Atlanta Falcons Look to Dance Dirty Bird Once Again in NFC

“Encore!” is the cry from the Atlanta Falcons faithful entering the 2009 season.

 

With a team that blew lackluster predictions out of the water last year, the team has the ATL thinking Super Bowl for the first time since the Dirty Bird was socially acceptable.

 

And who can blame the revived fan base that hasn’t had anything to cheer for since the collapse of the Braves’ front office? Unlike usual fan expectations, which set the bar at an unreachable height, Atlanta fans may have a shot at satisfying their cravings this season.

 

Some would say Super Bowl or bust this season, especially considering the Falcons play in the NFC. Unfortunately for Atlanta, the NFC has improved drastically from a year ago. The Eagles and Cardinals, who squared off for last season’s conference crown, will be back and ready, but oh, how the tides elsewhere have turned.

 

As usual, the NFC East is busting at the seams with ability. Jerry Jones’ talent-laden, yet underachieving Cowboys are always bound to be in the playoff hunt.

 

Eli Manning has the champs of two years ago ready to go, despite Plaxico issues. After all, the Giants should have the scariest defensive front in all of football along with the semi-truck sized Brandon Jacobs in the backfield.

 

Who knows if Jeremy Maclin will pan out, but if Donovan McNabb is happy the Eagles can beat almost anyone.

 

Last and usually least, but not for a lack of forking out millions upon millions of dollars courtesy of Daniel Snyder, the Washington Redskins could go .500—despite Jason Campbell’s feelings being hurt by trade talks with Jay Cutler.

 

The NFC North jumped exponentially in conference strength when Cutler signed with Chicago. Blind men in the streets had been screaming for any average quarterback to fit into the championship-caliber team for years, and finally Da Bears granted them their  modest wish.

 

The Packers are a wild card whose fate depends heavily on defense; will the stout side of two years ago show up, or will their porous efforts from last year continue?

 

Minnesota, well, obviously this is probably the team that will get the most media coverage over the next three months depending on what that ol’ rocket-armed Mississippi man decides to do. A Super Bowl or a losing record could be on their horizon, but I would like to think playoffs are in their future—what with a top-five defense and the most talented running back in the league.

 

The Cardinals are the only team out West that should pose much of a threat, no matter what happens with Anquan Boldin, because Seattle won’t win on the road.

 

This brings us to the understated, yet very good NFC south. The Buccaneers are a mess and are already out of the picture; but as for the other three teams, it’s going to be a dog fight.

 

The Saints are obviously going to put up points, but their defense may actually stop some teams this year. It’s possible they could get a few wins without Drew Brees needing to throw four touchdowns.

 

The defending division champs are going to be formidable again in Carolina. Having re-signed their level-headed Bayou signal caller to lead a two-headed monster backfield, the Panthers are ready for a return to the playoffs. Throw in the greatest 5’9″ receiver of all time, and you’ve got an offense that should stack up to an already strong defense.

 

The Falcons bring back the essentials of their Cinderella story from a year ago. While Matty Ice took most of the headlines, the running game was the real key to their successful offensive season.

 

Roddy White has shown he can be a go-to receiver, but this year he’ll have a bit of help. That little bit of help has come in the form of, arguably the greatest receiving tight end in NFL history, Tony Gonzalez. With his receiving threat in the middle, it’s going to stretch the field, spread out the linebackers, giving Michael Turner even more room to do his bowling-ball impression down the field.

 

The Falcons main foe is going to be, simply, their schedule. The first half of the season brings only two opponents that won’t be in the playoff hunt: San Francisco and Washington. Their schedule softens the last three weeks of the season against the Jets, Bucs, and Bills; but if they’re not careful, too much damage may have been done by then.

 

I don’t expect the Falcons to buckle under the pressure of a difficult schedule; instead they’ll take Herm Edwards’ advice and simply play to win the game.  

Is Michael Vick a Good Option For The Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Tampa – There are 32 teams in the NFL trying to deal with one of the touchiest topics in sports history.

What to do about Michael Vick?

Everyone knows the Michael Vick story. He raised and paid for dog fighting, got busted, and spent more than a year at Leavenworth. Now he’s under house arrest and hoping for an owner to acknowledge that Vick is repentant, that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes his story or remorse, and that Vick can return to the NFL.

Thirty-two teams are considering Vick as a possibility. Already, according to sources at ESPN, four NFL coaches have already started pleading with their owners to sign Vick. Also, according to ESPN, all four owners said no.

Owners, the source said, were afraid of dealing with fan backlash and PETA in an atmosphere when ticket sales are falling all over the NFL.

That brings up Tampa Bay. The Bucs have never shied away from bringing in miscreants. Darrell Russell was signed for a brief time after being found guilty seven times for substance abuse. He also was accused in 2002 of videotaping the rape of a woman who had been drugged with GHB.

Current tight end Jeramy Stevens has been arrested so many times for heinous crimes that there’s hardly enough room to print them all.

The Bucs have become the new Oakland Raiders, many would say. SO, right or wrong, Bucs fans have to wonder whether or not Vick is a good fit.

There’s enough interest in Vick that, if Goodell reinstates him, he will be playing somewhere in the NFL in 2009. Tampa Bay would be near the top of the list. First, the Bucs have plenty of room under the salary cap and Vick, who declared bankruptcy last year, might be willing to play for scraps.

Second, he’d be a good fit. No one on his former team, the Atlanta Falcons, according to sources at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ever accused Vick of being anything but a strong leader and a good teammate. He wouldn’t be a new Derrick Brooks or Warrick Dunn, but he knows how to lead unlike the current stable of Bucs quarterbacks.

Third, Vick would bring an option to an offense that simply doesn’t have many options. Luke McCown, currently at the top of the Bucs quarterback depth chart, is a drop back passer with few receivers and a limited running game.

Vick would bring options just by lining up in the backfield behind McCown. The Bucs could go the wildcat offense and let Vick throw the ball a few times a game, he would be a viable alternate at running back, someone who could catch the ball out of the backfield, and he could also be a special teams returner, someone like Chicago’s Devin Hester.

Reports are that Vick worked out hard during his time away from the NFL and there are few players in the league with his natural ability. Vick would give the Bucs an all-purpose player unlike anyone in franchise history.

That is, if the Bucs can take the public relations hit from the fans who are already showing up as pewter-colored seats at late season games. The Bucs have rolled the dice before on miscreants and Stevens is still in town. There have been others and the Bucs have held their noses and gone ahead with them.

Vick isn’t a quarterback, but the options he could give to the Bucs are endless when compared to what they have now. Plus, he’s only 28 with limited wear and tear after two years away.

It’s a tough call but one that general manager Mark Dominick will have to consider along with 31 other NFL teams. Vick is going somewhere and he is talented with a lot to prove.

And, in the NFL, as the Bucs have proven, everyone deserves a second chance.

LAST SECOND SHOT: I ran into former Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, now the defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee at the Tampa Gaither High School football jamboree on Friday.

He’s doing fine and, although he didn’t want to get into details, he must have been looking at Tampa Hillsborough quarterback Taurien Austin who suffered a hairline fracture to his left leg on the fourth play of the meaningless game.

Kiffin spent most of the game signing autographs. He said he loved his time in Tampa but it was time to move on. He’ll be helping his son, Lane Kiffen who took on the head coaching spot with the Vols.

He had nothing but great words to say for new Bucs head coach Raheem Morris, the defensive back coach who helped perfect Kiffen’s Tampa Two defense.

The Redskins May Need a Ladder To Escape the NFC East Cellar

The NFC East has been one of the strongest divisions in football, since the 1970’s, from top to bottom. Three teams, the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Giants, have each won multiple Super Bowls since then. A fourth, the Philadelphia Eagles, has played in two Super Bowls as well.

The NFC East also used to include the Saint Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals featured many great players, including three Hall of Famers, and were generally always in the thick of the race for the division title. They did win two consecutive division titles in 1974 and 1975, but left the NFC East after the 2001 season. They are now in the NFC West, and have played in Arizona since the 1988 season.

The 2009 NFL season should be more of the same for this division. The Giants will be just two seasons removed from winning a Super Bowl, and the Eagles were within minutes of appearing in last years Super Bowl. Both teams are expected to challenge again this season.

The Cowboys are another team many are looking to challenge for the division crown. Dallas’ core players are mostly still intact, and the team has made significant upgrades on the defensive side of the ball. If the Cowboys start holding their own along the line of scrimmage this year, they have the talent to win the Super Bowl trophy.

The Giants are a veteran team that has most of the players from their Super Bowl XLII winning team still on the roster. They have a stout defense, and are known for having a fierce pass rush. If their young wide receivers step up this season, they have to ability to win it all again behind their excellent offensive line.

Philadelphia is a team many expect to get back to the NFC Championship game. They are led by Donovan McNabb, a quarterback who seemingly has put the franchise on his back throughout most of his career. McNabb is heavily relied upon because the Eagles running attack has been wildly ineffective. He also has some new weapons to enjoy this year, and McNabb might end up setting career high marks in every passing category by seasons end.

The Redskins are a team in flux. They are trying to transition between being a veteran team, and a team trying to rebuild towards the future. Their head coach, Jim Zorn, is in his second year with the team. He inherited a veteran team built for power football, but Zorn wants the team to use the West Coast system. This transition had the Redskins being the 28th ranked offense in the NFL last year.

The defense is also trying to get younger and faster, while relying on the many veterans they have as starters. Washington’s defense was the 6th best in the NFL last year, and is the main reason the team was able to go 8-8 last year.

After signing free agent defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to a very lucrative contact a few months ago, Washington is hoping their defense can be even better this year. This may need to happen, due to the Redskins inconsistencies on offense.

The key to the Redskins success on offense will be the effectiveness of their blockers. This group is amongst the most talented in the league, but they have not been able to stay healthy as a whole unit the past several years. They are also getting old, and two to three of their starters are not far away from retirement.

Teams always hope they can stay healthy an entire season, and very few ever do. This is the Redskins hope, and well as believing their veterans have another push left in their bodies to fulfill their potential for being champions.

The problem is the NFC East. This is a grueling division that wears down each team in it. Typically, by the time a team from the division reaches the playoffs, the team is spent and running on fumes. Winning the division is a huge task, and is probably the hardest thing to do in the NFC.

The Washington Redskins are considered to have little chance at winning the NFC East by many, but the talent is certainly there to do so. Many good fortunes have to fall their way, as it does for any champion in NFL history, as well as unfortunate moments happening to their division rivals.

It is a long shot, as are the Redskins hope for glory in 2009, but not unfathomable. This is how a Cinderella season occurs. Ask the Arizona Cardinals.

A Few Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Doubt Tom Brady

First and foremost you shouldn’t doubt Tom Brady because that’s exactly what he thrives on. How else does a guy go from being the 199th player taken in the draft to two time Super Bowl MVP? Dude is driven. He is a leader of men. Not many teams in the NFL have the comradery that the New England Patriots do. Brady is a huge part of that equation and he’s back. I know, he still hasn’t really come back but let’s face it, with the departure of Matt Cassell to Kansas City, Brady has to be back.

It’s funny, people seem to have forgotten about the dominate season the Pats put together in 2007. A loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl and losing Brady in the first game of the year has erased the 50 TD season and the dominance that was the New England Patriots.

Here are just a few reminders of what make the Pats so special.

Defensive Crunch: A Graphic Explanation of the Potential Holes in the Falcons Defense

The 2009 Atlanta Falcons will only go as far as their defense lets them.
While the offense returns all 11 starters this year, the Dirty Birds will have at least 5 new faces on defense come opening day. GM Thomas Dimitroff’s offensive personnel moves looked brilliant last year; this season will show whether he has the same touch on the other side of the ball.
There are a lot of changes coming – this guide will help you know what to look for.

Eric Mangini’s “To Do” List for the Cleveland Browns (Satire)

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

Top 10 things I need to do in Cleveland before the season starts.

By Eric Mangini:

1. Paint over mural. It may clash with my ego and patented brand of losing.
2. Trade my No. 1 receiver. Who really needs him when I can get guys from the Jets practice squad?
3. Check the Jets practice squad from three years ago and find someone willing to play for me. If they say no, send them flowers and beg for them to play.
4. Ignore Shaun Rogers!
5. Acknowledge Shaun Rogers!
6. Ignore Shaun Smith. Then, call Bill Parcells and collect money from the “Ignore Guys Named Shaun” pool.
7. Acknowledge Shaun Smith, then insult him about weight and attitude.
8. Call Bill Belichick and ask him where to find pinking shears that can cut sleeves off sweatshirts.
9. Tell Josh Cribbs we owe him nothing because his contract was written with invisible ink and pixie dust.
10. Call Roger Goodell and ask him about changing the team name to either the Jetowns, BrownJets or Cleveland Jets.

Michael Crabtree: The New 49ers Wideout Looks To Silence Doubters

San Francisco 49ers’ first round pick Michael Crabtree has the tools to become elite receiver in the league. And with the 49ers trying to establish a solid offense to compliment the potential of the receiver, you would think that the rookie would be attentive to all the details of the first OTAs.

Well, not exactly.

Crabtree was sighted to be looking around, not paying attention to the play on the field while he stood on the sidelines. Crabtree’s foot has sidelined him from any physical activities on the field for the OTAs, but it would be encouraging, at least, to see him being attentive to the offense.

The following day, Crabtree was standing right next to offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye trying to learn as much as he could about the new playbook. That’s a good sign to me.

Crabtree is an interesting case. The foot injury does put a damper in his growth this rookie season. Since he has to stand on the sideline and wait, it becomes a little harder to learn the playbook without actually participating on the field with the rest of the teammates.

But I am glad that he is trying to learn as much as possible while waiting for his time to hit the field.

And obviously, once he hits the field, he might want to prove to some doubters of his “diva” title. Well, I wouldn’t say he is a diva, but he has a lot on his plate once he is ready to make catches on the field.

I’m very hopeful for Crabtree. Since the departure of Terrell Owens in 2003, the 49ers haven’t had a big name receiver.

The last one was Antonio Bryant, but he never gave himself the opportunity to excel with his attitude problem. Crabtree could be that kind of big receiver, if not bigger. But let’s just hope there is no attitude problem with his game.

Are We Overly Optimistic About The 2009 San Francisco 49ers?

It is safe to say that within the Bay Area, there is a lot of excitement and optimism surrounding the 2009 San Francisco 49ers.

The question is, will they live up to fans’ expectations, or fall short of them, like they have since the end of the 2002 season?

While numerous experts, writers, and bloggers have stated that the 49ers are a team on the rise, I cannot help but feel a hint of doubt when I try and get optimistic about this coming season. 

There are so many factors that go into a professional football season that it is always hard to predict how a team’s fortune will pan out, but the question is: How many of those factors will positively or negatively impact the 49ers?

We have first-year head coach Mike Singletary at the helm for the whole season this time, so it will be easier to gauge his success or failure at the end of the season.  Regardless, Singletary showed signs of his inexperience last season, most notably with the time management aspect of the game.

Still, Singletary has the faith and confidence of his general manager, team president, and, most importantly, the players themselves.  He seems to have lit a fire under the team, and for that, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

We almost must remember that the legendary Bill Walsh did not have a very successful early beginning to his head coaching career, and for the fans to have such a high bar set for Singletary might be unfair.

Inexperience is also a question for new team president, Jed York.  Although his passion for the game and for winning should go unquestioned, his lack of experience running day-to-day operations should keep fans from expecting miracles.

Still, York made a promise to the fans that 2008 was the last season that ends in December, which further raised expectations of the team.

I have also heard a lot of fans say that this is the best draft the 49ers have had in years.  While that statement will not be proven at least until the end of the season, the general feeling is that Michael Crabtree will provide superstar talent at the wideout position.

While Crabtree has the talent and physical tools to become a superstar, it has yet to be seen how he responds to the speed of the NFL’s defense.  Also, it remains to be seen how he returns from the fracture in his left foot to make any conclusions on how he will affect the 49ers.

Added on to that is the fact that the 49ers have not named a starting quarterback.  Singletary has stated repeatedly that it is an open competition, but, ultimately, it is Shaun Hill’s job to lose.

Trying to give Alex Smith some confidence by letting him compete for the job is understandable, but what the 49ers need right now is a concrete starting quarterback.  The earlier this decision is made, the better, as it will give the starter more reps to get his timing down for the start of the regular season.

If Hill is named the starting quarterback, it has yet to be seen that he can take the punishment of a full NFL season.  The 49ers gave up a league high 55 sacks in 2008, and, without major changes to the offensive line, it remains to be seen if they have improved at all.

While I am a diehard 49ers fan and will remain so, it is hard for me to be optimistic about the coming season.  There are too many question marks that remain on this team.  Hopefully, the 49ers make me eat my words, but we shall see.

Dallas Morning News Irresponsible in Practice Facility Over-Coverage

In this recession, it’s been hard to miss newspapers closing down.  It’s been even harder to miss self-important journalists belly-aching about the newspaper industry.  Given all the expenditure slashes, one would think shoddy, over-the-top, trifling investigative journalism might be gone.

Not at the Dallas Morning News.

As published today and reprinted on ESPN’s hit-mongering site, Brooks Egerton (Dallas’ version of Carl Monday?) tells the world the shocking, appalling, and devastating truth that a consultant who worked on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility had a criminal record and fudged the resume he sent to the paper.

The newspaper industry is dwindling in resources while the country is in the middle of two wars, a multifaceted financial crisis, and pressing issues that will affect the nation for generations and the Dallas Morning News is paying someone to check resume lines on former consultants to the Cowboys.

Articles like this one are exactly the type of disproportionate, unnecessary crap that removes sympathy from the slow death of investigative journalism.

The consultant in question was convicted of a felony in 1995.  He served his time and was hired at the firm with whom the Cowboys did business.

Why blacklist his name in print by calling attention to his “ex-con” status?  It is not illegal to hire ex-convicts or to be an ex-convict seeking a job.  If Egerton finds it immoral, why not focus on the hiring policies of the Cowboys and the people with whom they do business?

In singling out the individual (which Egerton does in the first line of paragraph two), the writer only creates another victim in an already-tragic situation, shamelessly trying to create a scapegoat because he did something stupid fifteen years ago.

Worse, Brooks Egerton makes false accusations against “a man who has falsified his educational credentials.”

Did he actually falsify his educational credentials, as normally is assumed to mean “to try and attain employment on a fake resume?”  Nope.  A close reading of the article shows that all the man did was send the Dallas Morning News an outdated summary that fudged a little. 

For those unfamiliar with the business world, a majority of people “spruce up” their accomplishments in unofficial circumstances, ex-felons or not.

However, in Brooks Egerton’s world, giving him technically incorrect information is a high crime and misdemeanor worthy of being accused of document falsification in a major newspaper.

I’m all for investigating tragedy, but let’s have some perspective. This particular collapse injured affected about 60 people directly, injuring 12 and severely injuring two.  Devoting a month investigating every possible lead is ridiculous unless one is representing one of the latter in their suit against the Cowboys.

High winds knocked down a cheaply-built structure.  It’s not uncommon to have unfriendly weather severely damage the most poorly-constructed building on the block while leaving sturdier structures intact.  The Cowboys made a cheap choice that the City of Irving approved.  An act of nature tore it down.

Milking the story a month later because an apparently faultless consultant had a record does a disservice to the public by potentially damaging the reputation of another individual without cause.

Sports journalism is nothing without perspective.  No matter how much fans love the Cowboys or the Crimson Tide or the Yankees, it comes second to major issues.

Turning the microscope on such a high power as to find a former consultant who spent time in jail does just the opposite. It gives one the impression Egerton is digging so deep solely due to the logo on the helmets, which is neither a public service nor good for journalism’s reputation.

Generally, investigative journalism is about finding an outrageous issue that’s escaped the public eye and exposing it, enacting a “proper” response.  The Cowboys practice facility is a known issue being actively investigated by OSHA and the Texas Board of Engineers. 

There’s no need to pull a guy’s criminal record into the limelight or even call attention to the issue aside from wanting to negatively muckrake.

The Cowboys have never had many qualms associating with ex-felons, or even instituting criminals in their Ring of Honor.  Why bother bringing it up here, Brooks? 

Unless the man was more responsible for the facility’s collapse, bringing up his record and blasting his character for lying to a newspaper only distorts the story, tarnishes investigative journalism, and adds fuel to public stereotypes about ex-felons.

My Favorite All-Time Dallas Cowboys Team

The 1992 Dallas Cowboys would be the Cowboy’s 33rd season in in the NFL. Jerry Jones had purchased the team in 1989 and that season, their record was 1-15. Coach Jimmy Johnson and company turned the thing around and became Super Bowl winners in 1992. Headed by an explosive offense and the NFL’s number one ranked defense, Dallas fielded at the time, the the youngest team in the NFL and posted a franchise best 13-3 record throughout the regular season.

In the playoffs, the Cowboys defeated Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

NFL Sport Channel Latest

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