Dawan Landry: Dropping Back with the Baltimore Ravens Safety

Here are the questions I’d ask Ravens safety Dawan Landry:

1. How does it feel to finally be back on the field for minicamp after everything you went through last season?

2. Describe your offseason workout regimen.  For the average fan that doesn’t really understand what it means to be an NFL player 12 months out of the year, what are the keys to being successful?

3. Take us back to Week Three against Cleveland when you sustained a spinal cord concussion.  What went through your mind as you lay on the field at M&T Bank Stadium?

4. How frustrating was it to see the success the team had last season, knowing you could not be a part of it physically?

5. Jim Leonhard, your replacement after the injury, played very well in your absence.  Many even suggested the Ravens should have re-signed him before he ultimately joined Rex Ryan in New York.  How anxious are you to make fans forget Leonhard and to regain your status as a force beside Ed Reed in the Baltimore secondary?

6. You were originally recruited to play quarterback at Georgia Tech before switching to safety.  How does your past experience at the quarterback position help you in the secondary?

7. Your younger brother and Redskins safety, LaRon Landry, was a first-round pick in the 2007 draft, a year after you were selected in the fifth round by the Ravens.  Describe the relationship you have with your brother, and what kind of rivalry the two of you have when it comes to football.

8. How will the transition be from Rex Ryan to new coordinator Greg Mattison leading the Baltimore defense?  What changes will we see, if any?

9. You play beside arguably one of the greatest safeties in the history of the game in Ed Reed.  Describe your relationship with him and how he’s helped your career.

10. What are the keys for the Ravens’ defense to continue the same success it has had since you’ve been here?

11. What has been your biggest motivation recovering from the neck injury and offseason surgery?

12. Who have been the most influential people in getting you where you are today?

13. How do you envision the 2009 season going for you and the Baltimore Ravens?

Breaking Down the NFC East: Power Rankings

The NFC East is the best division in the NFL. That is a fact. No questions about it. There is no need to get into statistics, because all four of these teams are Super Bowl contenders year in and year out. Let’s examine each offense, defense, special teams, and the coaches to take a look at each team to see who the true “Beast of the East” is.

Offensive Rankings:

(1) Philadelphia Eagles—The Eagles have rebuilt their offense this offseason, with the acquisition of Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters from Buffalo. They also added Stacy Andrews, the brother of the Eagles Pro Bowl guard, Shawn Andrews. The Eagles added Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy through the draft, who should have an immediate impact in the offense.

Then comes Donovan McNabb, who endures criticism from the Philly faithful, but always puts the Eagles in a position for a playoff run.

The one downside of the Eagles offense is the wide receiver position, outside of DeSean Jackson, but they feel that has been solved with Maclin on the opposite side. Brian Westbrook is as good as they come and is the perfect fit for the offense. Andy Reid often gets into trouble when calling plays because he will get away from the run.

(2) New York Giants—The “Jints” come in second place, due to the fact their offense is the perfect complement to their defense. The grind-it-out style the Giants offense runs beats up on opposing defenses and wears them down.

The Giants line is regarded as one of the best in the league, which paves the way for Brandon Jacobs. He is the biggest running back in the league at 6’4”, 264 pounds.

After wearing down the defense with his bruising style, the Giants bring in a smaller, more agile back to make defenders miss, also known as Ahmad Bradshaw. Eli Manning, Super Bowl winning MVP, is at the helm of the offense and manages the game. Coming into this season, the Giants have unproven wide receivers but should be able to use short, intermediate routes to keep the defense honest.

(3) Dallas Cowboys—With the loss of Terrell Owens, the Cowboys offense falls solely on the shoulders of Tony Romo.

The Cowboys have a good running game with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice, and a solid offensive line.

Roy Williams, who was acquired in a trade last off season is now the No. 1 receiver for Romo. Williams was a disappointment for the Cowboys last season after they gave up virtually their entire draft to obtain Williams.

Jason Witten is a great tight end, and gives Tony Romo a safety valve. Tony Romo is “America’s” quarterback and dates Jessica Simpson, so it is tough for him not to be in the limelight.

With the pressure on this season, and with no Owens and all eyes on him, it should be interesting to see how Romo responds.

(4) Washington Redskins—There is no shame to be in this position, but the Redskins lack the offensive firepower the other teams have.

Clinton Portis is the main attraction of the offense, with Santana Moss and Chris Cooley playing as the sidekicks. Moss’ speed is able to open up the field for the rest of the receivers, which allows them to get underneath the safeties and give Jason Campbell short intermediate targets. Chris Cooley is an H-back who creates mismatches between him and linebackers.

Defensive Rankings

(1) New York Giants—The Giants’ complex blitzing schemes are tough for offenses to decipher and they have playmakers throughout the entire defense.

On the defensive front, they boast Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, and recently acquired Chris Canty (from the Cowboys).

At linebacker, the Giants have a great run-stuffing middle linebacker in Antonio Pierce.

In the secondary, Corey Webster has turned into a shut-down corner opposite from Aaron Ross.

The Giants will have a top three defense this season, and they will carry the team.

(2) Washington Redskins—The big splash this offseason was the Redskins signing Albert Haynesworth, widely regarded as the best defensive tackle in the business.

Through the draft the Redskins further enhanced their defensive line acquiring Brian Orakpo with the 13th overall pick.

Laron Landry in the secondary has turned into one of the top young safeties in the league, and is a ball-hawk throughout the secondary. The Redskins rely on their defense to make plays and cause turnovers, and create a shorter field for the offense. 

(3) Philadelphia Eagles—Jim Johnson has been a fixture in Philadelphia, and now with his recent battle with cancer, has had to take a leave of absence from the team.

With his blitzing style, the Eagles cause havoc on the opposing quarterbacks. The defensive front includes Juqua Parker and Trent Cole, who have become a presence throughout the entire league.

The secondary has Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown, who are both very good corners.

With the offseason loss of Brian Dawkins, who was the heart and soul of the defense, it should be interesting to see who will step up as the leader for the defense.

(4) Dallas Cowboys—The Cowboys have one of the best defensive players in the league, Demarcus Ware. Ware creates havoc for opposing offensive tackles and the offense always has to know where No. 94 is on the field.

Terence Newman struggled to stay healthy last season, but this season looks to regain his old form as a Pro Bowl cornerback.

The Cowboys are the only team in the division to run a 3-4 defense, and signed Keith Brooking to replace Zach Thomas.

The Cowboys may have the weakest defense in the division, but they can hold their own versus any offense.

Special Teams Rankings

(1) New York Giants—In 2008, the Giants sent their kicker (John Carney), their punter (Jeff Feagles), and their long snapper (Zak DeOssie) to the Pro Bowl. It is tough to argue there is a better special teams unit in the NFL.

Although they decided to not resign Carney during the offseason, the Giants have the man he replaced still on the roster, Lawrence Tynes.

Jeff Feagles is the best placement punter of all-time, as he often pins teams in their own 10.

Coach Coughlin emphasizes the importance of all three facets of the game. The Giants return game suffered when Domenik Hixon became an every-down wide receiver, but the Giants will look to find his replacement this training camp.

(2) Philadelphia Eagles—The Eagles special teams is one of the best in the league, which features return man DeSean Jackson. Jackson is an electric wide receiver that also returns punts. His speed, quickness, and elusiveness makes it tough for kickoff and punt teams to track him down.

David Akers might not be what he used to be, but still is very serviceable.

Sav Rocca has a big leg for a punter and is able to turn the field over on opposing teams.

(3) Dallas Cowboys—Nick Folk was a Pro Bowl kicker his rookie season, but has undergone hip surgery this offseason and his health is in question for training camp.

Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton returned the kicks and punts last season, but this season it could be new return men as both players will be asked to handle more wide receiver duties.

Mat McBriar has a strong leg, and he too is able to turn the field over. Field position is always very important in the NFC East battles.

(4) Washington Redskins—Antwaan Randle El has not lived up to all the money that Dan Snyder spent on him a few years back during the offseason. Randle El was supposed to be the perfect complement to Santana Moss at wide receiver and create havoc on special teams. Thus far, that hasn’t happened.

Rock Cartwright, the No. 3 running back, is the kick return man, and is serviceable. The kicking game is handled by Shaun Suisham and the punter is Hunter Smith.

Coaching Staff Rankings

(1) New York Giants—The Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin is known for being a disciplinarian and can get under his players’ skin very easily. However, he does things the right way, and the Giants players know Coughlin isn’t going anywhere. It is tough for a team to rebel when they are winning.

(2) Philadelphia Eagles—Andy Reid could make a strong argument to be first on this list, but he doesn’t have a Vince Lombardi trophy under his belt. Reid sometimes can get too fancy on offense and forgets about his running game, but overall the Eagles staff is as best as they come.

(3) Dallas Cowboys—The Cowboys rank ahead of the Redskins because of offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett. Garrett is known as an offensive guru and is expected to take over Wade Phillips’ job when he either resigns or is fired. It is always tough to work under Jerry Jones, but Wade Phillips has been successful by being a “player’s coach.”

(4) Washington Redskins—2008 was Jim Zorn’s rookie season as a head coach in the NFL, and started out with a bang. However, the team cooled off and his job was in question by the media. Owner Dan Snyder keeps a close watch on his head coach, and does not give much leeway for failure.

How the Oakland Raiders Can Acquire Vince Wilfork for Derrick Burgess

(This article is part of my application for CBS Correspondent)

I have previously written that the Raiders should acquire Vince Wilfork in a trade for Derrick Burgess.  Some thought that the trade would be unbalanced in favor of Oakland.

Well, here’s another scenario.

Carolina still must deal with the Julius Peppers situation and have been hesitant to act. 

I realize that multi-team trades are rare in the NFL, but are they impossible?  I doubt it. Thus if it fits your need, then why not?

The Raiders could send Derrick Burgess and a fourth-round draft pick to Carolina for Vince Wilfork, whom Carolina would acquire for Julius Peppers from New England.

Bottom line is…the Raiders cannot allow the “rich to get richer” by trading Derrick Burgess for less than he’s worth.  The Raiders need more help on defense, and should demand nothing less.  Rather than believe the lies within the media that pollute the decisions of the Raider turncoats that are only in the organization to enhance their résumé, the Raiders can make moves to improve their defense.

Thus, the Raiders must receive on-field talent for Derrick Burgess in 2009, particularly defensive tackles, in order to compete with the current players to ensure that the best talent is on the field for 2009.

Redskins Safety Chris Horton: Interview Questions

Chris Horton starred for the Washington Redskins in the 2008 season, starting ten games, playing in 14, intercepting the ball three times, having one sack, and making 76 tackles.

After the fourth week of the 2008 regular season Horton earned the honor of being selected the NFL Rookie of the Week after his standout performance against the Dallas Cowboys.

He was selected in the seventh round (249th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft, and has proved that he can be a playmaker.

So, who is Chris Horton? Here are 16 questions that will help you understand the Washington Redskins strong safety.

_________________________________

1. How have you adjusted to life in DC, after growing up in Louisiana and going to college in Los Angeles?

2. When growing up, were you a hometown boy cheering for the Saints or did you look outside the state of Louisiana for your team?

3. How has going to a Catholic school (De La Salle High School) helped you as a person and as a player on the field?

4. Who has been the biggest impact on your life and what have they done to help you succeed?

5. You grew up with one brother and two sisters. How often did you team up with Robert to compete against Latiera and Sade?

6. You had a stellar high school career that saw you earn three letters in football and have the honor of being selected District MVP, how did you come to pick UCLA? What other colleges were you looking at attending?

7. In your first year of play at UCLA you sprained your right foot, and than going into your sophomore year you ended up dislocating your wrist and had to have surgery? How tough was that to cope with these injuries, being that they happened close to the end of one season and at the beginning of the next season?

8. Going into the 2008 NFL Draft, did you have a certain round you thought you might get picked in? What was the round and were you at all disappointed to be selected late in the draft? Did you get calls from other teams that said they were going to draft you?

9. How much pressure did you put on yourself coming into training camp, and what were your expectations after being selected in the seventh round? What did you expect from a first year head coach in Jim Zorn?

10. Did you ever think going into the 2008 season that you would have started ten games and make such an impact in those games? Who was your mentor on the team that helped you prepare for those ten games?

11. With the unfortunate tragic death of Sean Taylor still in the minds of fan’s, did you feel an extra sense of pressure to perform? How did the front office and the coaching staff help you prepare for that?

12. What are your personal goals going into the 2009 season and what do you need to do to achieve these? What are your goals for the team?

13. How did you get the nickname predator, and K-Hort? Which one do you like more? Are there other nicknames that we might not know about and what are those?

14. What is your pregame routine? Is there certain music you listen too? Do you have a meal that you have to eat?

15. What has been the biggest moment of your entire football career form High School till now? Which moment would you like to forget?

16. With many great safety’s to have played in the NFL, how did you come to choose Ronnie Lott as a role model? What was it about his play that attracted you towards him?

Introducing New England Patriots’ Fullback: Russ Hochstein

The March second singing of Russ Hochstein earlier this year went relatively unnoticed by the masses in New England. As this years draft came and went the move has become a bit more important, however.

Hochstein now projects to have many important roles for the 2009 Patriots. The utility man has proven his value in the past playing on the offensive line when the injury bug has struck, as a blocking tight end in some packages, and even serving time as the long snapper on special teams.

The most intruiging position Hochstein has filled to date is the fullback position. He debuted there in the shelling of the Arizona Cardinals late last season.

Faced with weather conditions that included non-stop snow for most of the day the Patriots started their late December game in the power, or “I”, formation. With Tom Brady under center Dan Koppen and running back Sammy Morris behind them there wasn’t a thing awkward about the setup—minus the 6’4 305-pounder playing fullback.

The Patriots had elected to start an offensive linemen at fullback, and, while initially surprising, the move made a lot of sense once the running game got going. Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan combined for 168 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

When asked of his thoughts on Hochstein’s new position Morris responded with, “He’s 300 pounds…He’s either going to blow someone up or they gotta run around him.”

Hochstein’s move proved successful and apparently isn’t all that different from the role he vacated.

“Just like [blocking on the offensive line], you’re just trying to go the right way, hit the right person, sustain, and finish the block,” he said. “That’s all I can do. I’m trying to help the guys out behind me by making the hit quick and making it fast, while making sure they see who I’m getting.”

This season the Patriots have themselves a returning Brady, a crowded backfield, and, technically, no fullback. Heath Evans signed with New Orleans in the off-season, but with no aquisitions the Patriots are proving they’re comfortable with what they’ve got at the position in Hochstein.

Predominantly, this team passes first, or in the football sense, runs to set up the pass. So the fullback position doesn’t necessarily project to be used as often as it would on a more run-oriented offense. It’s important, nonetheless, as we saw in that snow game versus Arizona, and it seems we have a more than capable option in Russ Hochstein.  

Coordinating Under Belichick Is a Recipe for Success and Failure

The NFL is nothing if not a copy-cat league.

It’s not that teams are unwilling to adopt new styles of play, new coaches, or radical differences in philosophy—the game is constantly evolving—but the risks are simply too great to be the first to make the leap.

Generally speaking, this is because the NFL is nothing if not an incredibly expensive league.

The careers of coaches, players, assistants, and front office personnel all can hinge on something as simple and, ultimately random, as winning a single game.

It’s a funny-shaped ball, after all, and it bounces whichever way it wants to—sometimes.

Apologies to Pacino, but the margins are so small, every team has to maximize its potential at all times. There’s always some system that may truly be better, but there’s rarely any time for experimentation in the league.

That’s why “coaching trees” exist.

Bill Parcells has one. Bill Belichick is a part of it and has his own. Bill Walsh, of course. Marty Schottenheimer, too. Brian Billick now has one. Mike Holmgren worked under Walsh but is best known for having his own.

Different coaches have different systems and, by bringing in a guy intimately familiar with a system already proven successful at the NFL level, teams can try to tap into that success.

Other teams, unwilling to experiment by bringing in any real new blood, now just farm other teams’ coaching staffs for their head coaching candidates, hoping to recapture whatever those teams have that leads them to be successful.

A coach’s tree can enhance or limit their legacy as well. Bill Parcells’ legacy as one of the great coaches of all time is probably sealed now that Belichick has been so successful. Holmgren (and, by extension, Walsh) had guys like Andy Reid, Jim Zorn, and others work under him who have also been successful coaches in the NFL.

Schottenheimer has never really been able to get it done in the playoffs, but his association with Super Bowl winners like Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin arguably fill that gap on his resume.

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when you think about it—you’re responsible for your own destiny in this league, for the most part—but it’s certainly one measuring stick for determining the legacy of a coach in the NFL

Josh McDaniels is the latest branch of Belichick’s coaching tree, but let’s look at the highlights (well, mostly lowlights) of guys who have left his staff as coordinators to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis

The two original high-profile entrants into the coaching tree have hardly had the same success elsewhere that they had in New England, where they won three Super Bowls as a part of the Belichick trifecta.

Belichick’s defensive and offensive coordinators respectively, Crennel and Weis both moved on to bigger and better things after the 2004 Super Bowl victory.

Crennel joined the Browns, where he was until this past season when he was fired and replaced with another Belichick pupil, Eric Mangini.

Charlie Weis has gotten far more press for his failures after taking over the Notre Dame football program, a program known for failing at crucial games well before Weis got there, but has since developed an inability to even get any crucial games.

Neither coordinator has been that successful, considering they were the hottest coaching prospects after publicly deciding to leave New England.

Crennel is mostly a Parcells guy, arguably, working with him at Texas Tech. In the NFL, however, both Belichick and Crennel were already in New York when Parcells was hired as head coach in 1983. Still, Crennel earned most of his league-wide recognition as Belichick’s defensive coordinator this past decade.

He left New England and brought his bend-don’t-break philosophy to Cleveland, where his defense learned mostly how to break, and break spectacularly. Cleveland’s defense, in yards allowed per game, went from being ranked 16th in Romeo’s first year to 27th, 30th, and 26th in the following three years.

Weis’ fate may all but be sealed as well. Without a phenomenal turnaround this season, Crennel will be looking for opportunities elsewhere after Mangini hired Rob Ryan to be his defensive coordinator, the position Crennel offered to take if Cleveland wanted him.

Obviously, they thought that might be a tad awkward.

But for both guys, given the way the league operates, somebody will give them a chance once again.

Eric Mangini

Dubbed “Man Genius” by some in the press, Eric Mangini was the second defensive coordinator who worked under Bill Belichick in New England to earn a head coaching gig.

He has followed Belichick around the league in various capacities since being elevated from ball boy to PR assistant in Cleveland, landing with Belichick once again in Foxboro.

Mangini worked as a defensive backs coach with the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls, eventually replacing Romeo Crennel as defensive coordinator in 2005 before leaving for the Jets in 2006.

Mangini brought a lot of attitude to New York, straining his relationship with Bill Belichick along the way.

After bringing in various assistants from New England, Mangini was then responsible for reporting the Patriots’ use of cameras in the “Spygate” scandal.

Unable to ever get the Jets “over the hump” and deep into the playoffs, Mangini was fired this offseason, replacing Romeo Crennel in Cleveland as head coach.

While his reputation in the league has been up and down, Cleveland has decided to gamble that maybe this former New England defensive coordinator is actually the one to lead them to the playoffs in, arguably, the best defensive division in football.

Nick Saban

Another defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick, Saban worked in the position when the two were with the Cleveland Browns. Belichick had a historically bad run with the Browns and was not brought to Baltimore with the team when they became the Ravens.

Saban moved onto Michigan State, then to LSU, had a high-profile coffee cup with Miami, and then ultimately landed in Alabama, where he is now.

While he’s not necessarily a direct “pupil”, Saban is arguably the most successful coach to have worked under Belichick, winning the national championship with LSU in 2003.

Saban and Belichick have remained in contact, despite always seeming to get one over on his old coach late in the season when he was in the NFL.

While Saban’s opinion on college players coming from the SEC is, albeit more informed, taken perhaps less lightly than old scout Ed McKeever*, Saban is reportedly consulted on occasion by Belichick when draft time rolls around.

*Here’s one of my favorite stories about the Patriots from their pre-Foxborough days:

“The scouting (pre-1971) was ludicrous. The chief scout was Ed McKeever, the old Notre Dame coach, who lived down in the bayous, and every year on his recommendation the Pats loaded up on players from obscure Southeastern schools.

McKeever’s scouting reports consisted in part of circled faces in college programs that he mailed to Boston, and the Pats supplemented their late-round draft choices with players from such powerhouses as Tufts and Bowdoin. When Holovak (former coach turned GM) left, a lot of the Pats’ records and papers disappeared, too, creating a sizable gap for future historians.

The word around the Pats’ office is that Holovak had all the stuff stored in the trunk of his car.”

Can you even imagine if Scott Pioli had a trunk full of all the old paperwork, scouting reports, and gameplans from the Patriots?

That’s the league for you.

Rob Ryan

While Ryan has never reached the ranks of head coach in the NFL, you can pretend to see him every week with the Jets, as his twin brother Rex is now the head coach there.

He was never exactly a coordinator under Belichick either, but Ryan worked directly under Belichick when Bill served as both coordinator and head coach early in his tenure with the Patriots.

Still, Ryan has done what is generally considered impossible—bouncing between the college and the NFL, and finding success at both levels.

He first made the jump to the NFL with Arizona as defensive backs coach in 1995 but didn’t stick there, returning to college, where he ran Oklahoma State’s defense for three years.

He then came back to the NFL as the linebackers coach with the Patriots from 2000-2003, moving on to become the defensive coordinator with the Raiders and, as of this offseason, the Cleveland Browns.

While his new boss Mangini has seen more success in terms of becoming a head coach, Ryan could make the jump to join him soon, depending on how Cleveland fares over the next few seasons.

Dean Pees

If becoming defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick seems to be a fast track to success in the NFL, Dean Pees is next.

With the departure of Eric Mangini in 2006, Pees stepped up to become defensive coordinator, a position he still fills.

Pees coaching career began largely under another Belichick pupil, when he worked as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Nick Saban at Michigan State, before moving on to become the head coach of the Kent State Golden Flashes.

While unable to convince Kent State to change their ridiculous mascot name, Pees was successful in turning around their fortunes on the field and becoming the longest-serving head coach that program had ever had. 

Pees is one of the most experienced coaches on Belichick’s staff and, while the defense has aged recently and slipped in league-wide rankings, it’s likely that he’ll see head coaching opportunities open up in the near future.

As a Belichick “prodigy” and, with every other defensive coordinator who’s ever worked under Belichick getting a head coaching gig somewhere in the NFL at some point, you’d be hard pressed to find a more likely candidate to make the leap to head coach in the organization.

Given the track record of coordinators-turned-coaches. He may want to check out some SEC schools in the near future.

But does that track record mean Belichick’s success is a one-off, due largely to having Tom Brady as his quarterback and a host of solid veterans at his disposal? Was it Scott Pioli’s doing?

Or does the fact his underlings failed to recapture that Belichick aura for more than one season anywhere else mean Bill was pulling the strings all along?

That’s the real question.

New York Giants Need to Ride ‘Backs to Success in 2009

If you are good at something you should continue to do that. Someone isn’t going to reach their optimal production level if they are doing something that doesn’t suit their style.

In 2009, the New York Giants are built to do one thing—run the ball. Coming off a year in which they ran for over 2,000 yards as a team, the Giants are more built even more to be a dominant running team. 

Five Questions for San Diego Chargers Long Snapper David Binn

David Binn has got a lot of perspective.

Binn, the San Diego Chargers long snapper, is the longest tenured member on the team. He was signed an undrafted free agent out of Cal in 1994 for San Diego and has been the Bolts’ long snapper ever since.

He’s seen the clichéd ups and downs of being on one of the most schizophrenic teams in the NFL in the last two decades.

Binn was on the one and only Chargers Super Bowl team his rookie year. He went through the Ryan Leaf-Moses Moreno-Craig Whelihan years. He saw the team hit bottom in a 1-15 season. Binn saw the highs of a franchise-best 14-2 year in 2006 and saw the team reach the AFC divisional round in the NFL playoffs the last three years.

Binn has seen it all. He was even romantically linked to Pamela Anderson, which makes Binn the most interesting member of the Chargers automatically—even without the franchise record for most games played with 239.

So what is there to ask Binn? A lot, and I’d start with these five questions:

1) Ryan Leaf was just indicted on drug allegations. How was he like as a teammate? Are you surprised that he failed in the NFL? Are you surprised that he’s gotten in so much trouble since he’s left the league?

2) Which team was better, that 1994 Super Bowl Chargers team or the 2006 club that won a franchise-best 14 games?

3) Of the quarterbacks the club has had between Drew Brees and Stan Humphries (Sean Salisbury, Craig Whelihan, Jim Everett, Ryan Leaf, Jim Harbaugh, Erik Kramer, Doug Flutie, or Moses Moreno), who would be best suited to lead the current version of the team to a Super Bowl?

4) Have you ever considered leaving the Chargers and why stay so long, especially during those down years in the middle of your career?

5) Who have you had a better relationship with, Pamela Anderson or the Chargers?

Bonus question: In becoming a long snapper, is that a skill that’s acquired through practice, or was it something you were born with?

Steelers’ Ligashesky Doing Some Special Work

The typical saying around the sport of football goes something like, “Offense gets the glory, but defense wins championships.” 

Well if that’s the case, Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coach Bob Ligashesky must feel pretty slighted. 

After the Steelers hoisted the Lombardi trophy following one of the most thrilling Super Bowls in recent memory, the focus was on head coach Mike Tomlin’s grit, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians’ high-powered offense, and defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau’s top-rated defense. 

But while Arians’ offense gets the “glory” and Lebeau’s defense played a huge part in winning Super Bowl XLIII, Ligashesky’s relatively unnoticed successes throughout the season helped the Steelers get there. 

Two years ago, in Ligashesky’s first season with the Steelers, the kickoff and punt defense ranked in the middle of the pack, at Nos. 14 and 16 respectively.

Well, with a just a year under his belt, Ligashesky took an average special teams unit and turned them into the envy of the NFL, finishing No. 1 in AFC in both categories. 

While Lebeau’s defense gets well-deserved attention for suffocating opponents, Ligashesky deserves a huge pat on the back in helping the defense turn into the league’s best. Instead of opposing offenses starting near midfield or in Steelers’ territory, they were pinned deep in their own zone, allowing Lebeau to be extremely aggressive in his play calling. 

Ligashesky’s unit had opponents earning an average start at the 26.4-yard line.

Having opponents start near their 20-yard line instead of their 40-yard line does wonders for the points against statistic. 

Ligashesky will look to amp up his special teams next year, not on the defensive side of the ball, but on the offensive. Third-round pick Mike Wallace and fifth-round pick Joe Burnett possess some flashy return abilities the Steelers have been lacking in recent years. 

He will also have some top-notch talent returning. Steelers rookie of the year Patrick Bailey will continue to be a force after finishing the year with 12 tackles on special teams.

But as training camp nears, the focus will once again be heaped upon what new defenses Lebeau is creating and what new plays the offense will run, and Ligashesky will continue doing his unnoticed, but special work. 

Return of No-Huddle

George Bush was praised for wrapping up the war with Iraq so quickly. A new Terminator sequel topped the box office.

Roseanne topped the TV ratings, and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” burned up the charts. 

And the Buffalo Bills’ K-Gun no-huddle offense struck fear in opposing defenses. 

The newest page in the Bills 2009 playbook might be a dog-eared yellowing one that just turned 18 years old. 

Buffalo’s flirtation with the no-huddle has been rumored in recent weeks, and it might be the only way to explain several of the team‘s roster moves.  

According to official NFL play-by-plays, the Bills used the no-huddle for at least part of 16 drives last season. Like most teams, most of them were in hurry-up situations when the team trailed late (see Week 3, vs. Oakland) or in the last two minutes of halves and games.

The team scored a total of 47 points on those drives, or just shy of a field goal per possession, which is about 50 percent higher than the team scored on drives that featured a huddle.

Quarterback Trent Edwards showed he was capable of running the no-huddle, completing 66 percent of his 59 passes for 463 yards. Wide receivers Lee Evans and Josh Reed each caught nine balls in the offense, Evans for 131 yards and Reed for 121.

Bills running backs also excelled in the offense, with Marshawn Lynch averaging 4.8 yards per carry and Fred Jackson averaging 6.7. 

Viewed through the prism of the no-huddle, what once were projected as weaknesses and holes remaining in the depth chart might, in fact, be part of a systematic plan to implement the offense.

Small mobile line:  In order to speed up and down the field, a no-huddle team usually sports a smaller than average offensive line. 

So when replaced tackle Jason Peters (340 lbs), guard Derrick Dockery (330) , and center Duke Preston (326) with a group of veterans and rookies, the heaviest of which is 310, it’s possible they were downsizing, not downgrading.

Simplified playbook:  In getting smaller linemen, the team also took a hit in experience level. There will be a different starter at all five positions on the line. 

Two rookies (Eric Wood and Andy Levitre) will likely see significant playing time, and longtime reserves Geoff Hangartner and Seth McKinney might get extended starting time.

With Trent Edwards calling plays at the line, the team will likely not go as deep into their playbook, minimizing the impact of an experienced group up front. 

Intelligent players:  The Bills’ first two free agent acquisitions earned them some good-natured teasing.  First the team brought in Hangartner scored a 47 out of 50 on his Wonderlic test. 

When the team then targeted backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, one of the few Harvard products to make the league, many thought that the Bills were hoping to do well on the written portion of the season. 

Calling plays at the line takes quick thinking and the ability to process a lot of information, however.  Having a bright center snapping the ball to a Stanford-bred quarterback, with a Harvard man backing him up, certainly fits the bill. 

Previous experience in the system:  In a surprising move, the Bills added running back Dominic Rhodes.  While Marshawn Lynch will miss the start of the season, it is hard to believe that Rhodes was brought in to compete with Fred Jackson for a three-game starting gig.

However, if Buffalo is looking to implement the no-huddle, it would help to have a player somewhat familiar with calling plays at the line. 

While Rhodes’ former teammate Peyton Manning doesn’t run a pure no-huddle in Indianapolis, his frequent use of audibles while the offense is about the closest NFL experience available, at least in the last 15 years or so.

Impact on the defense:  One of the reasons the no-huddle didn’t stick as a base NFL offense is that it wore down the defense of both teams. Everything is faster in the hurry-up, from scoring to three-and-outs. 

The Super Bowl Bills of the early 1990s were frequently on the short end of some lopsided time of possession statistics, even in games that they won. As a result, the team had to make changes to their defense to help support a possible no-huddle attack.

The Bills’ draft targets on defense had one thing in common:  Players that are small for their position.

Linebacker-sized Aaron Maybin is penciled in as a pass rushing defensive end, college corner Jairus Byrd is expected to play safety, and former safety Nic Harris is getting a look at linebacker.

The question is which takes more out of a defender, the running or the hitting?  While smaller players aren’t going to get run down throughout the course of a game, the hits that accumulate over the season might end up wearing them down. 

To counteract that, the team might look to blitz less. The drafting of Maybin, a pure pass rusher, and a healthy Aaron Schobel should allow the team to pressure the quarterback with a four-man rush, and save their safeties for hits on small receivers. 

Safeties Donte Whitner, Bryan Scott, and George Wilson and cornerback Ashton Youboty all recorded sacks last year. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell tallied four. Not coincidentally, several of those same players battled late-season injuries. 

One third of the team’s sacks came from blitzers last year, a number that should go down significantly.

The Simpsons were in their second season. No one would ever be a better Joker than Jack Nicholson. Digital technology referred to a wristwatch. 

Buffalo’s K-Gun offense just turned 18 years old. It might just be time for a comeback. 

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