2009 NFL Top Offensive Draft Prospects

1. Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

As far as quarterbacks go in this year’s draft class, Georgia’s Matthew Stafford has set the mark.

Although Georgia may have had a down year in some people’s eyes, it certainly wasn’t due to their offense. Stafford had a 61.4% completion rating, 25 TD passes to 10 INT, passed for over 3,500 yards, and had a QB rating of 153.54, all while playing within Georgia’s pro-style offense.

At 6′ 3″ and 237 lbs, Stafford has good size for an NFL quarterback, and while the Lions seem to be doing everything they can to convince people that they are going in another direction, it would be foolish to pass on a talent like Matthew Stafford.

2. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

Michael Crabtree has now declared, and without doubt should be the first wide receiver selected in the 2009 NFL draft.

In the NES 24/7 Mock Draft, we have Crabtree going No. 4 overall, to the Seattle Seahawks, and at this point the former Red Raider is a near lock to be gone in the top five.

At 6′ 3″, Crabtree has great size for a possession receiver, and amazing hands, which were showcased with his 97 receptions as a Red Raider in 2008. He will really turn some heads at the combine if he can turn out a fast 4.4, which is certainly in his range.

The biggest knock on Crabtree seems to be that he is a product of the Texas Tech system, but Crabtree has remained consistent throughout his college career.

“What Crabtree did as a redshirt freshman last year was downright disgusting. Try 134 receptions, 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns. He had one of his biggest games against Oklahoma, catching 12 balls for 154 yards and a score.”

3. Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

Some people I’ve talked to are a little higher on Florida’s Percy Harvin than they are Maclin, but with a great combination of size (6’1″), and speed (4.33), Jeremy Maclin has all the tools a WR needs to become a serious deep threat.

Maclin finished up last season with over 100 receptions, and proved that he can make things happen after the catch, averaging over 12 yards per reception.

If Maclin can improve on his 40 time at the combine we might easily see his value skyrocket above Percy Harvin, and begin to receive top 15 overall consideration.

Behind Crabtree, and maybe Darrius Heyward-Bey out of Maryland, Jeremy Maclin strikes me as the only other wide out in the draft with real franchise player potential.

Maclin has also shown the potential to be an excellent return man, and should be able to provide an instant boost to any team’s return game.

4. Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

While many thought that another year at USC would have done Sanchez the world of good, the news that Sam Bradford would remain in school for another season made it the ideal time for a player such as Sanchez to declare.

Coming out of a strong offensive system, Sanchez put up some incredible numbers, throwing for over 3,200 yards on under 400 attempts, with a completion percentage of almost 66%, and 34 TD to 10 INT.

Don’t be at all surprised if the Kansas City Chiefs role the dice on Sanchez at No. 3 overall in this year’s draft.

5. Chris “Beanie” Wells, RB, Ohio State

As much as I hate to leave Percy Harvin, Knowshon Moreno, Hakeem Nicks, and Josh Freeman off this list, I think I’d regret it even more if I left out Chris Wells.

At 6′ 1″, 235 lbs, Wells runs a fast 4.4, and is a very strong downhill runner. Throughout his career as a Buckeye, Wells averaged an impressive 5.7 yards per carry, and while he might not have the speed of fellow backs Knowshon Moreno and LeSean McCoy, he has a great NFL frame, and the uncanny ability to break tackles and absorb contact.

The only true downside to Wells is that he hasn’t yet shown he can be a consistent receiving threat out of the backfield, but then again, nor did anyone else on that Ohio State team.

Honorable Mentions & Why They Didn’t Make The Cut

Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

Incredible hands, and great speed, but lacks the ideal frame for a No. 1 go to receiver.

He certainly has a solid upside, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see a team take a gamble on him in the first round, but as of right now, I see him as the third or fourth best WR in this draft class trailing behind Darrius Heyward-Bey and Hakeem Nicks.

For Harvin’s sake, he had better hope that Kenny Britt out of Rutgers doesn’t improve too much upon his 40 time.

Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State

We have Freeman going in the first round in the NES 24/7 Mock Draft, and I truly feel like this kid has all the tools necessary to be a starting QB in the NFL.

Incredible size, a great arm, with a good feel on his passes, and a very low TD/INT ratio throughout his career, Freeman has shown that he can perform at the college level.

However, it’s not his decision making in the passing game that worries me, it’s what he tries to do with his feet that raises the red flag in my eyes.

It’s not that Josh Freeman can’t make things happen with his feet, as he proved that he can against Texas A&M, where he nearly broke the 100 yard rushing mark on 18 attempts, it’s his ability to throw on the run that needs to improve.

Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

In terms of talent, Moreno isn’t too far off from matching up with Chris Wells. He has the speed, he’s proven to be a more consistent receiving target, and not once in his college career has Knowshon Moreno fumbled the ball.

The one, and perhaps only thing that worries me about Moreno is that he is coming out of a somewhat pass heavy offense, led by the consensus first overall selection in this years draft, quarterback Matt Stafford.

However, when all is said and done, Moreno could very well be the best back to be drafted in this years class.

Join in on the discussion at www.nes247.com/forums

The 18-Game Season: A Win-Win Proposition for Everyone

The discussion about adding additional games to the NFL regular season has been brought up again, and with a new collective-bargaining agreement on the horizon, it has built some steam, at least among fans and media.

I have heard many arguments on both sides of this and after reading responses on many websites and listening to many a radio show caller I would like to address those of you who will be gracious enough to comment on this article in advance.

Contrary to popular belief, yelling and name calling is not the next best thing to being right. What I write here, as well as any response provided by readers, is of course an opinion. You can disagree without being uncivil, and please base your argument on something valid.

In my opinion the addition of two more regular-season games is win-win for players, fans, teams, the league, media partners, and local economies.

I will start with many of the reasons I have heard for not adding additional games and state why I don’t agree or why I believe they used faulty logic.

Today, I heard that it would negate the validity of the divisions because it would keep teams within the same divisions from playing the same schedule like they do now.

This was stated by a caller on a local radio show here in Chicago and the radio host sat there egging him on and telling him how smart he was. I, hating bad math and faulty logic, almost drove off the road.

Let’s look at the NFC North this past year to test this theory. Each team in the NFC North played the other teams in the division twice, all four teams in the NFC South, and all four teams in the AFC South.

To round off the last two games, each team played one team from both the NFC East and the NFC West, but no two teams from the NFC North played the same team from either the NFC East or West.

Right away we can already see that the schedules are not equal. Now it is mathematically impossible to make each team in a division play exactly the same teams and have that apply to each division.

However having each team in the NFC North play an additional team from another division doesn’t make this any more or less equal. It certainly doesn’t make the division less valid than it is now.

You could attempt to have the two best teams from a division play both top teams from another division to make this more equal, but since the schedules are made well in advance this probably wouldn’t work.

I also heard, on that same show, that adding one football game would be like adding 10 games to baseball since the baseball season is 162 games long and the football season is currently 16 games long.

I hope that most of the population that is of voting age realizes that just because 162 divided by 16 is roughly 10 you can’t omit all other variables and call this a valid correlation.

Does this mean that when the football season was 14 games long and they added two games to the schedule they were each worth 11.5 games? Aside from that, what is the relevance? Is it good or bad?

The point of a good argument shouldn’t have to be inferred from voice inflection. Football has nothing to do with baseball and adding 10 games to baseball would have neither a positive or negative effect on football.

A more reasonable complaint I have heard is that it would be bad for players because it would increase the number of injuries. I don’t really see this either. Injuries can occur at any time and there is no evidence to suggest that a player is more likely to get injured in game 17 than game one.

I think that this would benefit players since it would probably be easier for a player to ride out two extra games per year over an eight year career than for a player to play an entire ninth season. They would draw the same number of game checks but one player would do it in eight seasons.

These guys train year round and injuries occur in the offseason, during OTAs, minicamp, and preseason games. The best players in NFL history played extra games every year by going to the playoffs and it didn’t seem to shorten their careers.

So it would seem that a player has the same opportunity to injure himself in any game. Saying that an additional game adds to that is like saying playing for ten years instead of five years doubles your chance to get injured over the course of a career. Of course it does, but in each individual game your odds are the same.

I have heard complaints about the added cost to ticket owners, and while the economy is bad right now, it usually isn’t too hard to get rid of an unwanted ticket.

Some considerations many have missed are ramifications to local economies. Additional work days for stadium staff would bring added income. Additional, parking, vending, memorabilia, security, public transportation and numerous other variables would stimulate local economies. Same goes for television and radio.

Every employee involved would draw an additional pay check. Same goes for advertisers; it isn’t just the corporations who make the money, but the employees who would do the work. The trickledown effect of earning and spending could have significant positive effects.

The teams along with all of the staff, the league, and the television stations would obviously make more money and I am sure they are ok with that.  

I also think that this may add to the parity of the league and the significance of the draft. Teams would have to pay closer attention to their rosters since every member of the team would have to contribute in a longer season.

This makes the overall team more significant than just who has the best couple of starters.

From a fan’s perspective, aside from the extra football they’ll enjoy, if a significant player goes down for a couple of games right when your team happens to play your division rival they now have opportunities to come back from that to some extent.

Overall one thing always remains true, the larger the sample size the more accurate the results will be. Added games won’t ensure the best teams go to the playoffs, but it will increase the probability.

NFL Draft Watch: Eugene Monroe, Best Offensive Lineman in ’09 Draft

Once one of the top high school offensive line recruits in the country, Monroe progressed from a part-time starter as a sophomore to becoming the primary reason Virginia was comfortable in keeping 2008 first-round pick Branden Albert inside at left guard, as opposed to left tackle where Albert started 15 games as a rookie for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Despite Albert’s obvious tools, Al Groh was wise to keep Monroe on the outside if his play as a senior was any indication. Named an All-American and the recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the best blocker in the ACC, Monroe looks the part of a top-10 prospect.

NFL offensive coordinators and quarterbacks would love to have his length and strength in pass protection. Had an arm span of 33-7/8 inches and a hand span of 11-1/8 inches at the combine.

Some of his positives are he is a prototypical left tackle who is built for the position he has good long arms,He is really tall, and he has a thick lower body.

He rarely gets beat by the defensive lineman and he keeps them moving during pass protection to make them fatigue.

He does well against Defensive Lineman that try to use inside or outside moves. He is quick for someone who is 6’5” 309 pounds.

He has great balance for a offensive lineman of his size. He sometimes will shift to Tight end on some strong side running plays.

He plays to the whistle and on plays on the move he might have two or three people he is blocking.

This year at the NFL Scouting Combine he ran a 5.23 seconds on the 40-yard dash, he also did good on his vertical jump with a height of 28.5.

He was in the top three of the broad jump with a height of 9’3”. We will see how good he does on the field when the next season come around.

On the other hand his negatives are he is a little too big to be playing in the middle of the Offensive Line.

He tends to catch Defensive lineman when they are on the rush instead of using his skills to keep the defensive lineman off balance.

His last thing he needs to work on is his Awareness when looking for the blitz and late pass rushers.

I have him going second overall to the St. Louis Rams in my new mock draft.

Philadelphia Eagles: 10 Possible Draft Scenarios

The draft is under a month away and guessing that the number of mock drafts the average NFL fan have read is somewhere in the thousands. Having spent more time than I should thinking about the possibilties the Eagles have this year, I’ve decided to write them down. Because I’m a nice guy and have an over rated value in my own opinion, I’ve decided the place to write it is on Bleacherreport.com.

A quick recap of our top 4 draft needs:
1) Running back – The signing of Andrews and the loss of Buckhalter puts the RB position top of the list. Hunt didn’t work for us and Booker has been unsuccessful so far. Westbrook needs someone to help carry the load so can be effective for a few more years.

(The order of the next 3 is little more up for debate)

2) Tackle or Guard – Both starting tackles are gone and only one has been replaced. The Eagles could shift either Herremans or Shawn Andrews and bring in Cole, but the question marks on Shawn Andrews’ mental issue and Stacey Andrews’ injury recovery, for me it stays at number 2.

3) Tight End – Celek emerged as our no1, but there aren’t many people who think he’s quite good enough to be our starter long term and would prefer him as a quality 2nd option. He was our best player on offense in a couple of games, but teams didn’t really enter matches wondering how they would handle Brent Celek.

4) Wide Reciever – Fans still want a standout weapon at wideout, the success of Desean Jackson has only increased that fact. Curtis is 30 but started his career a little later than most so their should be plenty of fuel left in his tank. Avant has also come off a very good year so this could be considered a luxury.

Are The Eagles Really “Fine” at Receiver?

By now, fans know the drill.

It happens every offseason. Once the ruckus of free agency dies down, right before the draft, a reporter asks head coach Andy Reid what he thinks about the team’s wide receivers.

Every year, it’s the same answer: “We’re fine at receiver.”

The ritual has become a joke for Eagles fans. Not since 2004 has the team had a true superstar receiver, and that was the year the team made it to the Super Bowl.

So far this offseason, the team has been linked to receivers like Torry Holt, Braylon Edwards and Anquan Boldin. Fans are salivating at the thought of Reid bringing a veteran receiver to the City of Brotherly Love.

But is a team’s passing attack really so important to winning a Super Bowl? For this, history will be the judge.

Since 2004, most Super Bowl winning offenses have been mediocre. Only one, the 2006 Indianapolis Colts, has ranked in the top five of total yards.

The old adage of “defense wins championships” seems to have some validity. The average ranking of Super Bowl winning defenses since 2004 is eighth.

And in truth, the defense was the best unit for the Eagles last season. The team was ranked first in the NFC in total defense, and the unit was largely responsible for Philly’s postseason success.

Of course, it was also responsible for the no-show it gave during the title game in Arizona.

With Brian Dawkins gone, there are legitimate questions about how well the defense will play without its leader. While the veteran players dismiss the possibility of a letdown, results are shown on the field, not through the media.

Reid’s specialty has always been offense. His first-ever draft pick was a quarterback named Donovan McNabb. He has been responsible for creating one of the most explosive and consistent offenses of the past decade.

But the unit will have to step it up next season. Wideout DeSean Jackson has shown promise, and will have to continue that success. Kevin Curtis had an injury-plagued year in 2008, but had 1,000 yards receiving in 2007.

The team added a receiving threat in free agency with the addition of fullback Leonard Weaver. He is known more for his receiving skills than his lead blocking, a skill likely to be utilized next season.

The draft will likely answer some of the questions on offense, as the team has two first round picks. Given Reid’s draft history, it’s unlikely that the team will hang on to both. This has led to rampant Internet speculation about trades. Browns receiver Braylon Edwards and Arizona’s Anquan Boldin are the top choices among fans.

Ultimately, though, it will most likely be the Dawkins-less defense that makes or breaks the team next season. Added help for McNabb certainly wouldn’t hurt, though.

Can Packers Wait Until Day Two For a Good 3-4 Defensive End?

Once again, the Packers will enter this year’s draft with a plethora of selections, with nine to be exact. In the past, GM Ted Thompson has successfully traded down (giving him more selections) and turned those extra picks in later rounds to add depth and youth.

Depth will be key for the defensive end and outside linebacker spots. With the team switching to a 3-4, there are now obvious holes at those positions.

Guys that used to be defensive ends now carry this ambiguous title of hybrid linebacker; meaning they will play outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme, only to become defensive ends in what will be a sparingly-used 4-3 scheme.

This brings us to the main question: can the Packers wait until the third Round (or even later) to draft a 3-4 DE? I suppose there are many answers. One only needs to look at the plethora of mock drafts and accompanying player boards to see that not all prospects are ranked equally among them.

What is easy to assess, however, is the depth for the 3-4 OLB position. Just as easy to assess is the depth for the all-important 3-4 defensive end. This is said to be the make-or-break position for the 3-4.

Looking across the big boards, you can see that a 3-4 OLB will be available to any team through most of the first three rounds. Finding a 3-4 defensive end is not so simple. The first one even available is Tyson Jackson of LSU, who is slated to go somewhere in the mid-to-late first round. At No. 9, it would be somewhat of a reach to draft Jackson. 

As far as OLBs are concerned, the first one could be drafted at No. 1: Aaron Curry. Many more will follow him.

In fact, the depth of the 3-4 OLB doesn’t start to fade until midway through the fourth round. Knowing this will save the Packers some headaches as they browse through the best of the rest on day two of the draft.

As we all know, Thompson likes to draft the best available player on his board, with mostly good results. Doing so again this year will likely net an OLB, an OT, a CB, or a NT.

If one of those isn’t available, look for Thompson to find a trade partner. The Packers will need a player of Jackson’s caliber at defensive end more than they will need a Brian Orakpo or Everette Brown at OLB, especially if they’re looking to be greatly improved from last year. 

A good 3-4 defensive end can be found in this draft, but it won’t be after round three. I suggest they do their best to find one on the first day.

Brady Rule? Bah! Here’sTwo Novel Ideas For Protecting NFL Quarterbacks.

Ever since Tom Brady went down in the first game of the 2009 NFL season, his injury has been fodder for talking heads and fans alike. With news this week that the league is seriously considering implementing a rule targeting defensive players who lunge at quarterbacks knees from the ground, we’ll be moving on to the next part of the discussion or what to do about this so-called “Brady Rule”.

Football is a violent sport and there’s not a lot outside of penalizing obvious cheap shots and use of the helmet as a weapon that the league can do about it. Nor should they.

The stakes are high in football and ever since Lawrence Taylor came around, defensive coordinators figured out that if they can knock the other guys quarterback out, they greatly enhance their chance for victory. A perverse incentive to kill quarterbacks if there ever was one.

However, truth be told football sucks to watch when it’s quarterbacked by guys who can’t play very well. Just look at the XFL and WFL. Those leagues collapsed for a number of reasons, but not the least of which was the games were hard to watch due to the lack of professional quality quarterbacks.

The problem in football is that there are too few good quarterbacks, not too many. The league is correct in that there should be some kind of protection afforded to them.

However the better way to protect quarterbacks cannot be by limiting a defensive player’s ability or his instinct to play all out.

I propose two ideas, both of which offer more quarterback “protection” by slight rule changes shifting some pressure onto defense’s instead of penalizing players for playing the game the way they were taught.

The first idea is that offensive tackles should be allowed to be eligible receivers, giving offenses up to seven potential receivers instead of five.

True, that’s potentially less blockers to protect the passer but accounting for the possibility of seven receivers will make defense’s think twice about committing six or seven to the rush. It force’s defenses to defend more of the field instead of focusing solely on disrupting the quarterback.

Although it’s hard to imagine today’s offensive tackles going out for passes, over time the position could evolve to be manned by players that look more like tight ends and outside linebackers with more athleticism and less bulk.

Tackles are asked to block some of the best athletes on the field but they themselves are out-sized behemoths, coveted more for size than athletic ability. I think if they could catch passes they might look more like the guys they block rather than road-grading machines.

Throwing some of the defense’s athleticism back at them might be interesting to watch, plus requires no change in the way the game is officiated. The added bonus is it slows down the defensive evolution towards quarterback destruction, and is a more natural way of changing the game than legislating conact out of it.

The second idea is much simpler. Allow the offense to play with 12 men, an extra player on all plays who is again an eligible receiver. The offense has the option of how to use him, again putting different pressures on defensive game plans and players.

They could split him out or keep him in, use him as an outlet receiver or personal protector. Defenses would have to adjust accordingly to account for the extra head.  If they lined up and attacked the quarterback on every play, they would pay the price.

Again, very little about the game or how it is officiated would have to change in order to accomodate this change.

Realistically, these are meant more to spark discussion rather than as serious proposals to change the game. But there has to be a better way of protecting quarterbacks than telling defenders who are on the ground to forget a lifetime of football training and give up every time they get knocked down.

Certainly everyone agrees that quarterbacks need to be preserved somehow, let’s just not do it by outlawing players natural instincts and training.

Mark My Words: Philadelphia Eagles Will Not Pick Twice in First Round

The Eagles have 12 picks in the upcoming draft, with two of them in the first round, picks 21 and 28. Mark my words: the Eagles will not be selecting two players in the first round.

While talking to NFL.com anonymously, several GMs around the NFL have said that during their grading period of this year’s prospects, that only 20 to 22 of them are first-round quality.

The Eagles select 21st overall, so they would be right at the end of the pickings for the first round talent.

That’s not a position that this front office wants to be in.

So what’s the solution?

One of two things will most likely happen. Either the Eagles will package those two picks in order to move up, or they will stay and select the best player on the board at 21,while attempting to trade the 28th pick.

For those who don’t know, the NFL’s draft spots work on a point system, which simply puts a point total to each pick.

NFL Draft Point-Value Chart

At 21 and 28, the Eagles’ picks are worth 800 and 660 points, respectively. Adding the two picks together, the point total comes to 1,460, which lands in between the seventh (1,500) and the eighth (1,400) selection.

This move would give the Eagles the chance to select either the best left tackle on the board, or more to the liking of Philly-nation, Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

Of course, this is contingent upon the Oakland Raiders or Jacksonville Jaguars biting on the trade. This is entirely possible because of their many needs. However, getting Al Davis to part ways with selecting Michael Crabtree is almost impossible.

So the more likely scenario is that the Eagles decide to stay at 21, selecting the best player available, while trading the 28th pick.

For the 28th pick, the Eagles could probably get a mid-round second round pick and mid-round third, or a move like this would allow them to possibly also make a draft-day trade for a guy like Anquan Boldin, Jason Peters, or Braylon Edwards.

Then with the 21st pick, the Eagles could take any number of people depending on how they value them—Moreno, “Beanie” Wells, Britton, Oher, or whomever that may be.

While I would prefer they go the second route, I wouldn’t mind them moving into the top 10 either. Even though that may be just a bit too pricey for the front office.

All in all, the second option is more likely and would seem to make the most sense. Either way, no matter which way the Eagles decide to go, I would be willing to bet they don’t come out of this draft with two first-round rookies.

Read this and more at 2 Minutes to Midnight Green!

Also find me at GCobb.com, SportsFullCircle.com, and TheSportingTruth.com!

Open Letter To Editors That Should Be Required Reading (Do Not Edit)

First off, don’t edit this.  Yes I’ll write “QB” not “quarter back.”  It is probably an example.  If I screw up and say “round #1” instead of “first round” let’s just assume readers are not too stupid to figure that out.

I’m going to write a not funny humor piece to give you examples.  Notes to editors in italics.

Tom Brady is Christ and Bill Belichick the Anti-Christ and robert Kraft is the Puppet Master from Marvel Comics that somehow has control of two immortal beings at once.

That sentence is poorly constructed.  If you changed it to three sentences, fine.  If you corrected the capitalization, fine.

Now we will get into things you might change that are not fine Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Bob Kraft are the QB, coach, and owner of the New England Patriots.  The tag of Patriots is NOT extraneous.  The Patriots play in the AFC East.   That tag is NOT extraneous.

Tom Brady’s career was killed by Pontius Pilate, I mean Lloyd Carr at Michigan when he regularly benched him for Barabbas, I mean Drew Henson. 

If tags for Lloyd Carr or Drew Henson are active, guess what, they are not extraneous.  In fact Michigan University’s football team might also be active.  Since Loyd Carr and Tom Brady were big names from Michigan, it might not be an extraneous tag.  Michigan fans might want to take me to task Loyd Carr defined by one decision is probably unfair and letting them say so might be good.  Ditto Ohio state fans wanting to defend their conference.  Neither is tagging whatever conference that is extraneous.  (Is it the Big Ten?)

Bill Belichick’s evil is well known.  Ask fans of Cleveland.  Sure, he got a horrible team and made the playoffs two years later.  Yes, he was 4-1 when Modell announced the move and he took the team 1-11.  

Ask any Browns fan though, he fired fan favorite Bernie Kosar.  Who doubts he evilly convinced Modell to move the team just as his evil convince Art Modell to fire Paul Brown in 1963.  (He was 11, but his human father – not SATAN, took him to Cleveland to scout a prospect in Cleveland.)

Again, changes in spelling and/or grammar are OK.  Heck, “convince” should be “convinced.”  OK, Art Modell, Paul Brown, and Bernie Kosar are legitimate tags.   Guess what, so would the Cleveland Browns.  AFC North may be extraneous, but Cincy fans might want to take me to task.

Robert Kraft’s mind control over Parcells was well known in New England.  Parcells decision to take Terry Glenn instead of going “smash mouth.”  It took the Fantastic Four, Brett Favre, to break his hold at SB XXXI.

OK, you might want to say “Super Bowl 31” and that is fine.   Let’s look at the tags.  Parcells, Glenn, and Favre are mentioned in the story.  Favre is really weak, but he was mentioned.  Terry Glenn and Favre played for the Green Bay Packers.  Glenn went on to the Cowboys.  Parcells went on to the Jets, Cowboys, and Dolphins.  Those tags are weak, but one can only use two team tags, so you probably have no problem if I tagged the Browns or Wolverines.

“I can’t see” said Bob Kraft, “no other way than keep those two under my control.”

Yes, that is a double negative.  It is in quotes.  I’m saying Bob Kraft has poor grammar.  Do not change “no” for “any.”

Now those tags for humor and satire?  Those are kind of important.  This site will get sued if you remove them.  I’m calling Belichick the spawn of SATAN and making fun of Bob Kraft.  I made up the quote.  That is OK in satire, but if you remove that tag then this site is telling us it is real.  Those two tags make B/R relatively immune from libel.  And yes, a humor or satire article is probably libelous.

In short, editors, if you are not sure, don’t change it.  That goes double for tags.  Maybe I tagged it for a reason.

Finally, if you are not a fan of that sport, beware.  I would not try to write a story about the English Premier League.  If you are unfamiliar with the sport, it is easy to miss common-knowledge stuff.

Washington Redskins Draft Plans

« Previous Page — Next Page »

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010