The Reemergence of Thomas Brown Could Be a Boon for the Atlanta Falcons

Do you remember Thomas Brown? If you are a Georgia Bulldog fan, you might, but if you don’t follow the Falcons’ rookies with great interest, he could be hard to notice on the field. 

Standing small at 5’8″, 204lbs, Thomas Brown was in his rookie season last year as a sixth-round (pick 172) for the Atlanta Falcons. He was used primarily as a return man and occasional third-down back.

A horse collar effectively ended his rookie debut and he was never seen or heard from again until now. As of today, Brown was medically cleared to return to the Falcons as a full-time player. He will be participating in offseason workouts.

Why is this a big deal you might ask. I mean, after all, he’s just some random late-rounder who likely would not have played much anyhow, right? Not exactly.

You see, before that injury, Brown was showing great promise as a punt/kick return man for the Falcons. He averaged just over 20 yards per return and even broke off a 48-yarder during the preseason (it was later negated by a penalty).

He may not have been in the mix as a running back, but he was definitely on track to become a very dangerous special-teams guy.

In light of the fact that Michael Turner had more than 350 carries last season, it is important to start focusing on a guy who can spell Turner. Norwood may or may not be that guy, but as the Falcons number two, Norwood would be better served in that role than anywhere else right now.

My theory is if Thomas Brown takes over the return duties, then Norwood can go back to being the back who spells Turner during the game with Brown possibly taking a few of those carries when either of those two is banged up.

Now, I know many people think that Brown is a bit too small for the position, but that hasn’t been a problem for Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore, Darren Sproles, or DeAngelo Williams (all of whom are under 5’10”).

Brown may not have the elite speed or the size of the ideal NFL running back, but he has deceptive agility and great cutting ability that can make defenders miss more often than not. He’s also got the hands to be a phenomenal pass catcher out of the backfield on third downs if needed. 

I don’t know that he would be the right guy for goal line situations, as he is not a bruiser, but he’s tough and can definitely be a playmaker if used in the right situations.

All of these things make him the perfect answer for a Falcons run game that will need an extra set of legs next season.

Plus, it may give Norwood a better shot at more carries in the run offense if he is not burning himself out on special teams. After all, he is a running back, and if he is not going to be able to get involved, then his value to the Falcons gets lessened by the day.

Some may not believe in Norwood’s ability to be that guy who can spell Turner with 8-12 carries a game, but I do. After all, the guy has a per carry average of 5.8 yards over the span of his career. He’s clearly capable of doing a good job if he’s given the opportunity.

If Thomas Brown can return to form, he may be just what the Falcons need to get Norwood the ball a bit more. That’s something I am sure Jerious would appreciate.

Denver Broncos Mock Draft (Updated March 24th): Pair of Bigs On Day One?

The NFL Draft order has now been finalized, and teams are in the process of evaluating potential draft picks.

The Denver Broncos have made no secret about the fact that they are looking to improve their defense in the early part of the draft, and here are nine players I think the team should look at with its picks.

1st Round (12th overall)

 

Tyson Jackson; Defensive End, LSU

6’4″ 295 

Analysis

This pick didn’t change from my last Broncos mock draft.  The team has worked privately with Jackson, and appear to be very interested. 

Jackson is widely considered by NFL Draft experts to be the one and only “elite” five-technique the draft has to offer.  What this means is that Jackson would serve a similar role to a Richard Seymour type of player in a 3-4 defense. 

The Broncos are making the big switch to the 3-4, but really lack beef up front.  The addition of Jackson paired with the return of Carlton Powell from injury could provide the Broncos with great depth up front.  Undoubtedly, Jackson would start for Denver right away and become a run-stuffing, athletic end in their new defensive scheme.

2nd Round (48th overall)

 

Lawrence Sidbury; Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, Richmond

6’2″ 266   40-yard dash time:  4.66 seconds

Analysis

I think it would be fair to compare Sidbury to another former Patriot:  Adalius Thomas.  For a player 266 pounds to run a 4.66 second 40-yard dash is simply unbelievable. 

Sidbury was a big-time playmaker for the Spiders, and would fill a big need for the Broncos as a pass rushing outside linebacker.  One spot is taken already by Elvis Dumervil, but there is an open competition on the other side with Jarvis Moss.  An athletic pass-rusher like Sidbury could be very attractive for Denver in the second round.

The Broncos will have to address the nose tackle position at some point in the draft, and I will address that when I do my full seven round mock draft for the Broncos in the next couple of weeks. 

New Detroit Lions Logo A Step In The Right Direction

The Detroit Lions have accidentally unveiled their brand new logo and script logo for the 2009 NFL season, and the results can be met with a roar of approval.

The old logo of the playful Lion, infamously known as “Bubbles,” has received a 21st century makeover. The lion’s right front paw is now in an attack stance. A mane has been drawn on the lion, and, most importantly, the lion has teeth.

The new script logo drifts from the blocky Times New Roman style lettering and moves to a sleek wavy font.

The background on the new logo is not representative of what it will look like in print. Actually, the reason why the new logo was revealed today was because someone put a model truck with the new design on it up for sale on eBay before it was released to the public. It has since been taken down, but not before the media got a hold of it. 

In my opinion, the psychological impact a logo and uniform can have on players and their opponents cannot be underestimated. That old “Bubbles” logo pretty much screamed to the opposition “We’re cupcakes!” This new Lion portrays an image of ferocity that could go a long way toward improving the mood of the team.

Changes to the Lions jersey are also forthcoming, but haven’t been unveiled yet.

This is definitely a step in the right direction for the team, though, and early fan opinion is also favorable.

Vikings Reportedly Satisfied with Quarterback Situation: At Least Someone Is

The Minnesota Vikings are more than likely to hold true to their plan of having Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels compete for the starting quarterback position for the 2009 season.

Though the offseason and free agency period began as a bustling rumor mill of talk fantasizing about Brett Favre, Matt Cassel, or Jeff Garcia among others possibly taking the helm of the Vikings 2009 offense, fans were dismayed, to say the least, at the acquisition of their Super Bowl bound saviour: Poppa Sage.

Fans and analysts alike have expressed their surprise and dissatisfaction at the lackluster efforts of Vikings management and coaching staff to acquire a stable, if not star-studded, quarterback in an offseason where it appears the greatest, if not only missing link to a Super Bowl caliber team is the man taking the snaps.

Now, I personally will be the first to express my blatant disapproval of the Jackson/Rosenfels tandem.

In fact, I figured if anyone was deserving of the starting job, it would have been the guy the Vikings kicked to the curb after salvaging a seemingly hopeless situation by leading the team on an 8-3 streak after starting 0-2: Gus Frerotte.

But all that aside, I cannot help but entertain the idea that maybe, just maybe, the Vikings have some logic or method behind their QB madness.

It is no secret that Brad Childress has shown considerable favoritism toward Tarvaris Jackson, despite his lack of consistency and inability to make plays when they really count.

Perhaps it is nothing more than an educated hunch, but I believe at the end of the day, Jackson will remain the starting quarterback for the Vikings. I do not think Brad Childress could honestly be content pulling in an unproven, yet older quarterback like Sage Rosenfels and expect him to play substantially better in Minnesota than anywhere he has been prior (though that does happen from time to time).

Put simply: the trade for Sage could possibly be nothing more than a scare tactic to get some production out of Jackson.

As the final games neared last season, Gus Frerotte went down with a lower back injury that kept him out half a game against Detroit, and the whole game that followed the next week in Arizona, during which Tarvaris Jackson played with a reckless abandon that in no way resembled the kind of timid and indecisive play we saw in weeks one and two.

During those games, he rallied the Vikings from a near-fatal losing scenario against, statistically, the worst team in NFL history, and threw for a career-high four-touchdown passes against the soon-to-be NFC Champion Cardinals.

It could very well be that Jackson’s surprising superior showing while filling in for Gus and the two games finishing the season, for that matter, was a result of nothing more than good ol’ fashioned heat-under-the-seat.

When Tarvaris Jackson felt the urgency of production-or-bust, what do you know? He produced. It could easily be this end that Brad Childress seeks in signing Sage Rosenfels.

Regardless of all personal opinions surrounding the the position of quarterback, it is apparent that the Vikings feel no sense of urgency in changing the personnel at this time.

I can only speculate—well, and pray—that the confidence in Quarterback Land displayed by the coaching staff and management is not born out of naive optimism. The best case scenario—one which I would presume the Vikings anticipate—is a lot of extra cap room and a successful draft in which the quarterback will be aided as much as possible.

 

Bobby Shaw: Does Anyone Remember Him?

Does anyone remember Bobby Shaw?

I do. Now when I write my “Does Anyone Remember….?” articles, I have a purpose to it. I wanted to do this one because when I was seven years old, I was looking at my football cards and saw the name shown as “Bobby Shaw.” I was wondering who he was.

After looking at his stats, I thought they were tremendous.

A fews years later, I found that card, again! After looking painfully through over 3,000 cards, I found the special Bobby Shaw, Pittsburgh Steelers, golden, card. Then when I checked out his biography, I wanted to share it to the whole world.

And here it is:

April 23, 1975: The day a rising NFL player is born. Shaw looked to become a potential NFL wide receiver in the NFL. It all started at Galileo High School where Bobby Shaw became a star. Like my last article of Sean Dawkins, Shaw went to Cal to play with the Golden Bears. Unlike Dawkins, Bobby Shaw had a way better career in Cal than him.

Shaw started to become a star in his 1996, when he was 21 years old. Shaw also had a new coach at Cal: Steve “The Mooch” Mariucci. Mooch added a great passing game that gave Shaw what he wanted: ability to run after the catch.

Shaw was a star in many games. In a win against UCLA, he had 12 catches for 168 yards. Then a very memorable 48-42 three-overtime game over Oregon State where Bobby Shaw had scored three touchdowns in! Even though the Golden Bears lost in the Aloha Bowl to Navy, 42-38, Shaw proved he was the man by scoring many touchdowns. Shaw was also on the first-team All Pac-10 that year.

1997 was the year Shaw became the captain of the team. By saying that, he was “The Man.” He had 74 catches for over 1,000 yards and 11 miraclous touchdowns. Even though the Golden Bears only won three games that year, Shaw helped out the team in a 40-36 win over Oklahoma by having 158 yards and two touchdowns.

Through Sporting News, it said Shaw was on the All-American first-team. After that big accomplishment, UCLA coach, Bobby Toledo, made this remark: “He’s the best receiver in the conference, one of the best in the country, and he’ll end up being the best receiver in Cal history.”

He did. Shaw had 180 catches for 2,731 yards and 27 touchdowns. Shaw became the Golden Bears’ all-time leader in receptions. Now how’s that? Shaw looked to become a big player in the pros as he declared for the NFL Draft the following year.

Shaw was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round. I expected Shaw to be drafted up, but it looked to be a steal for Seattle. But it wasn’t. The Seahawks let go of him and Shaw was now wearing a number 82 jersey for the Steelers. Shaw didn’t do anything that year, as the stats show.

In Shaw’s second year, he had 28 catches for 387 yards and three touchdowns. It also included a 49 yard reception as his longest one. In 2000, Shaw’s third year in the NFL and with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Shaw had 40 catches for 672 yards and four touchdowns. It also included more than one 45 yard receptions!

Shaw’s fourth season, 2001, looked to become a little disappointing, but he was one position off for the slot. Shaw had 24 catches for 409 yards and two touchdowns. It also included a crazy, more than one, 90 yard plays!

In 2002, Shaw was placed to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his debut with the team, he had 44 catches for 525 yards and only one touchdown. He also had a real long 48 yard reception. After a pretty decent year with Jacksonville, Shaw went on with the Buffalo Bills in 2003.

Shaw had one spectacular year with the Bills. Now these were good stats for only seven games starting in: 56 catches for 732 yards and four touchdowns! He also had more than one 54 yard receptions. Shaw looked to become a good behind-slot receiver.

In 2004, it looked to me that Shaw was injured. He was on two teams that year. This also was his last time ever playing. Shaw had five catches for 59 yards and no touchdowns but a 20 yard reception. I don’t know if he was traded or released but he was with the Chargers after that.

He only had one stat with the team, in rushing. One carry for one yard with a 1.0 average yards per carry. It was his last time every playing in a game.

Shaw later retired in 2007. He is turning 34 years old, which means he still has a shot in the NFL. But Shaw really doesn’t want to, I think. He is chilling in his big mansion in Brentwood, California.

One point in Shaw’s career was funny though. According in my research in various sites, Wikipedia said that when Shaw was with the Steelers, a disappointing thing happened. After a blowout defeat from the Titans, Shaw took off his jersey and his undershirt was a Superman shirt. Don’t really think it is that funny but folks, you can decide on that part.

Shaw retired with 197 catches for 2,784 and 14 touchdowns. Now readers, don’t say that he sucked because of his stats. At least actually made it to the NFL. Like I said in my Tyrone Calico article, anyone who makes it to the NFL, has a big skill in playing (unless if you are Ryan Leaf). Shaw is known as one of the best fourth-string players. Fourth-string wide receivers are the ones behind the slot receivers.

Shaw is known as a great player to me. He is considered a decent player. Not great, but pretty decent.

Now do you remember Bobby Shaw?

Still one of the best fourth-string players ever in NFL history, still chilling in his awesome mansion in Brentwood, California.

ARTICLE ALSO FEATURED ON:

1. Sports Report with J.D.
2. Sports Guys

Spring Cleaning My Dallas Cowboys’ Grievances

It was about 3:00 Friday afternoon last week when I looked up at my desk calendar and noticed that there was a holiday that day.

Confused and a little excited about what that holiday might be, I leaned closer to read the fine print, hopeful that maybe—just maybe—I might have an excuse to eat some cake and ice cream.

Unfortunately, this “holiday” was a lame one. Friday, Mar. 20, 2009 is apparently the day that “Spring Begins.” Yippee!

No cake, no ice cream…Oh well, that was probably for the best.

Several minutes after this discovery, however, two thoughts began to creep slowly into my mind.

The first was inconsequential but still slightly annoying. I realized, for perhaps the first time ever, that every school I had ever attended had been lying to me all along. There is no such thing as “Spring Break.”

Every spring break I have ever been on started in early March, typically right after or on my birthday (March 9—remember this day, as I now expect presents from all who read this next year).

This means that in all my years of schooling, I had two winter breaks every year—or because I refuse to conform to our increasingly PC world, a Christmas break and a winter break—and never had one stinkin’ spring break.

What a robbery!

This annoyance quickly went away though after my rational realization that, whether spring or winter, the beer in Mexico would have tasted just as good…and boy, was it delicious!

The second thought that spring sprang (oh, fun with words!) to mind is something that has been and always will be directly associated with spring time: Spring Cleaning.

So to get into the spirit of the season, these past few days I have been cleaning!

On Friday, I cleaned my office desk. Sure, it was only a light dusting, but I still left my desk in better condition than I found it.

On Sunday, I gave my car a much needed cleansing, and I’m happy to report she looks pretty as new. I also intended on cleaning my apartment Sunday, but laziness overtook me and I decided that task would have to wait for another day.

Monday was that day, as I finally cleaned my apartment after weeks (don’t judge me) of saying I was going to do it and failing to do so.

Now it is so clean that I could eat a steak off the bathroom floor. (And I might have to, because I forgot to clean my dishes. I’ll have to do that after I write this!)

So once the dishes are out of the dishwasher and into my cabinets, my little world will be completely clean, and my Spring Cleaning for 2009 will be complete. Or will it?

Not quite.

Put quite simply, I have a couple of hot sports opinions regarding my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, and I have just been dying to get them off my chest and into writing.

In other words, it is time to Spring Clean a couple of negative feelings out of this little sports fan’s brain!

So without further ado—and after probably the longest ever introduction in Bleacher Report history—I would like to offer you my top three Dallas Cowboys grievances that have nothing to do with their on-the-field performance:

 

1) Tony Romo’s Hat

I have defended Tony Romo with about as much loyalty as is physically and mentally possible.

I’ve defended his play, his choice of girlfriend, his vacation to Mexico, and his postgame comments after the embarrassingly pathetic loss to the dirty birds of Philly. I like Romo as my quarterback, and I’ve got his back in every corner…except one.

I cannot—will not—defend Tony Romo’s awful choice of post-game attire, namely his hat. Its one thing to see him walk out in that goofy “hat” after a win, but after a loss, it only makes the bad worse. It makes me want to throw something

It’s not cool, it’s not hip, and I sincerely hope that it is not back for the 2009-2010 season. Hopefully this will be one more of the many Cowboys’ problems that will be “solved” by the departure of Terrell Owens, because as we all know, he wears them too.

 

2) Bandwagon/Fairweather Fans

Every team has them, and ever real fan can’t stand them.

The Dallas Cowboys bandwagon, however, is about as bad as they come. And I’m sick of it.

It seems like every year I read and hear people say that they have been a fan for as long as they can remember, but that “after this loss/season/player acquisition, I’m done with the Cowboys!”

To those people, I say good riddance. Don’t come back.

Be mad. Be frustrated. Demand accountability. But always, always stand by your team.

Otherwise, you were either:

A) Never a true fan to begin with.

B) Someone that takes the game way too seriously. If you can’t take a loss or a disappointing season, then you probably have bigger issues than what team colors you are going to wear when Sunday rolls around.

 

3) The Sense of Entitlement of the Average Cowboys’ Fan

This fan might even be worse than bandwagoners, and is probably even more common.

The Cowboys’ haven’t won any game of any significance in over a decade, yet this fan comes out every year and proclaims “Super Bowl or bust!”.

Really?!?

I want another Super Bowl here in Dallas as bad as anyone. Really, I do. (While we’re at it, I’d like a Mavs’ Finals win and a Baylon MNC.)

The cold hard truth of the matter is that there are 32 teams in the NFL. Each one of those teams have paid professionals playing and coaching that team up. These teams also have fans just like you who think that their team should win every year.

Well guess what, only one team wins it every year. There have even been some really solid franchises that have never won a Super Bowl: The Eagles, Bills, Titans, Panthers, Vikings, and Seahawks all come to mind.

Cowboys fans, lose your sense of entitlement and just enjoy the ride. It’s a pretty fun one after all.

 

 

I feel better now, I really do. Its amazing what a clean car, desk, apartment, and a little venting can do. I finally feel as if my Spring Cleaning is complete…crap, I forgot to do my laundry.

The Denver Broncos Need Jay Cutler—Cutler Needs The Broncos

After a long interview with NFL Network’s Scott Hansen, it appears as though the Denver Broncos are ready to move forward with Jay Cutler as their starting quarterback—Cutler just needs to agree to the same.

“He’s our quarterback, we want him to be our quarterback,” Josh McDaniels stated in the interview.

As much as the media like to hype up the situation, McDaniels insists that the Cutler trade talks were “talks”, and nothing more.

“Was there something that occurred right at the beginning of free agency? Sure, there was. There were conversations and that’s really where it kind of ends. There wasn’t anything that came across (Pat) Bowlen’s desk, there wasn’t anything that we were trying to push hard to get through. It never even got to (Bowlen). Conversations were had and we’ve never denied that, but at the same time it’s our job to look at every opportunity that we can to see if it’s something that could improve our football team and that’s what we were doing.”

The Broncos then realized their best bet to win is with Jay Cutler, and they seem to have known that since the beginning.

Whoever is giving Jay Cutler advice, they do not seem to have his best interests at heart.  Cutler’s best option and best situation for 2009 and beyond is with the Denver Broncos.

McDaniels feels that the best thing for this current situation is to sit down one-on-one, face-to-face with Jay Cutler.  If Cutler still does not want to be with the Broncos, and has no intention of helping this team win, then he needs to go. 

What everyone is failing to realize is that Jay Cutler, despite the fact that he wants to be traded, is still under contract with the Broncos and has to respect that commitment he made to the team.  No matter how much he dislikes McDaniels or distrusts him, he is still an employee of the Denver Broncos.

With Cutler at the helm, it appears as though the Broncos are going to be big time contenders in the AFC West this season. 

Their offense does not lack playmakers by any means, the defense is vastly improved with new additions like Andre’ Goodman and Brian Dawkins, and they currently hold nine picks in the upcoming draft. 

Denver is in a great position to win now, provided they can bulk up their defensive line.

Cutler is not even in the prime of his career, and has already set nearly every single-season Broncos passing record, made a Pro Bowl, and most admirably has battled Type 1 diabetes through it all.

Despite his recent showing of poor character, Cutler is very active in the Denver community and is one of the more charitable players in the NFL, which forces one to wonder if his words are really the words of his agent, James “Bus” Cook.

In any case, life does go on. 

Whether Cutler is throwing passes for the Denver Broncos in 2009 remains up in the air, it would appear that the best option for both parties is to work things out. 

While it is intriguing to think of the prospects of the Broncos acquiring a new young gun like Brady Quinn or Jason Campbell and a slew of draft picks, anyone who knows the NFL knows that the best situation for Cutler is Denver, and Denver’s best shot to win is with Cutler.

It is a terrible shame that the situation has got this far out of hand, but like McDaniels said, “Nothing is irreparable.” 

If Cutler can get on the same page, if he would just sit down with McDaniels, the Broncos can get back to the most important order of business:  Winning.

Seahawks Re-Starting a Legacy

Many people believe because the Seattle Seahawks had a terrible season last year, they’ll never get back to the 2005 Super Bowl team they once were.

But let me tell you one thing: those people are all wrong.

Breaking Down the deal the Seahawks are facing:

Injuries

During the 2007-08 playoffs and in the 2008-09 preseason and regular seasons, the Seahawks sustained a lot of injuries that contributed to their unsuccessful season last year.

The first one was Deion Branch in the 2007-08 playoffs. In the playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Branch damaged his ACL to the point where it required surgery, surgery that took him out until late ’09 season.

Then Bobby Engram got injured in the 2008-09 preseason and Nate Burlesson injured himself in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills, leaving Seattle with just it’s backup receivers until late season.

A little later, starting running back Maurice Morris injured his tail bone, an injury leaving backup Julius Jones as the starter most of the season.

Then mid season, of course, QB Matt Hasselbeck got injured, leaving him out for the rest of the season and a young Seneca Wallace throwing to three sub-par inexperiencd receivers, and handing off to a backup.

What did all this add up to?

An offense full of backups and a bad season for the Seahawks. However, late in the season the Seahawks pulled off an upset win over the high-flying Jets with almost none of their starters playing, leading to high hopes for next season when they would have their team back. 

Losses

Last season and this off season provided a number of key player losses for the Seahawks.

Rising receiver D.J. Hackett was lost to Carolina before the season even started, which didn’t help when losing all of their receivers to injuries.

Another loss before the season was declining, past MVP RB Sean Alexander. The Seahawks released him and he wasn’t picked up for a while, but was eventually snagged by the Redskins.

Then, this off season, the Seahawks lost quite a few key players. FB Leonard Weaver was lost to the Eagles as was RB Maurice Morris to the Detroit Lions.

Rocky Bernard was picked up by the New York Giants, too, leaving a hole in their defensive line.

Then there was the controversial Julian Peterson trade to the Lions, denying the Seahawks of a Pro Bowl LB for salary cap room for the upcoming draft. Then, of course, WR Bobby Engram’s status with Seattle is still unknown as he remains a free agent. 

Acquisitions

Along with their many losses to free agency, trade, and injury, the Seahawks have gained many players to fill their roster back up.

First, there’s RBs Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett to fill the hole left by Maurice Morris heading to Detroit. Julius Jones showed some signs of stardom last season when he got the starting job, and T.J. Duckett is a big former Lion that can run guys over like a full back when they need him to at the goaline.

Then there’s defensive lineman Cory Redding, who the Seahawks got from Detroit in the Peterson trade, ready to fill the hole left by Bernard’s loss.

Wide Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh is definitely their biggest gain, as this star WR is ready to stop playing second fiddle to Ocho-Cinco and take over the star role in Seattle.

Leonard Weaver and Julian Peterson are still not replaced, leaving you to think if they’ll use that No. 4 overall pick for a FB or LB instead of WR Michael Crabtree or OT Brian Orakpo.

Hmmmmmmm………………..

Draft

Like I said above, some holes left by losses of players could be the way Seattle goes in the first round or second round. I guess the only good thing about Seattle’s terrible season is that they get a darn good draft pick— No. 4 overall.

Along with that, they got another pick in the Julian Peterson trade, a third rounder. After the gain of Houshmandzadeh, people have started to question whether Seattle will really take WR Crabtree in the first round, and thoughts have drifted off to Texas OT Brian Orakpo.

I think they should take a LOLB in the first round myself, as they could get the best one available to replace Peterson. Then in the second or third round they could get a FB to replace Leonard Weaver and a WR to help add strength to their receiving core and replace D.J. Hackett.

Maybe, though, just maybe, they might take Georgia RB Shawn Moreno to add Rookie Power to their running backs. Just saying :). 

So, with all their injured players returning, great acquisitions and draft picks replacing losses, and that gleaming glory of an early draft pick, the Seattle Seahawks will take flight again next season, and become title contenders. 

Cut-Throat: The Tragedy of Jay Cutler

As the year 2008 came to a close, so did an era in Denver Broncos history.

Mike Shanahan, domestically known as a genius and a mastermind, was officially relieved of his duties as Denver Broncos head coach. During his 14-year tenure, he won two epic back-to-back Super Bowls.

Of course, he had a little help with the dynamic John Elway under center.

The late 90s defined Shanahan’s career—which was exactly the problem.

Owner Pat Bowlen and the Broncos front administration grew weary of the Broncos’ inability to accomplish much in the playoffs post-Elway. They had “circumnavigated” the football world twice already, yet they were looking in a new direction: enter Josh McDaniels.

Young, fiery, and accomplished-yet-not-proven, McDaniels made his point clear from day one: no one is safe. It’s almost as if Bowlen completely handed the keys of the ‘Vette to this first-time head coach, and no matter where McDaniels wanted to go, Bowlen was going to be down for the ride.

McDaniels’s first order of business? Simple! Weed out your Pro Bowl quarterback and replace him with the guy you mentored, who was coming off of one good season.

An unproven coach and an unproven quarterback? To Bowlen, that’s the recipe for success!

Not quite.

Word got out to Jay Cutler that the Broncos were heavily pursing a trade with the Patriots that would acquire Matt Cassel. Needless to say, he was a bit … ticked. He thought he was the guy in Denver. He thought he was tried, tested, and true.

Not quite.

I can’t really blame McDaniels for trying to get the guy he coached last season. He didn’t draft Cutler. So, if Coach McDaniels comes in, and wants to implement a brand new offense, and Cutler doesn’t fit, what happens? Is he going to tell Chris Simms to throw on a helmet and get out there?

Not quite.

Cutler, understandably, was befuddled and felt betrayed. He had been promised that other than Shanahan, there would be no more personnel moves and that everything would come to pass. But that’s just it:

In the NFL, nothing comes to pass.

The NFL, just like a McDonald’s, a Best Buy, or any other large corporation, is a business, first and foremost. Players get too attached to their cities and coaches. The NFL is a business, run by money-hungry owners and general managers. They want success at all costs, and they’re going to ship out anyone and everyone who they feel is not going to warrant that.

I don’t feel sorry for Cutler. He’s mealy-mouthed and a bit too gaudy for my liking. However, the Broncos organization approached this situation the exact way that you don’t want to: stubborn and impartial.

For a team that stumbled during the last half of the season, this cannot bode well.

The front administration of the Broncos must have felt the same, because they attempted to defuse the situation by meeting with Cutler on numerous occasions.

No matter. Cutler has vowed to never suit up for the Denver Broncos another day in his life, and even though McDaniels says otherwise, he is all but encouraging that notion.

Regardless, whether the Broncos trade him or keep him, the new coach is not making many friends within the organization. Maybe that’s the way he likes it, maybe not.

Either way, it’s about time that somebody else became more dysfunctional than the Raiders.

And that’s sad.

 

Two Reasons To Not Draft Matthew Stafford

If you’re a fan of one of the roughly 20 teams in the NFL that want and/or need a franchise quarterback, you’ve probably been hearing one of two things for the past four weeks.

Option One: “Matthew Stafford’s the real deal; we should pick him/trade up to get him.”

Option Two: “Holy cow! We should mortgage our souls for Jay Cutler!”

While the strongest argument could be made for Cutler because he has a professional resume, Stafford has become the quarterback du jour this spring.

Everyone from Detroit to Denver has a man-crush on the former Georgia Bulldog signal caller.

But I would argue that, if I can borrow a little Axl Rose, all you need is a little patience. If you’re wearing your Barry Sanders jersey right now, or if you’re missing Mike Holmgren already, there are two options just 12 months away that might serve your franchise better in the long run than jumping for this year’s favorite.

Option Three: “I could deal with a year of Daunte Culpepper if it means a decade of Sam Bradford.”

Option Four: “I could handle trading down and getting a good linebacker/offensive tackle if it means a shot at Colt McCoy in 2010.”

If you’re loving the Options theme we have going, let’s look at all three of these collegiate gems next to each other.

Quarterback One:

328-483 (67.9 percent), 4,720 yds (337.1/gm), 50 TD, 8 Int. Completed 63.9 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and two interceptions in the fourth quarter.

Completed 67.2 percent of his passes on third down, converting 58 of 112 attempts into first downs.

Quarterback Two:

332-433 (76.7 percent), 3,859 yds (296.8/gm), 34 TDs, 8 Int. Completed 70.9 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the fourth quarter.

Completed 75.3 percent of his passes on third down, converting 56 of 97 attempts into first downs.

Quarterback Three:

235-383 (61.4 percent), 3,459 yds (266.1/gm), 25 TD, 11 Int. Completed 56.1 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and one interception in the fourth quarter.

Completed 58.7 percent of his passes on third down, converting 54 of 104 attempts into first downs.

If the gaudy touchdown and completion percentage numbers didn’t give it away, Quarterback One is Bradford, Two is McCoy, and Three is Stafford.

I focused on the fourth quarter and third downs as other statistics of interest because those are generally when pressure is its highest on a college quarterback.

The easy crutch for Stafford’s numbers being less than those of Bradford and McCoy was the presence of a first round pick next to him in Georgia’s backfield; Knowshon Moreno must have taken away some of Stafford’s plays, right?

Moreno had a fabulous season last year. In 13 games he ran for exactly 1,400 yards (5.60 per carry) and 16 touchdowns.

However, as a team, Georgia ranked just 54th in the nation as a rushing offense last year, with 1,928 yards on the ground and 21 touchdowns as a team.

Consider that next to Bradford’s allegedly pass-happy Oklahoma team, that ranked 13th with 2,779 yards and 45 touchdowns. Or McCoy’s Texas team, that ranked 38th with 2,177 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Though pundits will argue that Oklahoma got a lot of junk touchdowns and carries on the ground late in blow-outs, that doesn’t change the fact that they played against a tough Big 12 schedule that included McCoy’s Texas.

The same can be said about McCoy. In all, Georgia’s SEC faced defenses that were, across the conference, on par with those faced by Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12.

Also consider that McCoy had 11 rushing touchdowns and over 500 yards on the ground for himself.

So while Matthew Stafford might be the tempting pick in 2009, a little patience might bring a better player at the top of the 2010 draft.

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