Roger Goodell To Have Super Bowl on the Moon, And Move Games to Tuesday

Ever since Roger Goodell became commissioner of the National Football League, he’s made it his mission to leave his mark.  Right from the start he instituted the NFL player conduct policy, also known as the Pacman Jones policy, as well as placing big “C”‘s on the jerseys of the captains of the team, and even moving the Pro Bowl to Miami next season.

Goodell’s latest ideas include upping the amount of regular season games to 17, and even moving the Super Bowl to London, England to be played President’s Day weekend.  Now, having a three day weekend would be nice for Super Bowl Sunday, but doesn’t that mean the season wouldn’t begin until October?  Unless the Super Bowl teams want to have a month long bye instead of a week.

Also, with 17 games, that means that every team will either play with one more home game or one less.  How are they going to decide which team to shaft?  Then again, they already shaft at least one team with waste of time European game.  Seriously, how much money does he think he can eek out of it in Europe?  Does he have a deal with the Queen?

Feeling he hadn’t made enough changes yet, he decided to move the Pro Bowl not only to Miami, but a week BEFORE the Super Bowl.  Before the Super Bowl?  What’s next, is he going to make it mandatory that those elected to the Pro Bowl must play, including those players who will be playing in the Super Bowl the week after? 

Has it occurred to him that the best players who get voted to the Pro Bowl end up in the Super Bowl, and therefore will have no interest in the Pro Bowl at all?  Oh, and just so he could make another change, he declared the Pro Bowl will go back to Honolulu the next year.  Then why even move it there in the first place?  It’s like presenting someone with a meal, letting them sniff it, and then taking it away.

It’s kind of amazing how Goodell is planning all of these major changes, yet still can’t seem to solve the simple ones, such as getting the NFL Network into more homes.  Or is he more interested in England getting to see games?

As from the headline, you can tell where I think he wants to take the league.  I can see him planning secret trips to the moon to construct a football field.  And who knows, he might just move football from Sundays to a week night.  Or he might not even have it on a designated day.  He might just have games on every single day.

Now I know everyone in power wants to leave a legacy, and after Paul Tagliabue retired, he definitely had to strike quick to try to erase him.  But there’s a difference in change and improvement.  You shouldn’t change just because you can. 

Goodell, leave the game alone.  Sixteen games works.  The Super Bowl the first week of February works.  And if you move the Super Bowl to another country, you should be branded a traitor and forced to dress up in a redcoat for the rest of your life.

Philadelphia Eagles’ Potential Battles That Could Shape The ’09 Season

[Originally Posted At 2 Minutes to Midnight Green]

For a fan, there’s nothing better than opening week. That first game ends months of frustration and hanging on to any kind of football fix he/she can get (i.e. the draft).

For a player, there’s nothing better than being in a battle. A battle with a person you see every day, a person wearing the same colors as you.

Going in every day knowing that if you’re not at the top of your game on that practice field, you’ll never see that playing field. No player cares to know how that bench feels.

The stress is incredible, the mental toughness must be at its highest level, and your body must be at its peak.

It’s that time from a couple weeks after the draft right up until the Saturday before that first game. It’s that time that will make or break a season, a career.

Every season there are a few key battles during camps (mini-camp, training camp, etc.) that will shape the team for the coming year, and this year is no different for the 2009 Philadelphia Eagles.

In fact, there may be more for the Eagles this year than any prior year. Old faces are gone, new faces are ready to step in, but how will it break down?

Free Safety – Sean Jones vs. Quintin Demps

Jones is the veteran, Demps is the young guy. However Demps has a year on Jones as far as seniority with the Eagles is concerned.

Jones has been highly underrated during his time in the league with Cleveland. If you’ve been an Eagles fan for more than five minutes, you’ve seen the stat that he’s third in the league over the past three years in interceptions by a safety with 14 (behind Ed Reed and O.J. Atogwe).

Jones is a ballhawk. He’s a guy who can change a game with that key interception or deflection. He played well on a bad Cleveland defense, so what might he be able to do surrounded by the third-best defense in the league?

Demps is coming into his second year after being drafted in the fourth round out of UTEP (Texas El-Paso). His key role with the team in his rookie year was in the return game, and he did a decent job. He had one return for a touchdown, but unfortunately it came in a game that will only be remembered for the benching of Donovan McNabb.

In some spot duty last season, Demps looked lost at times. He also made some dumb rookie mistakes.

For examples of both, just look at the NFC Championship game vs. the Arizona Cardinals. His late hit on Kurt Warner was wrong, stupid, costly, and if I were Reid he wouldn’t have seen the field again.

Then there was the triple pass from Warner to Edge to Warner to Fitzgerald 60 yards down the field. Demps falls over himself and Fitz walks into the endzone. Can Demps be trusted this early in his career?

I don’t believe so.

Starter: Sean Jones – Demps will be a starter at some point, but now is not that time. I think the Eagles keep him as a returner and maybe give him some time in the defensive backfield.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Rashad Baker, Victor Harris

Cornerback – Sheldon Brown vs. Ellis Hobbs vs. Joselio Hanson

Brown is the incumbent starter, but due to his recent contract squabbles may find himself out of favor with Reid & Co. That’s not to say that he would be sat simply because he’s complaining about his status on the team, but it could cause some mental lapses for him (like Lito Sheppard last year).

The key here will be if Brown can separate football from business and just shut up and play. If he can, he should be fine, but if not he’ll be in trouble.

Hobbs is a guy who the Eagles just traded for over this draft weekend. Two fifth-round picks is a steal for a guy who has started for a team like the New England Patriots over the past few years.

The knock on Hobbs is his size. At 5’9″ it will be difficult for him to cover some of the taller receivers. He, like Brown, also has issues with his contract and may or may not throw a fit as well.

His contract was a main reason for his trade in the first place. Hopefully he doesn’t bring it up until after the season.

Hanson is really a dark horse in all of this, but is a guy who cannot be overlooked either by the media or Brown and Hobbs. Since they both have contract issues and are looking to get paid, Hanson may be able to beat them out by simply focusing on only football and overplaying them in camp.

Hanson got his payday, so there’s nothing to worry about on that front. He stepped up big time last year while taking advantage of Sheppard’s situation. He got paid, and now looks to fight off new competition and keep his spot.

Starter: Sheldon Brown – I don’t believe that Brown will allow his contract situation to distract him. I think he keeps his job for this year and probably gets unloaded next year. Look for Hobbs and Hanson to battle it out, but probably wind up splitting time in the nickel anyway.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Jack Ickegwuonu, Victor Harris

Linebacker – Omar Gaither vs. Akeem Jordan

Gaither has been a starter since halfway through his rookie season. He’s taken over for a Philly icon in Jeremiah Trotter, and also was the reason Takeo Spikes was sent packing after only one season.

After being a fifth round selection out of Tennessee, Gaither has far outperformed his expectations. He’s football-savvy, and a blue-collar, hard-working player. However after the debacle vs. Baltimore last season, Gaither was inexplicably deemed the scapegoat and benched in favor of Akeem Jordan.

Jordan was an undrafted rookie free agent in 2007 out of D-1AA James Madison in Virginia. Jordan is somewhat undersized at 6’1″ and 226 lbs, but he makes up for it with his speed off the edge and his vision to get through to the ball-carrier.

After replacing Gaither in 2008, Jordan impressed by coming on quickly. A huge thing for a new starter is not having that one bad play that sticks out, and I can’t recall any for Jordan.

All that means is that he did his job. He wasn’t spectacular, but he did his job and that’s really all that can be expected of a young player.

Starter: Omar Gaither – While I liked the way Jordan played last year, I think that Gaither is just a much more polished linebacker who’s not finished getting better. I do not believe he has hit his ceiling quite yet, and the trade talk surrounding him is ridiculous. Look for Gaither on the weakside in ’09.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Charleston Hughes, Moise Fukou, Tank Daniels

Left Defensive End – Juqua Parker vs. Darren Howard vs. Victor Abiamiri

Parker, formerly known as Juqua Thomas, has been the starter for the past couple of years, and has done an admirable job in his role. He is a big guy who plays well against the run and can get some pressure on the quarterback.

His weakness is the latter portion of the season. His production drops off significantly after Week 8 or so, and can cause problems for the defense trying to push for a playoff spot in a tough division.

Howard was a big free agent acquisition a few years back after becoming a big name in New Orleans, however his time with the Eagles has been average at best. Howard had bulked up to around 290 in order to be able to play both end and tackle in Jim Johnson’s defense.

In 2008, he dropped about 20 pounds and played around 270. The drop really showed and paid off as he led the team with 10 sacks and played like the elite player he was in New Orleans. The problem with Howard is that he will turn 33 during the season, and is a little old to be a starting end.

Abiamiri was a second round pick in 2007 and has a lot of high expectations from the Eagles’ coaching staff. He was having a promising training camp last year before a wrist injury sidelined him for a few weeks.

He didn’t seem to ever fully recover from injury, playing in only 10 games and was only able to muster two sacks. He’s still a young guy, but a guy that the Eagles want to see develop into the player they thought was worthy of a second round pick just a couple of years ago.

Starter: Juqua Parker – I think Parker will get the nod again this year because he’s really the best option. Abiamiri is untapped potential at this point, and Howard really is in the back-end of his career. Parker will start, but the rotation will probably be heavier than ever, with all three of these guys seeing time.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Bryan Smith, Chris Clemons

Center – Jamaal Jackson vs. Nick Cole

Jackson has been the starter at center ever since 2006 when he beat out Hank Fraley for the spot and even having the competition showing up on the cover of SI magazine (pictured above).

After two sub-par seasons from Jackson, who played like a Pro Bowl guy in 2006, the Eagles coaching staff and fans have put him on notice. At this rate, Jackson may find him on the SI cover again. However this time he may not like the outcome.

Cole impressed the staff (and the fans) last year by filling in for Max Jean-Gilles who was filling in for Shawn Andrews at right guard. Cole played extremely well and really surpassed expectations by playing well in the run and pass.

He really helped to calm the nerves of an anxious city after seeing a Pro Bowl right guard and his backup both go down with season-ending injuries. Cole is a good player and certainly deserves his shot.

Starter: Jamaal Jackson – This may be a surprise, but overall I believe Jackson is the best player here. Granted, he hasn’t played well over the past couple of years, but that could have been because of the lack of competition. Yes he should have been able to perform regardless, but competition pushes players to play better. He knows he’s on a short leash.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Mike McGlynn

Battles Not Determining A Starter:

Wide Receiver – Jeremy Maclin vs. Reggie Brown vs. Hank Baskett

This is assuming that Curtis and D-Jack have the one and two spots locked up, with Avant having time guaranteed somewhere.

Maclin, this year’s first round pick, is a guy who may take a couple years to develop, or he’ll be an instant sensation. The reason he may take a couple years is because of the offense he ran at Mizzou. I don’t think the kid ran a single intermediate route, something a receiver must do a lot in the west coast offense.

He will be a good receiver, whether that is ’09 or as late as ’11, we’ll just have to wait and see. His success will be contingent upon learning the playbook. From there, it’s all on his talent, and there’s no shortage of that.

Brown may be as good as gone in the minds of Philly fans, but I’m not so sure that Reid & Co. feel the same way. There’s a reason they made him a second round pick, and he’s shown flashes of that throughout his short time here in Philly.

In his first two years, he accumulated 89 receptions, 1,387 yards, 12 TD’s, and one rushing touchown for 13 total. That’s not bad for your first two years in the league.

2006 was by far his best season with 46 receptions for 816 yards and nine total touchdowns, including one rushing. He looked to have the speed, the burst, the hands, and the football intelligence to be a successful receiver in the league.

Even in 2007 he had a pretty good year, with a career-high 61 receptions for 780 yards and four touchdowns.

The point being that I do not believe Reggie should be cut or traded or whatever else because he comes out and has one bad year, the first really bad year of his career. He was banged up last year, and should be given another shot to compete.

When healthy, I believe Reggie has a very high ceiling. He may never become more than a two or three, but he certainly warrants a spot on this roster and another chance to prove himself.

Baskett is a guy who I feel is extremely underutilized. They have not used him in positions where he would be a fantastic asset, such as the redzone.

The guy is 6’4″ and a huge target. They thought enough of him to trade for him as an undrafted rookie free agent before he had even gone to mini-camp, so they must have had a plan for him.

He’s a good combination of size and speed, as evidenced by the fact that he’s only one of six players in NFL history to have two or more touchdown receptions of 90+ yards.

Battle Winner: Jeremy Maclin – DeSean Jackson’s success last year has hopefully opened Reid’s eyes to the fact that receivers can contribute right away. As I said, Maclin may be a bit raw in the route-running department for the first year, but that’s something that can be coached up. He’s got too much talent to sit on the bench.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Brandon Gibson (after talking to some people from WSU, it would appear that Gibson may be a steal in the sixth), Shaheer McBride

Running Back – Lorenzo Booker vs. Kyle Eckel

Booker was not given a large role in the backfield last year, and therefore was not able to do much, only getting on the field during garbage time of a huge win. Booker was brought in because of his similarities to Brian Westbrook with the thought being that he could spell Westbrook.

That never came to fruition, and now Booker’s place on this team is being questioned, especially with the addition of second round pick LeSean “Shady” McCoy. However, having sunk a fourth round pick into him, Booker will get every chance to succeed before being let go.

Eckel was a mid-season signing, and like Booker, did not get many opportunities. However, unlike Booker, Eckel made the best of his opportunities. He was brought in as a fullback, but used more as a big running back for short-yardage situations.

While he did a good job on offense and special teams, Eckel may not have a place on the roster because of the signing of Leonard Weaver from Seattle. Reid does not like to usually have the same kind of player at the same position, but both of these players fit into that category.

Battle Winner: Kyle Eckel – This is a close call, but I believe Eckel edges Booker here because of his ability to also play special teams. Eckel is a blue-collar guy who Reid will fall in love with because he’ll stick his nose into any pile, and player, and will run fearless on the field.

Eckel may be similar to Weaver, but it boils down to contribution, and he will contribute more between offense and special teams, whereas Booker would only play offense. Reid already has a Westbrook-clone in McCoy.

I believe Booker can be a good player, and will be a good pickup for another team after being released in a numbers game.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Eldra Buckley, Walter Mendenhall

 

All of these battles warrant some attention, as they will shape the team not only for next year, but years to come. This is the most important time of the year for teams around the NFL to find out what they have on their roster.

The Eagles are no different. Stay tuned, it promises to be an exciting time.

Kansas City Chiefs: “The LSU Connection”

The NFL Draft is now over and the Kansas City Chiefs seems to have an LSU connection here. How would you grade the team’s picks and where do they go from here?

There are currently four players on the Chiefs roster that comes from LSU. The most notable is by far Glenn Dorsey.

Glenn Dorsey did not play up to his expectations last year as he tried to fit into Gunthers scheme. We all know what type of player he can be as we seen from his LSU days.

He is an explosive and huge figure to play up against. If he catches on to Todd Haleys scheme, he will be a force to be reckon with.

Dwayne Bowe for instance has seemed to pick up the system nicely. Dwayne and Matt Cassel should put up some good numbers this year, if all goes right. With the loss of Tony Gonzalez, Dwayne should be the number one go to guy.

Travis Daniels shows alot of promise but still has a way to go to be a stop cornerback. Travis also has alot of competition this year with Carr and Flowers on the rise.

That leaves Tyson Jackson, at 6’4″ 296 lbs.He is a big statue at the defensive end spot. Tyson Jackson started 38 of 53 games at LSU recording 122 tackles (53 solos).

He ranks eighth in school history with 18.5 sacks and 30 quarterback pressures. Not bad stats for a kid that comes from West St. John High School.

As he reunites with Glenn Dorsey, and show the skills he showed at LSU, together they should be a dominate force for the Chiefs defensive line.

 With the number of LSU players and the Patriots leadership along with Todd Haley’s knowledge of talent, the Kansas City Chiefs should be the team to beat, if the puzzle falls in place.

State of the AFC East: Post Draft

This article is not about grading each AFC East team’s 2009 NFL Draft. As far as I’m concerned, it does not appear any of the four teams screwed up their drafts, and it looks like each team did well in their own ways.

Whether their choices work out of not, each team addressed serious needs. I am not going to argue how well these needs were address, however. The needs were addressed, for the most part.

The state of the AFC East, Post-Draft, depends on the state of each team.

Still, holistically, what with Brady’s return, the Jets getting Mark Sanchez (who should be able to step into the starting position at quarterback immediately), the Fins getting not just one but two outstanding cornerbacks so they don’t have to rely on free agent vets coached by others, and the Bills getting a similar level of offensive line help so Trent Edwards can play the whole season with TO and company, I’d like to rename this division.

AFC BEAST!

Just think. Two short years ago when it was the Patriots and three lousy teams, the division was called AFC Least. Then last year it was AFC Not-Least.

Further, if this division can cope well with collectively having the NFL’s hardest schedules playing the AFC South and NFC South, the term AFC Beast will, or will not, have been earned.

In the order that I think these teams will finish (for whatever that’s worth!), let me state what looks to be the state of each AFC East team at this point.

Patriots:

I can’t see them finishing any worse than 11-5, what with Brady’s return, looking at their schedule. Very much to their advantage, after they come back from London and the Saints, which they should win, they have a bye week…and then get the Fins at home! In other words, they should beat the Dolphins at least once.

Since the Pats didn’t need to draft for a whole slew of positions–unlike the other three teams which did–and mainly drafted for depth and to shore up a couple of defense slots that are getting old, such as linebacker, and replacing Ellis Hobbs with Patrick Chung, I’d have to say Belichick had a good but not great draft.

But then again, he didn’t need a great draft as long as Brady really is coming back to his old form. In fact, it is how Brady plays in 2009 that will determine how well the Pats do in the standings.

That’s because the rest of the division has improved quite a bit. So, if Brady does not have the year we all expect him to have–a good one, if not a great one–the Pats might still make the playoffs anyway as a division winner or wildcard.

Folks, just as Don Shula was the best coach overall during his tenure, Bill Belichick is this era’s Don Shula, love him or hate him. You simply can’t tell me he won’t do his best to keep the Patriots “up there” in the standings!

 

Dolphins:

Another coach/regime that can be compared to Shula is the coach/regime of the present-day Dolphins. Parcells-Sparano had many folks comparing the 2008 turnaround Fins with the turnaround Fins of 1970. Shula was bound and determined to rebuild this expansion team while winning, and so it goes with the “Trifecta.”

I’ve seen folks rate Miami’s draft anywhere from B plus to C minus, and that seems to depend on how well Pat White and Patrick Turner, the big wideout from USC, perform. Another complaint was that the Fins didn’t draft any linebackers until very late, or any pass rushers.

Folks forget that the “Trifecta” is in the middle of a project that will probably take another year or two. Don’t forget, Miami’s run at the Super Bowl in the early ’70s was predicated on their 1968, 1969, and 1970 outstanding drafts, and their not quite successful run in the early 80s was built from the 1978, 1979, and 1980 drafts.

So, could a third run at the Super Bowl in the next decade depend on what they do with their 2008, 2009, and 2010 drafts?

Such that, they got their offensive and defensive lines worked up in 2008, their secondary and receiver depth worked up in 2009, so could their needs for nose tackle to replace the aging Ferguson, outside LB to replace the aging Joey Porter, and ILB help to spell Crowder and Ayodele, and more running back help be realized in 2010.

As for Pat White, while his ability to play the Wildcat is not in question, and though front office folks say he will compete at QB, I have no doubt that Sparano will use him effectively wherever White is put.

 

Jets:

The Jets, meanwhile, can be graded draft-wise solely on how Mark Sanchez works out. The Jets draft will either be an A plus or an F minus. Shonn Greene should work out okay, however.

Taking all the “on paper” factors into account, there is no reason that with a defense that barring all logic should be one of the league’s best, the Jets won’t be in the thick of the playoff race again this year. This is true even if Sanchez is not quite the Joe Namath-clone so many Jet fans are expecting him to be right off the bat.

In fact many “pundits” say the Jets will finish ahead of the Dolphins and really I can’t pose a reasonable counter-argument because that may well be the case. For one thing, the Jets don’t have to play the Steelers or the Ravens; they get to play the Bengals instead, and, oh yeah, the Raiders, who beat them last year.

On the other side of the coin, the Jets brought in Brett Favre in 2008 to do precisely what folks might expect Sanchez to do this year: bring the AFC East title home to New York.

Something happened to the Jets in 2008 that prevented them from accomplishing this feat, however. Maybe it was just the Mangini regime not doing all it could.

Rex Ryan’s regime, however, should be more willing to “get ‘er done.” Sanchez is there and the Jets really do have one heckuva talented team, even without Laveraneus Coles. So it wouldn’t surprise me if they did make the playoffs, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t, either.

 

Bills:

Honestly, the Bills have done just about everything they could do to get this team back into some sort of contention for a division title, except to draft for someone to replace Jason Peters. They have also added quality depth to their defense, which really wasn’t bad at all last year.

Quite frankly, had Trent Edwards not been injured such that the Bills had to rely on JP Losman, who really isn’t starter calibre at quarterback, I don’t think the Buffaloes would have caved in the middle of the season when they had to play three straight games against division rivals.

Other breaks that went against them last year was Losman screwing up royally in New York in that lose ball, and not having the Dolphins in the ice and snow of western New York where a Bills win in December is a given.

Instead, Miami played in a controlled dome stadium temperature, and where Ricky Williams played CFL ball.

I would say if the Bills were in almost any other division they would have a serious chance of winning it. Given that they are young and quite talented, it is true that someone is going to have to finish last in the AFC East.

I think the Bills will fill this role.

They don’t have Belichick and Brady like the Pats do. They don’t have Parcells-Sparano and a wonderful four-year-plan like the Dolphins do. They don’t have sexy Rex Ryan, what seems like half a great Ravens defense, and the sheer optimism that the Jets do.

All they have is Dick Jauron, Terrell Owens, and a team that looks more and more everyday like the AFC East version of the Cincy Bengals arrest report.

Who’s Going To Be the Most Impactful Rookie on Offense?

A lot of people probably think that Matthew Stafford will have the best career than any other rookie this draft. It’s kind of hard to name who’s going to be rookie of the year for offense because they play different positions. Here’s the players who probably have the best chance of winning offensive rookie of the year.

Matthew Stafford

Many say Stafford is going to be the best player in the draft. The negatives are, can the Lions’ offensive line give Stafford time so he can deliver good throws? Can he handle the pressure of being counted on to be the franchise QB?

The good things are that he has good receivers and talented players on the field to throw to. I say Stafford will be a franchise QB for the Lions.

Mark Sanchez

People think that Mark Sanchez should have been the No. 1 QB and that he’s going to have a better career than Stafford. The negative for Sanchez is that he doesn’t really have good, talented players like Stafford, but Sanchez does have the better line, and their defense is good too, so he will probably throw more than Stafford. I say Sanchez might be the ROY, but we never know.

Michael Crabtree

Everybody was surprised when Oakland let up Crabtree. Can Crabtree make them feel stupid for passing him up? I say yes.

Crabtree has good hands, and is vicious when it comes to making plays. The problem is, do the 49ers have a QB who can give him the ball? I Shaun Hill and Alex Smith are not that good. The biggest question is, though, can Crabtree get open in this league? We will see if Crabtree is the player that people think he will be.

Knowshown Moreno

Moreno is probably going to be the best rookie running back. He should fit perfectly in the Broncos’ offense since they’re running a spread. Moreno is quick, fast, and elusive. He brings more talent to the passing game as well. So, he should be an impact to their offense.

He has good hands and can run routes real well. He could be a contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year. One thing that people think is bad is that he ran his combine kind of slow, but he’s going to be a straight beast in the NFL.

Josh Freeman

Freeman should be playing this year. They might not play him because they want to groom him. They should play him now and let him get playing experience. Freeman has the good size and is a bomber. Freeman is probably the next Big Ben, but he can throw the ball deeper.

The problem with him is that he tends to telegraph passes and is slow on progression. Freeman should be good for the Bucs, but we’ll see.

That’s all, I’m out. On Saturday I will do who can be Defensive Rookie of the Year.

When Does The Dream Die?

I think I was about seven years old when I finally realized that my mom saying I “could do anything I wanted to, in life, if I put my mind to it” didn’t exactly include me being able to fly like Superman.

Hundreds of hours spent thrusting my arms in the air and jumping off the top rail of our deck was all for not. My longest flight ever was clocked at under three seconds.

I can even remember asking my dad what he would do if I flew straight up in the house and busted out through the roof into the open blue sky ala the “Man of Steel”.

He replied, without blinking an eye, “make you fix the roof”.

Eventually reality sets in. Eventually the dream died.

Unfortunately everything in life dies. It’s a certainty we don’t even question, for life that is. But dreams have a way of holding on a lot longer than they are supposed to, or maybe even should. Sometimes dreams just won’t die.

It wouldn’t be very sensible for me now, at 37, to climb up on that deck railing at my parents house and give flying another shot.

But for athletes, the fine line between dreams and reality isn’t so easily defined. Athletes have grown up doing things most fans consider “super” for years. They run like speeding bullets, leap buildings in a single bound. They throw footballs 75 yards and beam baseballs 100 mph.

While my dream as a kid was to fly, their dream was to win championships because they could fly.

When you are able to achieve what few other people can, or have, then who are they to tell you when your dreams should die?

Brett Favre was released by the New York Jets on April 28, 2009 and is literally free to sign with any team.

Despite what anyone says, I have to believe that he at least entertained a passing thought in his head about what team he would like to take snaps for this season. Would it be the Minnesota Vikings, with a dominant defense, all-world running back Adrian Peterson, and newly acquired speed demon Percy Harvin? He would certainly be an upgrade over their off-season pick up, Sage Rosenfels.

Would he call Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans, a team that had the best record in the league last year and finally seems to have all the pieces of the puzzle to make a serious run at the Super Bowl for a couple of years? Kerry Collins is solid, but this is still Brett Favre we are talking about.

Or does he sit back down at the kitchen table, pick up the sports page, drink his coffee and spend the next few minutes trying to  figure out a way to dodge Deanna’s “honey do list” for the day.

My guess is he chooses the latter. But even then, having watched him play football with the passion he did for all those years, it won’t be as easy as it sounds.

While there were those that ridiculed him for his on again off again retirement saga each year, and I was certainly one of them at times, no one has the right to tell you when your dream dies.

I watched my sports hero, Dan Marino, play football in Miami for 17 years before his time would come to an end. I remember that day as if I had lost a loved one. He would not play another down for the Miami Dolphins again, but his dream wasn’t necessarily over.

Still without a Super Bowl, and still with a fire inside him that few will ever have, Dennis Green head coach of the Minnesota Vikings at the time, pleaded with Marino to come play for the Vikings. Green promised concessions of extra days off during the week for Marino to spend with his family. The Vikings had a young Randy Moss and an accomplished Chris Carter. It was a very tempting offer to Marino.

He would reveal in interviews later that he would wake up one morning with intent to sign with the Vikings, then wake up the next morning saying he just couldn’t do it. That process would repeat itself for over a week.

I was so confused. I wanted him to do it, but I also wanted him to retire a lifelong Dolphin.

Playing 17 years for one organization says a lot about one’s character and resolve. Wanting to give the Super Bowl one more shot in Minnesota said a lot about his drive and desire to compete.

Thank God it wasn’t my decision and I told myself I would be at peace with whatever choice he made. He retired a Dolphin and was in the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years later.

I certainly couldn’t have blamed him if he chose to try it one more time. His dream was to win a Super Bowl.

But as fans, we don’t want to see out heroes hobbling around on the field as a shell of their former selves. Willie Mays stumbling out of the batter’s box in a Met’s uniform is blasphemous to most fans. Joe Namath struggling for four games in a Rams uniform before his body couldn’t take anymore is not how he should be remembered, and probably won’t be.

While it’s easy to say we don’t want to see our great athletes struggle in the twilight of their careers, let’s remember that it is their dream that is dying, not ours. It is their fight to keep a hold of something that is slipping through their hands.

Though I joined in the chuckles at the thought of Brett Favre coming out of retirement again, I would salute his fortitude if he did. I believe there is a part of us all that want to see a real life aging Roy Hobbs circle the bases in his last at bat, under a shower of broken scoreboard lights, having just won the pennant.

So here’s to you Brett. Should you decide that the dream of playing football is not quite dead yet, I may just go back over to my parent’s house and hop up on that deck rail one more time.

Just to make sure.

 

The Patriots’ Secret Weapon for 2009

 Patriot Pat says…

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Finding inspiration from fellow Bleacher Creature Steve Frith, we have come upon the Patriots’ 2009 secret weapon.

Steve commented that he would like to see the Patriots line up in a spread offense. Starting with a flea flicker, with Tom Brady passing to Julian Edelman lined up at wide receiver, Edelman would fake a run, then bomb it to Randy Moss for a touchdown.

The next possession they can do the same thing, but Brady goes to Wes Welker instead! He said he would wet himself from laughing so hard.

On a serious note, line Welker up on one side, and Edelman on the other.

Use either one of them for a quick out to gain five yards for an easy touchdown, or line them both up as slot receivers. Have Moss and Joey Galloway in the wideout positions and watch the defense go crazy trying to cover the middle.

Screw it, line them all up on one side and watch the defense burn a time out so they can figure out how to defend against the onslaught of wideouts.

How about a Welker-to-Edelman reverse, or a Welker-to-Edelman fake reverse, following with a Brady bomb to Moss, or Galloway…whoever didn’t get double coverage.

Wildcat…please, say hello to the Wildevilpanther.

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Andrew Cahill is a true Boston sports fan. Check out his website, Patriot Pat’s Patsies.

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Dear Mike Mitchell: You Are The Last Line Of Defense

Dear Mike Mitchell:

You are the last line of defense

Also known as a safety, a position for the most savage players on the football field. You are the last player between the other teams offense and the endzone.

To play safety, you must have great range with the ability to see the whole field. You must be a student of the game always watching videotape on opponents quarterbacks, you are the eyes of the defense, nothing gets past you, you must be able to stop the run when needed, as well to cover man on man, you are the vocal leader on the field.

Your hits must strike fear in opponents to the point were they hear your foot steps. Your hits are like thunder coming from the sky. Quarterbacks who throw balls over the middle of the field will pay. Helmets will be cracked, bones will be broken, chin straps will be knocked off. Players will be hurt.

Show no mercy. You are a play maker, you force fumbles, intercept passes, stuff the run. It’s not a game, this is your job.

You are a Oakland Raider, Welcome to the Black Hole.

The Raider Nation has had there eye on you.

Mike Mitchell, you are the last line of defense.

When your name was called in the 2nd round of the 2009 NFL draft, the so called draft “experts” didn’t even know who you where.

Mel Kiper Jr. had you rated as his 73rd best safety not 73rd overall on his draft board but 73rd at your position. Total disrespect.

ESPN didn’t have video highlights on you when you were selected, yet ESPN had video footage for alot of the 7th round picks. The “experts” said that you where at best a 7th rounder and most likely would of been a undrafted free agent if not selected by the Oakland Raiders.

They where wrong.

The “experts” sat around a table and laughed at you, they said the Oakland Raiders had no clue on what they where doing when they picked you with the 47th overall pick.

They where wrong.

The “experts” said you where the reach of the draft. The “experts” said you would be an automatic bust. The “experts” disrespected the Ohio football program.

The “experts” are full of crap

Mike Mitchell, you are the last line of defense.

The Raider Nation needs you, don’t worry what “experts” think they know, if they where on top of there game, then they would have known who you are. They would have seen you play, then would of been aware of your pro day and how many teams wanted your services.

The Oakland Raiders believed in you more then any other team in th NFL, and that’s why we selected you. We did our homework on you, we see your potential to be an elite hard hitting play-maker in this league. We know what type of player you will be.

You have the support of Owner/GM/NFL Legend Al Davis, Head Coach Tom Cable, Hall of Fame player Defensive Back and our current Defensive Back coach Willie Brown, Defensive Coordinator John Marshall.

All of the coaches on our staff had some say in this, the whole Raider Nation believes in you.

In these upcoming months, I hope you work out and get into the best shape of your life. Take the gym more serious. You must train as hard you can every single day, eat right, sleep right, and take care of you body. For the NFL season will take a toll not only on your body but you mind as well.

Study your playbook every second you are not on the football field. You must be the master of the building, the more time you put in the better the results will be. Learn techniques from Willie Brown and Nnamdi Asomugha.

Mike Mitchell, you are the last line of defense.

Every single time you lace up football cleats remember how the “experts” disrespected you, every single time you pull those shoulder pads over your head, be prepared to knock someone out. The Raiders need you to be an enforcer, we need you to be the backbone of our defense.

I heard an interview in which you said, you model your defensive game after Jack Tatum and Ronnie Lott. You said growing up these where your favorite players to watch on NFL Films, these are two great role models, study how they handled themselves and the mentality it takes to be an elite player…

=================================================================

Jack Tatum is one of the hardest hitting players to ever play in the NFL. “The Assassin” Mr. Jack Tatum himself. When I think of safety, I think of Jack Tatum. If you model your game after these two players, that is the kind of safety I want watching my back.

(Jack Tatum Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tuyLhBa8d8

 

Ronnie Lott was so savage just looking into his eyes made you weak, Ronnie Lott once broke his finger in the middle of a game, instead of leaving the game and going to the locker room, Ronnie Lott had his finger cut off, he then wrapped it with tape and continued playing the rest of the game. This is the attitude needed to be an Oakland Raider.

(Ronnie Lott Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYVvQ6-9ZGk

=================================================================

If you prepare yourself correct, learn from the Raiders coaching staff, and handle yourself like a professional on and off the field, then success will come your way.

You are now apart of the Sliver and Black, you represent the Raider Nation. Let your game be all the proof needed to your doubters

Mike Mitchell, you are the last line of defense.

The NFL’s Top 10 Almost Dynasties

The 60’s Packers, the 70’s Steelers, the 80’s 49ers, the 90’s Cowboys, and the 2000’s Patriots. Those are the NFL’s dynasties. These are the teams that won several championships over a specific range of time, and did so consistently. The Steelers won four rings in six years and the latter two dynasties won three rings in a shocking four year span, but what about the teams that were great, possibly even dominant, but just weren’t considered a dynasty? These are the teams that may have won two, maybe one, perhaps they didn’t even win a championship, but they displayed dominance over a period of time. These teams are the ALMOST dynasties of the NFL.

Black and Gold X’s and O’s| Two Deamon Deacons Become Saints

In Sunday’s fourth round, the New Orleans Saints decided to make two deamons a part of their monastery. Both provided tremendous affliction to offenses throughout their college career, although they were the lesser known deamons to be given new titles this past weekend.

The names of these two former Deamons are Chip Vaughn and Stanley Arnoux. Vaughn is a safety and Arnoux projects as a Will (Weakside Linebacker).

For those of you who want to know what to look for from these players, here is a brief scouting report on the two, based solely on film from their senior year.

 

Chip Vaughn, S, Wake Forest, 6′ 2″, 221 lbs, Grade:  5.9 (Fourth Round)

Games Viewed:  Mississippi, @ Florida State, vs. Clemson

Critical Factors:

ATHLETIC ABILITY         6.0               COVERAGE        6.0

TACKLING                     6.0               COMPETES       6.5

PLAY SPEED                  6.5               INSTINCTS       6.0

 

Strengths

Vaughn is a good athlete for his big frame/size. He is very competitive and a hard worker. He has good strength for the safety position, which when he uses, can be very helpful to his game.

 

He is effective in zone coverage with his ability to fly around the football field. He is good at flipping his hips and getting deep, but also at breaking and closing on the throws in front of him.

 

Weaknesses

 

Chip is adequate at diagnosing plays, but he needs work on his recognition skills. He can play man to man, but he’s not going to be able to against a quick player.

 

While he is an effective tackler, he is not consistent, and not the knockout artist that some expect in a safety. He has decent ball skills, but lacks big play ability. He also needs to improve on his ability to shed blocks.

 

Summary

Vaughn is a good fourth round developmental type safety. He could play in the box, or in coverage, making him a great fit for a cover-two or an interchangeable safety backfield. He has good size and strength, but in pretty much all areas he needs to improve.

He should be able to be a good special teams player right away who in a year or two should be able to develop into a solid starting NFL safety.

 

Stanley Arnoux, LB, Wake Forest, 6′ 1″, 240 lbs, Grade:  5.9 (Fourth Round)

Games Viewed:  vs. Mississippi, @ Florida State, vs. Clemson

Critical Factors: 

ATH. ABILITY          6.0                     INITIAL QUICK       6.0

PLAY STR.              6.0                     COMPETES            6.0

PLAY SPEED            6.5                     INSTINCTS            6.5

 

Strengths

Stanley is a quick-twitch athlete for the linebacker position. He has good range and can play sideline-to-sideline effectively. He excels at dropping pass coverage and flipping his hips.

 

He also has the ability to come up quickly and make plays on ball carriers running at him. He plays with a high-motor and is fairly tough, which should allow him to excel on special teams early in his career.

 

Weaknesses

 

Stanley is not as strong as his body type makes him seem. This effects him in his ability to play the run at him and shed blockers. He is only average off the ball, from a quickness perspective. Because of this he will struggle to provide a consistent pass rush as a blitzer.

 

He doesn’t use his hands well and gets lost in coverage, in relation to where the ball is, on occasion. He tends to lunge/arm tackle and is not a thumper. 

 

Summary

 

Being that I did this evaluation after the draft, it appears Stanley ended up right where he should have, in the middle of the fourth round. He is a guy who tends to be around the football quite a bit. He makes plays, and managed to stand out on one of the most talented defenses in the entire country a season ago.

 

He does have some weaknesses, especially in relation to playing strength, and he just needs to improve fundamentally, in relation to technique. If he can do that, he has a chance to become a starting-caliber player in a couple of years, while being able to help on special teams right away for the Saints.

 

Hopefully, when you read this, you saw that I like these two players, and feel each will make the Saints a better football team not just this year, but are guys who down the road can make the Saints a good defense for years to come.

 

 

Two Other Quick Notes

 

The Saints released their starting defensive tackles of the 2006 season, Brian Young and Hollis Thomas. It is too bad, as both were good players, but both men’s stock fell because of injury issues.

 

Thankfully, Sedrick Ellis, Rod Coleman, and DeMario Pressley should make for a pretty good unit, along with some of the other players they have at that position as rotation guys. The Saints should be okay at that position.

 

Finally, on Friday, I will have scouting reports on at least a couple of rookie free agents signed by the Saints this week.

 

Until then, Geaux Saints!

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