Questions I Would Ask Mark Sanchez

1. Mark, I know you are thrilled to be working with Rex Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer, but a lot of the problems from high-draft pick QBs has been caused by turmoil in the offensive scheme. I know you “just want to think about the 2009 season,” but a first round QB is judged on a three year scale today. How well would you be able to adjust if Ryan and Schottenheimer, for whatever reason (including success), weren’t around over all those three years?

2. Today most athletes have to worry about cell phone cameras at every party they go to. It’s not just Matt Leinart who’s had this problem. How does a quarterback from Long Beach who went to school at USC and is now the future of a New York pro team get to live accordingly without dealing with those pressures?

3. Are you more likely to have bouncers ban cameras wherever you go than let any random person take a picture of you?

4. New York sports fans have a larger Hispanic presence than many cities’ Sports fan base. While our Mexican-American fanbase isn’t as large, the New York Mets were able to take many fans away from the Yankees due to their increased Latino presence under Omar Minaya. If you were to succeed as a star for the Jets, how much would reaching out to New York’s potential Hispanic be a priority for you?

5. Which of your fellow USC QB alumni would you least like to go against in 2009?

6. Which former Trojan defensive player do you fear most in the NFL?

7. How much do you hope to play in 2009? How much do you think would be best for your career, the team this season, and the franchise in the long-term?

8. Would you place more priority in signing the most expensive contract you find or getting into camp on time?

 

 

Another Bronco Gets Cut

The Broncos announced that undrafted free agent linebacker Jeff Schweiger was waived on Friday, May 29th.

Schweiger saw time at defensive end for San Jose State as a senior, after spending his first three seasons at USC.

Schweiger, who joined the team on April 28th, spent just a month with the Broncos, but was unable to earn a roster spot.

Schweiger was the second player to be waived this week as J.J. Arrington was let go earlier this week due to nagging injury concerns.

Schweiger and Arrington are just a few, but many will follow in the coming weeks and months as the Broncos have over 80 players on their roster, and they can only keep 53 on the teams active roster and eight practice squad players. 

As the team tries to get better we will see more players bite the dust.  Players who can’t compete or were only added as insurance players will get handed their walking papers. And the Roster will continue to narrow even before training camp begins.

Let Schweiger’s departure be a warning to the rest of those players trying to make the team.  Bring it or go find a new job.

 

Redskins’ Release of Jon Jansen a Matter of Timing

Jon Jansen’s release, a move that the Washington Redskins announced earlier today, came as a surprise. Dan Snyder flew the team’s aircraft, Redskins One, to Michigan to pick up Jansen so that Jim Zorn could deliver to news to him in person.

By releasing Jansen, the Redskins took a cap hit of some $6 million. On the surface, the timing is somewhat puzzling, but once you dig a little deeper it makes more sense.

Apparently this is a move that Zorn has wanted to make since the end of last year. However, had the move been made at the start of free agency, it would have been very difficult to fit the contracts of Albert Haynesworth, Derrick Dockery, and DeAngelo Hall in under the cap.

Also, at that time, Jansen was the only experienced depth the Redskins had at the tackle spot. Even though, in the view of Zorn and just about anybody who watched more than five minutes of the 2008 Redskins’ offense with Jansen in the lineup, his skills had slipped considerably from his prime seasons, it would have been foolhardy to release him and leave nothing in reserve. The fact that the penciled-in starter is Stephon Heyer, who still is a work in progress, make it even more important for the Redskins to have a solid reserve at right tackle.

Then, just before the draft, one shoe dropped for Jansen. The Redskins signed Mike Williams. The fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft was about 70 pounds overweight and hasn’t played since 2006. He’s a veteran project but a warm body (actually, Zorn said that he was as big as two bodies) nonetheless.

The other shoe fell when the team signed Jeremy Bridges. The Southern Mississippi product has started 39 games in six seasons with the Eagles, Cardinals, and Panthers. At his low end, he represents quality depth and at the high end, he could beat out Heyer for the starting job.

So the Redskins had two potential replacements for Jansen. During minicamp and OTAs, they tried him at backup center but he failed to impress there.

They may have given him a shot in training camp, but he was due a $1.5 million roster bonus in July. If they had him participate in the second round of OTA’s starting on Monday to give him a last shot, they would have been gambling. If he were to sustain a serious injury during the OTAs, the team would have been on the hook for the roster bonus and his 2009 salary.

Some have asked why they didn’t wait until after June 1 to spread the cap hit out. Since 2010 currently is an uncapped year, June 1 doesn’t exist. Well, it’s on your calendar, but there is no cap hit break for releasing a player after June 1. They don’t want teams prematurely dumping dead cap in next year.

Jansen, of course, is the longest-tenured Redskin. He never quite got his play up to a Pro Bowl level but he was as solid a tackle as there was in the game from about 2000 through 2003. Although he repeatedly expressed frustration with Steve Spurrier’s blocking schemes, he resigned with the Redskins prior to becoming a free agent in 2002.

That contract made sense. The one that didn’t make sense was the one that Joe Gibbs signed him to in 2007. The $23 million deal carried $10 million in guarantees and it is the leftover money on that deal that created the nasty cap hit the Redskins sustained today.

 

Risky Business: 2009 Buffalo Bills Ready to Take More Chances

This is no time for a laid back, play-not-to-lose mentally for the Buffalo Bills. This team, its coaches and its players, need to win. Now. They need to make it to the postseason for the first time since Frank Wychek threw a (forward) lateral to Kevin Dyson for a Miracle in the Music City that left Bills fans wondering, “Why us?” 

For the past three seasons, each resulting in a 7-9 record, the Bills have played not to lose. They’ve shown intensity on each side of the ball when they needed to, but overall, they’ve come up short. 

The timid play needs to end this season if the team is going to be playing beyond their January 3 season finale against the Colts. 

So what do the Bills have in store as a result of the “win now, by any means necessary” mentality? How about a return to the glory days of the no-huddle offense.

Sam Wyche is known as the Godfather of the No-Huddle, and Bills offensivecoordinator Turk Schonert was Wyche’s quarterbacks coach when he ran the offense in Tampa Bay in the ’90s.

Seems like the perfect time for the offense to reemerge in Buffalo for the first time since Jim Kelly ran it flawlessly over a decade ago.  

The Bills are fielding an offense this season with some of the league’s top performers at the skill positions. Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson, and new addition Dominic Rhodes give the Bills all the power and quickness a team could hope for at the running back position.

But the signing of Terrell Owens is perhaps the biggest indicator that this team is ready to go for broke. 

For once, the Bills will be able to keep opposing defenses honest with their number two option at receiver. Lee Evans will finally not be the only member of the receiving corps that draws attention and double-teams, because the Bills have given him another proven threat in Terrell Owens.

Both of these players have proven many times in the past that if you give them an inch, they can put six on the board.

The focus on passing won’t be limited to the wide-outs, either. Fred Jackson has been putting a much bigger focus on his pass catching ability this offseason as he anticipates an expanded role in that phase of the Bills’ game.

Marshawn Lynch is seen as one of the league’s top dual-threat running backs, and this season he should have more of an opportunity to prove it.  

And with a brand new offensive line that is likely have a few (or many) issues this season, the no-huddle can help mask their inexperience by wearing out the opposing team’s front seven. 

One of the major concerns regarding Buffalo’s offense in 2008 was their inconsistency. In a number of games, they showed no ability to move the ball until the fourth quarter. And suddenly in the fourth quarter with their backs against the ropes they seemed like an offensive juggernaut.

Their backs will be against the ropes from the time they kickoff in New England until the end of the season this year, so expect to see an offense more capable of putting up large numbers. 

On defense, a similar risk-tasking approach is expected. Defensive coordinator PerryFewell is putting more trust in his defensive backs this season, which will allow him to put more of an emphasis on blitz packages. 

Trent Edwards has already noticed the new focus on blitzes in the team’s OTAs. If his offense’s struggles against the blitz are any indication, it should work to Buffalo’s advantage in the fall. 

Expect a return of the “creep” defense this year. In this look, all of Buffalo’s front seven are standing around the line before the ball is snapped, giving the offense no indication of who will be coming on the blitz. 

This defense could be especially effective if rookie Aaron Maybin and a healthy AaronSchobel have good seasons. 

In the secondary, Terrence McGee will again be the top corner, and could be joined byLeodis McKelvin or Drayton Florence on the opposite side. Donte Whitner returns at strong safety with a battle likely for the free safety position. 

Though his school’s final exam schedule is keeping him from participating in OTAs, rookie Jairus Byrd is expected to make some noise at free safety.

The Bills face a tough schedule this season. There are no real opportunities to turn off the jets and coast to victories. They need to go all-out all the time. 

This team should throw caution to the wind and play with a recklessness and desperation Upstate New York hasn’t seen in some time.

Here’s to hoping the coaches and players take advantage of this one last chance at success they’ve been given.

Because if they don’t, the impact will be felt far beyond the head coach.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fans: Meet Four Crucial Coaches

The 2008 season did not finish the way Buccaneers players or fans wanted. On the cusp of a second-straight postseason appearance, Tampa Bay floundered and found themselves on the outside looking in.

The organization decided that Head Coach Jon Gruden would be the goat of the collapse, and removed him from his duties.

By doing so the Bucs decided to go in a new direction and hired from within. Raheem Morris was promoted to the head coaching position.

Morris became the youngest head coach in the NFL, and had to put together a staff that could put the franchise back on track.

 

Raheem Morris

Morris became the eighth coach in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history when the Glazers hired him on Jan. 17. Morris, who has seven years of NFL experience, has spent his entire coaching career at the professional level with the Buccaneers.

He started in 2002 as a defensive quality coach. In 2003, Morris became a defensive assistant, and by 2004 he was the assistant defensive backs coach. Raheem did leave after the 2005 season to become the defensive coordinator at Kansas State.

Morris stayed with the Wildcats for one season before returning to Tampa in 2007 to become the defensive backs coach.

While in Tampa, Morris has been part of a successful defense, and in his first year with the club won a Super Bowl.

Morris is only 32, and he hails from Irvington, N.J.

Jeff Jagodzinski

Jeff Jagodzinski is the new offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers. Jeff does have nine years of NFL experience, but this will be his first stint with Tampa.

For the last two years, Jagodzinski was the head coach at Boston College. During those seasons he led the Eagles to back to back ACC Championship Game appearances.

Jagodzinski led the 2007 Eagles to their highest ranking since 1942, when BC was ranked No. 2 in both polls.

Prior to BC, Jagodzinski spent one season as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.

Jagodzinski has also spent two years with the Atlanta Falcons: first as a tight end coach, then as the offensive line coach.

While working as the offensive line coach, Jagodzinski learned from Alex Gibbs, who has helped form some of the best offensive lines in NFL history. Gibbs is best known for winning two Super Bowls with John Elway and the Denver Broncos.

During his time as the offensive line coach, the Atlanta Falcons led the NFL in rushing yards.

Jagodzinski got his NFL start with the Green Bay Packers in 1999 and was their tight ends coach until 2003.

Jim Bates

Jim Bates will start his first season as the Buccaneers defensive coordinator in 2009.

Bates has been coaching football for nearly four decades, and he is considered by some to be one of the top-tier defensive minds in the game.

Bates brings with him eight years of defensive coordinator experience. He spent the 2007 season with the Denver Broncos and helped lead them to a top 10 finish in pass defense.

Prior to Denver, Bates spent one season as the defensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers. In his time with the Packers, Green Bay finished first in pass defense and seventh in overall defense.

Bates went to the Packers after spending five years with the Miami Dolphins, where he saw a lot of success.

In his first year with the Dolphins, the team led the league in interceptions and finished third in scoring defense.

In his third year with the team, Bates had six players earn Pro Bowl honors on a squad that finished third in overall defense and tied for fifth in run defense.

In 2003, Bates had the league’s best red-zone defense, and his team did not allow a single 100-yard rusher all season.

Bates spent his last season with Miami in 2004. His defense finished second in total pass defense. With seven games remaining, the Dolphins fired head coach Dave Wannstedt and named Bates the interim head coach.

Bates went 3-4 in those seven games, and while the players favored Bates to become the full time coach, he left for Green Bay.

Bates’ initial season as a defensive coordinator came in 1994 with the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons squad tied for eighth in takeaways.

Bates will bring a lot of experience to Tampa, and this organization that has always won with defense will have high expectations of him.

Richard Bisaccia

Richard Bisaccia returns for his eighth season as the Bucs’ special teams coach.

During Bisaccia’s time with Tampa, the Bucs have had their most success on special teams.

In the last four seasons, three Bucs special teams players—punter Josh Bidwell, long snapper Dave Moore, and kick returner Clifton Smith—have been named to the Pro Bowl.

Prior to that, only kicker Martin Gramatica had been named to the Pro Bowl for special teams in the franchise’s history.

Last season had to be Biasaccia’s best yet as coach of the special teams. He saw Clifton Smith, an undrafted free agent, become only the second man in team history to run a kickoff back for a touchdown. Smith was also named to the Pro Bowl.

Kicker Matt Bryant made 32 field goals on 38 attempts last season, setting career highs in both makes and attempts in a single season.

Punter Josh Bidwell finished fifth in the NFC in gross average with 44.5 yds per attempt.

In 2007, the Bucs finished 12th in kickoff return average, seventh best in punt return coverage, and second best in kickoff return average.

However, the highlight of the year came when Michael Spurlock returned a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons. It was the first time in team history the Buccaneers had returned a kickoff for a TD.

The 2006 season saw the Buccaneers finish tops in opponent kickoff return average at just 18.4 yds per return.

During 2005, Biasaccia watched as Bidwell was named to his first Pro Bowl, becoming the first Bucs punter to do so.

In 2004, the Bucs had a 24.2 team kickoff return average—good enough for fourth in the NFL. At the time it was the new Bucs single season record.

Bisaccia’s first season with the Buccaneers was a special one. He joined the team in 2002 and helped Martin Gramatica go 32-39 on FGs for the season. More importantly though, Bisaccia helped the special teams play a role in winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.

These four men will be the most important on the Buccaneers sideline. They are the coaches who will put the Bucs in the best position to win.

 

 

 

 

Carolina Panthers Playbook Plans for Consistency on Offense, Overhaul on Defense

For the first time in a long time, its not the Carolina Panthers’ offense that needs fine tuning in the offseason.  The Panthers “O” was good for 25.9 points per game last season, seventh best in the league.  They also averaged 152.3 yards per game on the ground, good enough for third in the league.

In the past, Panthers teams have been known for their tenacious defense and sub-par offense.  Outside of Steve Smith they have never been blessed with a superstar on that side of the ball, and the statistics have backed that up. 

Now that DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have burst onto the scene as arguably the best two-back tandem in the NFL, it’s the other side of the ball that’s having problems.

The Panthers defense allowed 28 points per game in the team’s final seven regular season contests.  Although the offense played well enough to win five of them, it was obvious that if and when the offensive unit had an off day, the team would suffer greatly. 

That was no more evident than in Carolina’s embarrassing 33-13 home loss to Arizona in the divisional round of the playoffs. 

In that game, Larry Fitzgerald burned the Panthers for 166 yards and a 29-yard touchdown, while the Cardinals amassed 145 yards on the ground.  Yes, Jake Delhomme had a terrible game, but it wasn’t helped any by the fact that the Cardinals could do whatever they wanted to when they had the ball.

The defensive unit is lucky Jake petered out like he did, because that shifted much of the blame off of their shotty performance.

Enough about the past.  This is all about the future.  In 2009, the Carolina Panthers have a real shot at making the playoffs in succesive seasons for the first time in franchise history. 

They have the majority of their starting cast back and have made some changes to the coaching staff that should play out nicely.  Their road to the postseason, however, goes through many difficult and winding roads.  Their schedule is theoretically the second-toughest behind the Dolphins’, and nobody will take the Panthers lightly after their performance last season.

On offense, the goal is seemingly simple: keep on keepin’ on.  The Panthers offense relied heavily last year on the ground game, and figures to do the same in 2009.  Williams and Stewart will continue to be called on to carve up opposing defenses and attempt to open the passing game for Delhomme and Steve Smith. 

The entire starting offensive line is back and, barring injury, should be able to improve with the benefit of an entire offseason to work as a unit under their belt. 

The only prospective change is rookie Duke Robinson beating out Keydrick Vincent for the starting right guard spot, something that will likely only happen if Vincent cannot fully recover from a groin injury that knocked him out late last season. 

Williams and Stewart are obviously comfortable running behind these Gross and the gang, and should continue to charge through defenses.

The passing game will have much of the same look to it, with a couple of utility players potentially making a small splash.  Rookie Mike Goodson from Texas A&M has already impressed Delhomme with his speed and agility, and could prove to be useful coming out of the slot in certain situations. 

He played as a running back in college, so you could see him lining up in the split back formation on passing downs as well.

Dwayne Jarrett continues to puzzle his teammates and media pundits alike with his inability to grasp the concept of the NFL game.  If he can somehow translate his illustrious college game to the Sunday gridiron, the Panthers will have a definite threat to line up opposite of Smith. 

In the meantime, Muhsin Muhammad returns as the possession receiver and, as always, figures to be a steady asset for the team.

The only significant visible change we may see to the Panthers offense in 2009 could be more options on the short passing routes.  Smith is no longer the only player with blazing speed, and it is widely thought that using Williams in the slot could create confusion in opposing defenses. 

With the addition of the speedy Goodson and given the dollar amount that the Panthers spent to keep tight end Jeff King, a more active short passing game could be in the works for the team’s offense.

The defensive side of the ball will have a new leader in Ron Meeks, the team’s new defensive coordinator.  Meeks replaces Mike Trgovac who came under massive scrutiny during the team’s defensive collapse late last year.  Abundance of talent is no problem for the Panthers, but finding a way to mesh that talent into a smooth operating unit will be the job that Meeks is charged with. 

Every defensive starter returns except for Ken Lucas, who was cut by the team after vetoing a trade to Detroit.  Julius Peppers has been a no-show for all of the Panthers voluntary offseason workouts to date, but the organization remains confident he will suit up in 2009.

Meeks has said he is creating a new scheme in Carolina, one that doesn’t have cookie-cutter definitions but rather plays to the strengths of the players who will be running it.  It will likely implore many of the basic principles of Tony Dungy’s “Tampa-2” scheme that he has used for much of his career.

In the Tampa-2, the majority of the pressure on the quarterback comes from the front four of the defensive line, while the linebackers and secondary use zone coverages to thwart downfield threats.

It is likely that he will use more linebacker blitzes than the traditional Tampa-2, given that he has threats such as Jon Beason and Thomas Davis in his linebacking corps.  More zone coverages for the Panthers secondary will also help, as they at times seem undersized and overmatched when defending man-to-man.

The defensive scheme is still in the fledgling stages, with Meeks running the most basic of defenses at the team’s OTA’s to get a feel for his players’ strengths and weaknesses.  Don’t expect the team to reveal much about the new defense until we see it in action on opening day, although training camp should give us a healthy glimpse.

The goals are simple for the 2009 Panthers:  continue their new-found dominance in the ground game when they have the ball, and shore up the leaks that nearly sank the ship down the stretch on defense last year. 

The artists and conductors are all in place, let’s see what the music sounds like.

Who Makes What Happen: A Profile on the Coaches of the Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a team with a highly defensive mentality, but with the addition of Jay Cutler, the coaching staff is working on creating a new identity with a defense that still has holes and a suspect offensive line.

But who are the people that will be trying to make a defensive team that relies on the power running game a team that can air it out.

From Head Coach Lovie Smith to Offensive Line Assistant Luke Butkus, each coach is pivotal to a team trying get back to dominance in a weak NFC North.

Lovie Smith, Head Coach

When Smith was hired, he said he had three goals.  Win the NFC North, win a Super Bowl, and beat the Green Bay Packers.

Smith has won two NFC North titles, has one Super Bowl appearance, and is 7-3 against the Packers.

Although there have been some backlash against some of his play calling (see the squib kick against the Falcons that allowed them to come back and win the game), he has been good at keeping an aging defense strong and the running game solid.

He also took a Bears team with an injured quarterback and went 11-5 in his rookie season, winning the Coach of the Year award.

Ron Turner, Offensive Coordinator

Turner is in his second stint with the Bears, this time he is in his fifth consecutive season.  In-between his times in Chicago, he was also head coach for the University of Illinois football team.

However, if Turner isn’t able to bring some stability to an offense that could possibly have one of the best quarterbacks in team history, he could be on his way out the door.

Bob Babich, Defensive Coordinator/Linebacker Coach

Babich is entering his third season as the defensive coordinator of the Bears and his sixth with the team in general, however, with the fall of grace by the Bears defense under Babich, Smith is now calling plays on defense and Babich is mostly working with linebackers.

Babich was brought to the Bears with Smith, who was a coach with Babich while in St. Louis.

Dave Toub, Special Teams Coordinator

Probably the most consistent coach for the Bears, Toub always has the Bears special teams among the best in the NFL.

Toub is entering his sixth season as the Special Teams Coordinator and has kept his unit ranked in the top third of the league according to the Dallas Morning News’ ranking system, also having two units that ranked at the top in 2006 and again in 2007.

Pep Hamilton, Quarterbacks Coach

Hamilton will be given the task of getting new addition Jay Cutler ready for the upcoming season.

After his work with making Orton a passable quarterback for most of the past season, Hamilton will likely have a breeze getting Cutler in NFL shape.  Hamilton is in his third season with the Bears.

Tim Spencer, Runningbacks Coach

Spencer has been the runningbacks coach for the Bears for six years.  He was the guy who coached the tandem of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson into one of the better one-two punches in the NFL.

Despite Benson being a bust under his guidance, he also made Matt Forte a rookie sensation last season, and will look to create another great running tandem with Forte and veteran Kevin Jones.

Darryl Drake, Wide Receivers Coach

Despite the poor receiver production over the past few years, Drake has still done a good job as the receivers coach when he had talent to work with.

Drake took third round pick Bernard Berrian and made him into a deadly speedster, then watched him leave and come back to tie the longest catch in NFL history with a 99-yard catch against the Bears.

Drake will try to work with a group of receivers who would likely be third on the depth chart at best for most teams.  However, he will look to exploit the history between Cutler and sophomore receiver Earl Bennett.

He also will start the process of getting rookie Juaquin Iglesias ready for the NFL.

Rob Boras, Tight Ends Coach

Under Boras’ six season with the Bears, the tight end position has been a staple in the offense.

With the tandem of Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, Boras has an easy job, with Olsen making the Pro Bowl as an alternate last season.  Boras has done a great job of transitioning Olsen from being a star in college to a smaller role in the NFL.

Harry Hiestand, Offensive Line Coach

The Bears offensive line has been extremely inconsistent throughout Hiestand’s five seasons as the offensive line coach.

However, he hasn’t had great talent through his term either.  With the addition of Orlando Pace and Frank Omiyale, he will look to get his line in shape so that they can keep Cutler on his feet and open holes for Forte.

Luke Butkus, Offensive Line Assistant

Butkus became the Bears offensive line assistant three years ago, and has been working with Hiestand to create more stability on the line.

Butkus moved to coaching after a failed attempt to play, he was undrafted out of college despite being third-team All American his senior year.  He played two seasons in Europe and attempted to play in the NFL before moving to coaching.

Rod Marinelli, Defensive Line Coach/Assistant Head Coach

Marinelli is entering his first season as a coach for the Bears after leading the Lions to the first win-less season since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did so in 1976, although the Bucs were an expansion team at the time.

Marinelli will look to get the Bears d-line better at rushing the passer, after quarterbacks were given plenty of time and were sacked rarely last season.

Gill Byrd, Assistant Defensive Backs/Safety Coach

Under Byrd, the secondary has been very spotty as of late.  However, a lot of those problems could be blamed on injury.

Also, under Byrd, Kevin Payne emerged as a starter after being drafted in the fifth round two seasons ago.  Payne was a big play threat as a defender and had four interceptions last season.

Jon Hoke, Defensive Backs Coach

Hoke was hired after spending seven seasons with the Houston Texans.  Under Hoke, the Texans secondary had a knack for interceptions, grabbing the seventh highest percentage of the teams interceptions in the NFL.

Hoke will look to bring the tandem of Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher back to the dangerous duo they once were.  He will also look to use Payne to replace veteran Mike Brown, who left the team this off-season.

Rusty Jones, Strength and Conditioning Coach

Jones is one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the NFL, winning the 2006 National Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.

Jones’ workout and nutrition programs are renowned around the NFL as one of the best in the business.

Eric Washington, Defensive Backs Assistant

Washington will look to help Hoke learn about the defensive backs in the system and get him acclimated to how things work in Chicago.

Entering his second season, Washington spent four seasons as the defensive line coach at Northwestern University prior to coming to Chicago.

Chris Tabor, Special Teams Assistant

Tabor is still a young coach and is entering his second season working under Toub.

Tabor has worked his way up from coaching high school and community colleges before working his way up the university ranks and into the NFL.

I’m Joe W.

Cincinnati Bengals Hope To Get Out of Cellar and Restore Roar in 2009

When you are the proverbial cellar-dweller of the division and the brunt of many NFL jokes, one would think the only direction in 2009 is up for the Cincinnati Bengals—even if you have to take one step at a time.

It’s hard not to improve from a dismal 4-11-1 record and being the floor mat of the AFC North. Last season saw 17 players including first round draft pick Keith Rivers on the injured reserve. That number should have been 18 with the absence of quarterback Carson Palmer following a week three injury to his elbow.

With Palmer on the sideline wearing sweats, not pads, the Bengals fumbled and bumbled their way to mediocrity.

But just as injuries heal, and key players return, the Bengals look to make a move north in the standings in 2009. And when you finish at the bottom last year, up is the only way to go.

 

SIGNS OF A GOOD SEASON

The 2009 off-season included an almost impeccable draft where big names like OT Andre Smith and linebacker Rey Maualuga will don black stripes this fall.

Even with the departure of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals maintained the status quo with the signing of former New York Jet Laveranues Coles. And lets not forget the defensive acquisitions in Tank Johnson and Roy Williams.

But adding the most excitement this offseason might be the resurgence of Palmer’s leadership both on and off the field. 

“We’re going to be really good, I guarantee it,” Palmer said earlier this spring.

And Palmer might be right. The offensive line looks to be much improved this year leaving fans in the Queen City with hope that rookie Smith could surpass all the hype and provide the much needed protection to Palmer’s blind side.

That would be welcome relief to Palmer who spent much of last year’s preseason and the first three weeks running for his life.

Adding to the hype this year is the defense that showed major signs of improvement late last year. With Maualuga and last year’s No. 1 draft pick LB Keith Rivers together again coupled with the run stopping ability of free agent safety Roy Williams, the Bengals could surprise some teams in its ability to stop the run.

 

STANDING IN THE WAY OF THE LOMBARDI TROPHY

Bengals fans shouldn’t book their tickets to Miami just yet for the upcoming Super Bowl. Fans need to remember this team still has some hurdles to cross before they can dethrone the Steelers.

The walking sound byte Chad Johnson…Ochocinco is still upset and demanding a trade. Questions are still being asked about the maturity of Smith who is on his third, no second, but third agent.

Taking the Ochocinco problem first, this could blow up in the Bengals’ face. Ochocinco has the ability to divide the locker room if he is unhappy. And once again, as the Bengals work in the shadows of Paul Brown Stadium, Ochocinco is nowhere to be found.

One bright side is that Palmer and the rest of the team seem to be moving on.

“It’s definitely a new look for the Bengals receiver corps but I couldn’t be happier with the guys we’ve got,” Palmer said recently in an interview.

“T.J.’s ( Houshmandzadeh) gone and Chad’s pretty much gone, he hasn’t been here, so we’ve got guys that want those two spots, guys that compete day in and day out, when we’re out there on the field, running, conditioning and in the weight room lifting. They’re guys that want to take over for those two spots. They look every bit capable of doing what we’re going to ask them to do.”

Moving inside of the receiver corps this year is the shakiness of the offensive line. Early in the year last season, Palmer could barely step back before being rushed from opposing defenses.

This year, while hope is abundant, if Smith and fellow lineman Andre Whitworth can’t step up, it could be a long Autumn in southwestern Ohio.

 

Prognosis

The Bengals appear to be doing the right thing this off season. Even the naysayers on whodeyrevolution.com wrecking havoc to the Bengals front office seem to be impressed, but this team still has holes to fill. Plus it is hard to get the losing mentality out of Cincinnati.

An optomist would say the Bengals could ride the wave of an easy schedule and increased hype to contend for one of the two AFC wild card slots.

A realist however could foresee another 8-8 season of mediocrity.

But as any Bengal fan would say, at least 8-8 is better than last year.

The Vision Has Changed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have undergone a major overhaul in the coaching staff this off season.

The Buccaneers promoted Raheem Morris to be the Head Coach and with him he brought in Jim Bates to run his defense and Jeff Jagodzinski to run his offense.

Jim Bates brings with him over 15 years of coaching experience with 7 of them coming as a Defensive Coordinator.

Known best for his stint as Defensive Coordinator of the Miami Dolphins, Bates’ defense starts with his mammoth tackles clogging up the middle that in turn allow his linebackers to flow freely and ends to speed rush off the edge while backed up by press coverage and two deep safeties.

With the drafting of rookie DT Roy Miller and the position switch of Jermaine Phillips, these moves show that the transition to this new defensive system is taking effect.

Roy Miller will rotate with Chris Hovan and Ryan Sims in stacking up blockers, while making life easier for Gaines Adams and Stylez G. White out on the edge.

Jermaine Phillips’ position switch does two things, brings speed to the flowing linebacker corps and allows Sabby Piscitelli to use his coverage range in the deep patrol.

Young vets such as DE Gaines Adams and CB Aquib Talib, should be the most thrilled about having a coach like Bates because of his experience of enhancing the careers of those in their respective positions.

In Miami he enhanced Jason Taylor and Sam Madison’s careers and in Green Bayhe enhanced Kabeer Gbaja Biamila and Al Harris’ careers, so this should be a promising trend for the Buccaneers.

On the offensive side of the football Jeff Jagodzinski is going to be asked to transform the offense from a dink and dunk methodical type of system, to one that is oriented around a strong running game and play action passing attack.

While the offenses are similar in scheme, they are completely different in philosophies.

In Gruden’s offense, plays were more predictable because he moved around key players to get them the football. Opposing teams focused on these key players every down no matter what position they lined up at because they knew those players would get the ball.

In Jagodzinski’s offense, the ball will be distributed more evenly and players will have prominent roles instead of multiple. This way it keeps the defense on their toes because with players lined up at the same spot every time, it makes the defense respect the threat of multiple players making a play out of the same formation.

The running game will be dominant behind a stellar offensive line that will be running Jagodzinski’s zone blocking scheme he learned from Alex Gibbs while in Atlanta a few years back.

Running backs with running styles such as Earnest Graham and Derrick Ward have proved to excel in the one cut and go system like Jagodzinski’s and there is no reason to not expect that same type of productivity.

With Leftwich’s arm strength, dominant running game, and trio of Bryant, Winslow, and Clayton; the play action passing game should prosper with a deep threat in Bryant, possession guy in Clayton, and seam stretcher in Winslow attacking all the levels of the secondary.

The vision has changed in Tampa Bay, so gone are the days of constant check down offenses and bend don’t break defenses. Incoming is the smash mouth offense and man to man defense that look to breed toughness and physicality.

The mind sets for both sides of the football have changed from one that reacts to the opponent to one that will dictate the attack, forcing the opponent to react to them.

This change in philosophy will greatly benefit the Buccaneers, this season and in future seasons.

Why Rex Ryan’s 3-4 Defense Is Different Than Mangini’s

Under Eric Mangini, the Jets had a 3-4 defense. Awesome because the Jets have a 3-4 defense under Rex Ryan, too!

The question is what do we need to change? 



Well, Ryan brings major changes to his defensive scheme. And those changes are mostly for the better.

While the 3-4 defense is, in fact, coming back in vogue in the NFL, the nuances of each system determines whether a 3-4 defense with talent is Super Bowl bound or just another 9-7 team on the brink of a playoff birth.

In the case of the Jets, they are certainly better off in a 3-4 system with Kris Jenkins, Calvin Pace, and yes, even Vernon Gholston.

Just imagine: the Jets actually made it to the playoffs with Dewayne Robertson as a nose tackle in a 3-4 defense. That alone may be where the nickname “Mangenius” came from. 



So we’ve got Rex Ryan, another 3-4 evangelist, at the helm now. He has brought in “his guys,” including Bart Scott, Lito Sheppard, Jim Leonhard, and Marques Douglas, who signed with the Ravens on three non-consecutive occasions in the Rex Ryan era (take that, Grover Cleveland!).

How is Ryan’s 3-4 different from any other 3-4?

Mainly that he will mix and match the use of base, over, and under defenses in his schemes. This is the kind of multi-dimensional defense that any D-coordinator would kill to create.

They key, as always, is right kind of talent. 


You probably know Over and Under defenses from Madden—they’re the last variable that comes up after you’ve already called the formation and play.

In a 4-3 defense, a base defense has the linebackers are distributed evenly behind the linemen. Over means the linebackers are shifted more to the strong side, while under shifts closer to the weak side. The point of an over/under shift is to move to an offense’s point of attack.

When Shaun Alexander led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl in 2006, he did so by running almost exclusively to the left, where Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson were his blockers. If you were to shift Terrell Suggs, Bart Scott, and Ray Lewis closer to the right side of the defense in that formation, you’d understand how an over/under defense could be effective. 



The main benefit of the 3-4 over the 4-3, of course, is deception; in a 4-3 defense, you can usually expect the defensive line to be the primary rushers. In a 3-4, you have no idea who is rushing, which makes things exceptionally confusing to blockers when making their first move.

Normally, leaning linebackers over or under would be a good indication of where they are heading—that is why over/under formations are usually used more heavily in the 4-3. In Rex Ryan’s schemes, however, he will add the same kind of deception to who is rushing to who is covering what side of the field. Players between those strong enough to penetrate the O-line, fast enough to run from end to end, and those who can do a little of both.

This kind of defense proved to be the best especially useful in countering Peyton Manning.

The definitive Rex Ryan player is probably Adalius Thomas, who could play at all three levels of the defense in a way that would have been impossible to imagine 30 years ago. He wasn’t as superhuman as Shawne Merriman, but that he could move as fast despite weighing 270 pounds meant he always had a role to fill in Ryan’s defense. 



The aggressiveness needed for an over-under 3-4 scheme results in a higher chance for disaster if the front seven doesn’t do everything right. To offset that risk, a strong secondary is a must. With two world-class corners in Darrell Revis and Lito Sheppard, and an incredibly athletic safety in Jim Leonhard across from All-Pro Kerry Rhodes, the Jets secondary is one of the strongest the team has had in my lifetime. Bart Scott, a Pro Bowler, is a machine and one of the most intimidating, versatile linebackers in the NFL. It’s hard to play second fiddle to Ray Lewis, but despite his unsportsmanlike penalties helping cost the Ravens the game in their legendary 2007 Monday Night Football matchup against the Patriots, it ultimately proved to be a coming out party for him. His ridiculous intensity on the field went overboard there, but he did so against a team everyone hated and wanted to beat just as badly that year. Rex Ryan would be smart to remind Scott that we are not is not in 2007 before the Jets’ two games against the Pats this year. 



Make no mistake, the Jets were a playoff team last year. If not for Brett Favre’s disastrous December, the team would have made it through at least one round of the playoffs. Kris Jenkins playing through pain caused most of last year’s defensive problems toward season’s end. After he had carried the team through the first 11 games, the D still adjusted reasonably well to his decreased effectiveness, just not well enough. With a healthy Jenkins, the defense should be not be the main issue for the Jets. This defense is stacked, so much so that they can overcome an injury to just about any other defensive player.

The offense is really what will make or break the Jets in 2009.

 

 

 

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