomfortable with the hopes that he’ll turn the ball over.

http://www.bearsbeat.com/ 

By Matthew Frank 

The New York Giants return a lot of that same personnel from last year to this years offensive unit.  Led by Eli Manning, the team has become more pass dependent as the running game has been run down mainly due to injuries and an aging line.

The big singing this year was the late acquisition of Shawn Andrews who was a former pro-bowler with the Eagles.  While Andrews will not see a lot of time to start with, this could be a big time signing as Andrews is one of the best linemen in football.  David Dehl will resume his play at left tackle.  He was actually very capable last year, but really is more of a fill in then a true tackle type.  You would like to see him move over to guard to fill in for Rich Seubert.  Chris Snee continues to be one of the best guards in the game and rarely makes any mistakes in both run or pass protection.  At center, Shaun O’Hara returns for another season.  I like O’Hara as you can certainly do worse, but I think he is starting to slow down and is not getting enough push on run blocking.  That being said, he has an excellent synergy with Eli Manning, and tends to make good line calls for picking up the blitz.  Finally, we have Kareem McKenzie at the other tackle spot.  McKenzie is one of those guys that you don’t hear a lot about and that means he is doing a good job.  He isn’t the greatest run blocker in the world, but he certainly gets the job done and really stablizes the line.  As a backup, Will Beatty will be filling in again.  The former 2nd round pick played very well last year in the spurts he filled in, and he may be counted on doing a lot more should injuries come around.

The running backs are a big concern this year.  Brandon Jacobs is heading into a due or die year after a miserable 2009 season.  As many people pointed out, he was way too tentative at the line and needs to regain the slashing form he had two years ago.  Amhad Bradshaw can be a dynamic back, but he is coming off of multiple foot and ankle surgeries.   He really can be a great player, but you have to wonder if all of those surgeries are going to take their toll.  Finally, Andre Brown will be backing them up after coming back from Achillies surgery.  I was thrilled when they took Brown last year in the draft as I felt he was going to be a great pick up.  That injury was one of those under-the-radar issues that came about last year.  When Bradshaw and Jacobs wore down last year, nobody was there to pick up the slack.  Of course, counting on a rookie running back coming off of major surgery might not be the best idea, but the Giants don’t have much of a choice as they didn’t draft anyone else.

At tight end we have Kevin Boss and Travis Beckum.  Boss has greatly refined his game these past couple of years.  While he isn’t an elite level catching talent, he is certainly the best of the second tier of players.  Boss has also shown to be a capable blocker, though he does have some issues clearing out more physical teams.  We have to hope that Boss avoids the concussions he has tended to have to far in his career.  Beckum is a second year player who has shown so far to be a good route runner, but maybe not the best blocker in the world.

For the first time I think ever, the Giants have some elite talent at the wide receiver spot.  Pro-bowler Steve Smith returns as the teams’ main target.  Smith caught an outrageous amount of passes last year; especially amazing consider the rest of the receiving corp were rookies or largely untested.  He’ll continue to be Manning’s security blanket.   For the big play threat, Hakeem Nicks will fill in that role.  Nicks certainly showed some great moments last year, but he has to cut down on the drops and work on refining his route running a bit.  Mario Manningham is a capable wide receiver and can make the big play, but route running is a big issue with him.  We should all remember how Chris Collinsworth consistently berated him on air for running poor routes last year.

Finally, we have Eli Manning who played really well last year, even through injury.  You can tell that Manning is starting to gain a lot of trust with all of his receivers and getting into a big time groove.  It would not surprise me if Manning has a huge year and is consistently one of the big players week in and week out.  You have to especially consider the dynamic players the Giants have at the receiver position and the issues they seem to have at running back when looking forward to this year.  The Giants are probably going to ask Manning to throw a lot more in the past and it seems like the entire unit may be up for the task.

http://www.bigbluefootballreview.com/

2010 Record: 8-8

Draft Position: 16

2010 Season Recap: Click Here

Offseason Needs: Click Here

Free Agents/Team Transactions: Click Here

Draft Grades: Click Here

Key Offseason Moves: None

I like the idea. Taylor fills exactly what the Jets need, a pass rusher. Their pass rush is their biggest need this offseason and now they can get an upgrade without having to start the rookie that they draft in the first 2 rounds (presumably). Taylor will be able to start until that rookie can step in. BUT and that’s a big but, I don’t know why they had to pay him 13 million over 2 years. Who did they have to outbid? As a football move, this helps their team, but as a financial move, I don’t like it.

Grade: B-

Free Agency Priorities

Wide Receiver