Would The Jets Be AFC East Favorites If Pennington Was Still Their Quarterback?

Chad Pennington was drafted 18th overall by the New York Jets in 2000, the same year they saw the departure of Bill Parcells.

At the time, Vinny Testaverde was the quarterback and led the team to a 9-7 record.

Utilizing Jets all-time great running back Curtis Martin and getting the ball to speedy and relentless wide receiver Wayne Chrebet, the Jets went 10-6 and made the playoffs in ’01.

Testaverde was benched early in the ’02 season with the team at 1–4, and it was time for Pennington to step in. He did admirably, throwing for 3,120 yards, 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He finished with a rating of 104.2.

The Jets once again made the playoffs. On top of that, Pennington’s team crushed Peyton Manning’s Colts 41-0 that season.

Each year Pennington has been healthy as the starter (’02, ’04, ’06), the Jets made the playoffs. In the years that he went out due to an injury (’03, ’05, ’07), the Jets missed the playoffs. 

After Pennington was exiled to Miami last season, he finished second in MVP voting to future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning. The Dolphins came literally out of nowhere, stole the division, and went to the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Jets, with heavily criticized to end the season, quarterback Brett Favre, missed the playoffs by one game.

As the Jets prepare for training camp, and with a quarterback competition looming, you have to think that some in the Jets organization wish Pennington was back.  

The Dolphins have no identifiable superstar, but they have a solid team that learned how to win last year. And unlike the Jets, they have the most important position solidified. Additionally, with the return of Jason Taylor, they are ready to make another playoff run.

That doesn’t mean that the Jets and Rex Ryan are going to just lay down and accept a mediocre season at the bottom of the division. Besides, in the past few years the AFC East has been anything but predictable.

As he said when he was hired in January, “This team is right there…I expect to win and win early.” 

Are his words enough to give Jets fans hope? Or will they spend every waking Sunday thinking about the what-ifs?

If Pennington was still quarterback would the Jets be looked upon as legitimate competition, or even in some people’s eyes, a favorite to win the AFC East?

News & Notes From Training Camp: Todd Pinkston Returns to Eagles

The biggest training camp story continues to be the absence of first-round pick Jeremy Maclin.

According to Andy Reid, the talks are continuing, but nothing has been signed or even agreed upon at this point. Right now, all he’s missing is meetings. However, at 8:45 tomorrow morning it gets real—he officially starts missing valuable time.

Reid pointed out how vital the camps are, and how being there on-time last year helped DeSean Jackson immensely with learning the playbook, getting his timing down, and everything else.

A lot goes into an NFL training camp; missing out is not an option for a young player with lofty expectations like Maclin.

The only thing that could be causing a delay at this point is the length of the contract. He waited to sign, so the Eagles are limited in what they can spend on their last rookie. They may be bickering about a few tens of thousands of dollars, but my guess is that the Eagles want to give him a six-year deal like was originally reported a month ago, but he wants a four-year deal.

 

Again, that’s just a guess. We’ll hear more once something is agreed upon, I’m sure.

Brian Westbrook, Victor Abiamiri, and Andrews Bros. Injury Updates

On the injury front, it appears as though Brian Westbrook and Victor Abiamiri will be ready to return by mid-August. For those of you saying, “Um, when did Abiamiri get hurt?” it was apparently a few days ago. He was benching and strained his pec.

The best news is Westbrook. Some people were questioning if he’d be able to make it back for Week 1, but the news now is that he may even see some time in the third game of the preseason just to shake off some rust before Week 1.

Abiamiri’s injury is costly for him. If he doesn’t return until mid-August, it means that he’s probably missing all of camp, and most certainly won’t be a starter, at least not at the beginning of the year.

This gives Juqua Parker a great shot to keep his job, but it’s just another knock against Abiamiri. He can’t stay healthy long enough to try and win this job. I’m sure the coaches are frustrated with him at this point.

Some more good news is that the Andrews brothers are good to go. Someone asked Dave Spadaro if the brothers were ready and all he said was, “Yes, 100 percent.”

Good to hear, hopefully it stays that way.

Pinkston Returns to the Eagles

Relax, not as a player.

The Eagles have brought Pinkston in as a coaching intern. I would assume he’s going to be shadowing David Culley, the Eagles’ wide receivers coach. However, there’s no word on what exactly Pinkston will be doing.

Pinkston caught a lot of heat as a player, some deserving and some not, but he always seemed to at least be a smart guy. Even if you don’t think he was a very good player, keep in mind the old saying, “Those who can’t do, teach.”

John Madden and Bill Cowher are Hall of Fame coaches (Madden is in already, Cowher will be one day) but were just awful players.

Interesting sidenote: John Madden was actually drafted by the Eagles in 1958 out of Cal-Poly. Maybe you learned something today.

 

Also Check Out 2 Minutes to Midnight Green AND EaglesBlog.net!

Quick Fix for Brandon Marshall and the Broncos

Pay the man.

During the past two seasons, only Wes Welker has caught more passes than Brandon Marshall. In that same span, 165 wide receivers around the NFL have been paid more than the Broncos’ Pro-Bowler. 

In fact, fellow Bronco Teammate Eddie Royal, a rookie last season, has cashed in more of Pat Bowlen’s money in one year, than Marshall has since 2006. 

Even more shocking: out of the eight receivers on Denver’s pay roll last year, six of them made more than their superstar teammate. The other one, Glenn Martinez, made the same as Marshall.

Now, I already know the argument against paying Marshall: if Denver bends and pays him, what kind of message does it send other players about holding out?

In response to this question, I ask another.

What type of message is sent to players around the league when Marshall dominates for two straight seasons and Pat Bowlen refuses to pay him?

Personally, it tells me that no matter how well I play, or how hard I work for the Denver Broncos, my efforts will not be paid off… at least not until my original contract is fulfilled.

Almost anywhere you work, your pay directly correlates with your performance on the job; Working for the Denver Broncos on he other hand, is a completely different story.

Marshall has played his heart out for the Broncos. He went from fourth round pick to the most voted wide receiver on the AFC Pro Bowl team. Pay the guy what he’s worth on the field and build  clauses into the contract to protect the team, and Pat Bowlen’s bank account, should the legal troubles continue.

Having Brandon Marshall on the field is paramount to the Broncos success.

Pay him like he matters to the team.  

How A Dwayne Bowe Fumble Changed NFL History Forever

The National Football League is a league rich in history.

There are many events over the course of the years that have changed the league’s history forever.

For example, consider back in the early days when Lamar Hunt was denied an NFL franchise. Therefore, he created the American Football League which later merged with the rival league.

If Hunt was granted the franchise he wanted in Dallas there never would’ve been an AFL which means possibly we never would’ve seen the creation of some of the league’s best teams ever.

Or what if instant replay hadn’t been implemented in 1999?  The Patriots never would have even been in Super Bowl XXXVI.  Who would be the dynasty of this decade?

There are so many examples of events that changed NFL history, including one example that took place in the 2008 season.

In the December 14 matchup between the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, the game came down to a San Diego onside kick with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs up 21-16.

Mike Scifres’ onside kick bounced right into the waiting arms of usually sure handed Dwayne Bowe

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—and bounced out.

The Chargers recovered, scored, and won the game.

History was changed.

If Bowe held on, the Chiefs would’ve won the game.  With a Kansas City victory most likely Chiefs President Carl Peterson wouldn’t have stepped down the next day, opening the job later filled by Scott Pioli.

Not only that, but with a Chargers loss Denver would’ve clinched the AFC West that day.  With the Broncos in the playoffs, more than likely coach Mike Shanahan would not have been fired, and Josh McDaniels wouldn’t have been hired.

Therefore, Jay Cutler would still be the quarterback of the Broncos, and Kyle Orton would still be in Chicago. 

With a Chargers loss, they would’ve faced the Buccaneers the next week as a team out of the playoff race and nothing to play for.  As a result, the Bucs likely would’ve won and clinched a playoff berth themselves because they wouldn’t have been challenged by a rejuvenated San Diego team.

Instead, San Diego beat Tampa which collapsed at the end of the season and missed out on the tournament resulting in the firing of coach Jon Gruden and GM Bruce Allen.  Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik were hired as head coach and GM replacements respectively.

If Tampa beat the Bolts, the Philadelphia Eagles would’ve been eliminated from the playoff race.  Instead, Philly went all the way to the NFC Championship game.  Who knows if another team could’ve beaten Arizona and gone to the Super Bowl?

But after the Bowe drop, the domino effect resulted in Pioli hired as the Chiefs GM, who hired new coach Todd Haley, McDaniels as coach in Denver, Cutler traded to Chicago after a dispute with McDaniels, Morris as head coach of Tampa, etc…

Wow…what one single play can do to history.

 

 

 

Ben Roethlisberger: Charges Threaten to Destroy Steelers’ Image

Two things are for sure regarding the sexual assault allegations placed upon Ben Roethlisberger.

 

I don’t know what happened in that Reno hotel room.

 

You don’t know, either.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are worried their star quarterback will be distracted or miss time in 2009, almost assuredly eliminating the chances of a repeat Super Bowl championship. Some have responded with insults to the accuser, a regrettably predictable response.

 

Women’s groups have not, as of yet, attempted to demonize Roethlisberger to great extent. Roethlisberger’s Friday press conference was not met with protesters outside the UPMC Training Facility the way Clarence Thomas’ detractors rallied in support of Anita Hill, for instance.

 

Good. Perhaps there are some of us left who believe “innocent until proven guilty.”

 

Still, what is most distressing about Roethlisberger’s public statement regarding the charges he faces is how he said he “would never force himself on a woman.”

 

If this is the case, then Roethlisberger must explain the photograph accompanying this article, taken from www.deadspin.com from Jan. 31, 2006.

 

True, pouring whiskey down a supposedly willing woman’s throat at a party does not make Roethlisberger a rapist, and this photographed action does not in itself make him guilty of the current charges he faces.

 

But it speaks of irresponsibility. It speaks of, if not “forcing” himself, taking advantage of a woman.

 

It gives Roethlisberger a track record the Rooney family cannot be happy with.

 

Historically, the Steelers pride themselves on their character. True, Ernie Holmes once fired shots at helicopters and steroid allegations have haunted the franchise, but during the franchise’s 1970s heydays the Steelers seemed to have a signature that stood apart from the Oakland Raiders, who prided themselves on being bad guys, or the Dallas Cowboys, who wrapped themselves in Texas arrogance.

 

And was Holmes not suffering from a nervous breakdown during his incident? Does anyone believe the Steelers were the only team with players using steroids? Did Pittsburgh not rid themselves of integral stars such as Eric Green and Bam Morris due to drugs, perhaps preventing their mid-‘90s teams of their full potential, while Dallas players rented out the infamous “White House?”

 

What makes Roethlisberger such an effective quarterback is not so much his physical abilities but his leadership ability.

 

Tommy Maddox, for instance, may have been a better passer, and Kordell Stewart may have been a better all-around athlete, but neither former Pittsburgh quarterback possessed the personality to arrogantly tell his teammates “DO THIS!”

 

This is the ability that helped turn a team filled with many complacent veterans that finished 6-10 in 2003 to 15-1 in 2004 and a Super Bowl championship in 2005.

 

This is the carefree, risk taking demeanor that enabled Roethlisberger to engineer a 78-yard touchdown drive with 2:37 remaining in the Super Bowl on the field, that had him openly defy Andrea Kramer’s questioning following Pittsburgh’s 10-6 victory against Cleveland after a game last season, and to nearly die off the field by not wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle three years ago.

 

And this arrogance also threatens to ruin his football career.

 

If Roethlisberger is found guilty, or even if he settles out of court, and he continues to be employed as the Steelers’ starting quarterback, what message does this send from a franchise that prides itself on sending out positive off the field images?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oakland Raiders: Lucky Strikes in Late Rounds

The Oakland Raiders have had quite a few lucky strikes in the late rounds of the NFL draft.  I have gone through and selected a few of my favorites.  I’m sure several have been left out, but I chose my favorites.

 

Jim Otto

Otto was one of the original Raiders taken in 1960.  He was unofficially a 12-time Pro Bowler; I say unofficially because the Pro Bowl wasn’t always the Pro Bowl in his time.

He was the most dominant to play his position and set the bar high for guys like Dave Dalby, Don Mosebar, and Barrett Robbins to reach for.

He was the first Raider inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame and it took place in 1980.

 

Art Shell

Shell was the first player that also served as a Head Coach.  He was drafted in round 3 of the 1968 draft. 

As a player, he was a member of the Super Bowl XI and Super Bowl XV championship squads and an eight-time Pro Bowler. 

His coaching started as the offensive line coach for the Raiders in 1983, so he was a member of the Super Bowl XVIII championship team as an assistant coach, rather than as a player. 

He became the head coach in 1989, four games into the season after Mike Shanahan was fired.  He was then fired himself at the end of the 1994 season after posting a 9-7 record and failing to defeat KC to make the playoffs.

After that he became the NFL’s Vice President of football operations.  He stepped down from that and returned as head coach of the Raiders in 2006 after nobody else wanted the job, but it didn’t go too well.  He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1989. 

 

Rod Martin 

My coverboy here, Rod Martin, was one of my favorites of all time.  He was drafted in the 12th round of the 1977 draft and was one of our best linebackers to play the game.

He has career totals of 14 interceptions (4 returned for touchdowns) and 33.5 official sacks. He also returned two fumbles for touchdowns and one of them is the third longest in Raider history.

He was a member of both Super Bowl XV and XVIII championship teams and was a two- time Pro Bowler. He holds the record for most interceptions in the Superbowl with three and he did that in Super Bowl XV.  He was always notorious for making big plays when we needed them most. 

 

Greg Townsend

Greg Townsend was drafted in the fourth round of the 1983 draft.  He was a rookie on the Super Bowl XVIII championship team.  He is the official all time Raider leader in career sacks with 107 and a two-time Pro Bowler. 

His 13 career forced fumbles are second on the all-time Raider leaderboard behind Charles Woodson.  He has also recovered three for touchdowns. 

 

Marv Hubbard 

Fullback Marv Hubbard was drafted in the 11th round of the 1968 draft.  He was a three-time Pro Bowler.  He is seventh on the Raiders all-time rushing leader board.

He played seven seasons with the Raiders and sat out of the 1976 season on injured reserve before going to Detroit in 1977.  He probably wishes he could’ve played for the Raiders in 1976 so he could have a Super Bowl ring to his name.

 

Cliff Branch

Branch was a fourth round pick in the 1972 draft.  He was a member of all three Super Bowl Championship teams.  In 1983, in a loss against the Washington Redskins, he caught a 99 yard touchdown pass which is the longest in Raider history.

The funny fact about that is that the Raiders would have a rematch that year in the Super Bowl against the Redskins and come out victorious. 

Branch is third on the Raiders all-time receiving leader board and I think deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.  He was one amazing receiver.

 

Dave Dalby 

Center Dave Dalby was another Raider who is a three-time Super Bowl Champion as a Raider.  He was a fourth-round pick in 1972 and made the Pro Bowl in 1977. 

He was often overshadowed by the Hall of Famers to his left in Art Shell and Gene Upshaw, but was a solid man in the middle.

In 1985, he was replaced by Don Mosebar as the starter.  He died in 2002 in an automobile accident.

 

Lester Hayes 

Mr. Hayes is another one of my favorites of all time.  Not only did he play for my favorite NFL team, but my favorite college as well (Texas A & M).  He was taken in the fifth round of the 1977 draft.  He was a member of both Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII championship squads. 

In the 1980 season, he set a team record for most interceptions in a season.  He is tied with NFL Hall of Famer Willie Brown for the Raider career leader in interceptions.  He is a 5 time Pro Bowler and I think he deserves the Hall of Fame.

 

Shane Lechler 

Lechler is another who played for both my favorite college and NFL team.  He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft. 

He is a four-time Pro Bowler and his 46.8 career average is not only the best as a Raider, but the best career average ever in the NFL.  If Ray Guy never makes it to the Hall of Fame, Shane Lechler better make it.

 

La’Roi Glover 

La’Roi Glover is a different story from the rest of these guys.  He was a 5th round pick in 1996 by the Raiders, but was cut 2 games into the season.  He went on to become a 6 time Pro Bowler; 2 with New Orleans and 4 with Dallas. 

He has 83 career sacks. He would’ve really come in handy for us after Chester McGlockton messed up his back and we let him go via free agency and Darrell Russell got in trouble with drugs. 

Glover is a player who found success after it didn’t go well for him as a Raider. 

George Atkinson, Pete Banaszak, Clarence Davis, Skip Thomas, Mark Van Eeghen

These guys were all members of the Super Bowl XI squad.  George “The Animal” Atkinson was drafted in the 7th round of the 1968 draft.  He made the Pro Bowl his first 2 years as a returner. 

In his second season he became the starting strong safety.  He is 6th all time on the Raider career interception leaderboard and 4th all time on career punt return yardage.

“The Rooster” Pete Banaszak was drafted in the 5th round of the 1966 AFL draft.   He is second on the Raider career rushing touchdown leaderboard behind Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, but never made the Pro Bowl. 

Mark Van Eeghen was a third-round pick in the 1974 NFL draft.  He is second on the Raider career rushing yardage leader board behind Hall of Famer Marcus Allen. 

Clarence Davis was a fourth-round pick in the 1971 draft.  He was the third head in the “Three Headed Monster Rushing Attack” on this Superbowl squad (this is what Al Davis is wanting to get back to with Bush, McFadden, and Fargas).

Then theres “Dr. Death” Alonzo “Skip” Thomas, who was a seventh round pick in the 1972 NFL Draft.  He was often overshadowed by Hall of Famer Willie Brown playing opposite of him as well as the safeties George Atkinson and Jack Tatum, but he was a fierce hitter in the secondary. 

 

Mickey Marvin, Reggie Kinlaw, Vann McElroy 

These guys were members of other Super Bowl squads.  Mickey Marvin was a fourth-round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft.  He started on both Super Bowl XV and XVIII squads at right guard, but never made the Pro Bowl. 

“The Killer” Reggie Kinlaw was a 12th round pick in the 1979 NFL Draft and started at NT for both Superbowl XV and XVIII squads, but never made the Pro Bowl. 

Vann McElroy was the last safety drafted by the Raiders that panned out well.  He was taken in the 3rd round of the 1982 NFL Draft.

He started as free safety on the Super Bowl XVIII squad and is fourth on the Raider career interception leader board with 31. He is a two-time Pro Bowler.

 

Bo Jackson, Mervyn Fernandez 

These guys were a couple of late round steals in 1987.  Fernandez is not on the top 10 on the Raider career receiving leader board, nor did he ever make the Pro Bowl, but he was a spectacular deep threat play maker.  If you ever saw him play, you will know why he is on this list. 

Bo Jackson is best remembered as the player that could’ve been.  The question that pops into everybody’s mind whenever his name is brought up is “What if?”

Bo Jackson was actually a No. 1 overall pick by Tampa Bay in 1986 but never reached a deal and opted to play baseball instead. 

In 1987, Al Davis selected him in the seventh round and made him a deal to play football as an offseason baseball activity, meaning that he would only play when baseball season was over and was still paid about average for a starting running back during that time.

He was the first professional athlete to be an All-Star in two different major league sports.  He was still able to put up spectacular numbers for a guy that was only playing part time and performed three of the Raiders longest rushing plays in team history.

On Jan. 13, 1991, his football career tragically ended with a hip injury in the divisional round of the playoffs.

 

Raghib Ismail, Greg Biekert, Grady Jackson, Jon Ritchie, Barry Sims 

Here is a bunch of players that never made the Pro Bowl, but were also fan favorites.  Raghib “Rocket” Ismail was probably one of the fastest players we ever had. 

Like Fernandez before him, he’s not a top 10 all time Raider receiver, but if you ever saw him play, you’d see why he made the list.  He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1991 draft.

He finally became active as a kick off returner in 1993, and is fourth all-time on the kick off return yardage leaderboard.  In 1995 he became a full time receiver, but was cut at the end of training camp in 1996 in favor of James Jett for not being able to read the ball well. 

Greg Biekert was the most deserving of this bunch that should’ve earned at least one Pro Bowl honor.  He was a seventh round steal in the 1993 NFL draft and is second on the “official” Raider career tackle leader board.  

Tackles were not official until 2001, but were consistantly recorded from 1994-2000; prior to 1994 they were inconsistantly recorded. He was from an era of great middle linebackers, so that was part of the reason why he was rudely overlooked so much.

However, he was a nasty son of a gun to meet at the line of scrimage on goalline plays and was notorious for destroying running offenses.  Of all respect to Kirk Morrison, Biekert’s defensive services are still missed to this day.

Grady Jackson was sixth-round selection for the Raiders in the 1997 draft.  He became a starter the next year along side fellow 1997 draftee Darrell Russell, who was a two-time Pro Bowler. 

He became the beef of the defensive line when Darrell Russell got suspended for substance abuse in 2001.  He walked via free agency after that and that was a mistake that would haunt the Raiders two years later. 

Jon Ritchie was a third round pick in the 1998 NFL draft and wasn’t a statistical leader, but was one hell of a blocker for the statistical leaders. 

He was best known for his bloody forehead on the sidelines as his Raider Image trademark.  He was a fan favorite as a bruiser on the field. 

Barry Sims was an undrafted rookie in 1999.  Through his hard work and dedication, he beat out former first round draft picks Mo Collins and Matt Stinchcomb for the starting left tackle posisiton.

He never made the Pro Bowl, but he protected Rich Gannon’s blind side very well and won the commitment to excellence award several times as a Raider.

He protrayed a dirty Raider Image on the field in his style of play as well as a good locker room leader by example.  Like all players, he eventually started losing it and was released at the end of the 2007-08 season and thanked the Raider organization and fans for all of his fond memories as a Raider. 

 

Eric Barton, Rod Coleman

These guys were the bash brothers taken in the 5th round of the 1999 NFL draft.  You heard former Pro Bowler names like Bill Romanowski, Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Eric Allen, and Trace Armstrong around them, but these guys were on top of the leader boards in respective areas. 

Coleman was consistantly a sack leader for the Raiders and Barton was consitantly the tackle leader in his years as a starter for the Raiders. 

In 2004, they were both unrestricted free agents and left.  Barton never saw the Pro Bowl, but Coleman became a two-time Pro Bowler with Atlanta.

 

Ronald Curry, Justin Fargas, Kirk Morrison, Tommy Kelly 

These guys are some post-Super Bowl XXXVII draftees that have been critical for the Raiders. 

Ronald Curry was a QB that converted to receiver and made some good catches after being selected in the seventh round of the 2002 draft; he spent that year on the practice squad before getting called up for one game.

He was our leading receiver in 2006 and 2007, but later became notorious for not catching critical passes that he once was our most reliable target for.

Justin Fargas was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2003 draft.  After fighting injuries in early seasons, he finally became the starter in 2007 and rushed for over 1,000 yards and was injured on the play where he earned his 1,000th yard and went to IR. 

He’s always been a work horse and with Michael Bush and Darren McFadden on the rise, his role may be deminishing but he is always determined to get the job done. 

Kirk Morrison was a third-round pick in the 2005 draft.  He is without question one of the leaders of the defense.  He’s led the team in tackles every year he’s played for them and is always in practice and all OTA work outs. 

He doesn’t care about making the Pro Bowl as much as he cares about becoming a winning team because he has a team-first attitude. 

Tommy Kelly burst onto the scene in 2004 as an undrafted rookie free agent and lead the team in sacks that year with four.  He’s matched that total on average every year when he plays the whole season. 

Last year, he looked like he was still slow from his 2007 injury and the team hopes he will be back at full strength for the 2009 season and earn his record-setting deal. 

 

Michael Bush, Mario Henderson, Johnnie Lee Higgins 

These guys are late picks from the 2007 draft that came on strong in 2008.  Michael Bush missed 2007 as he still rehabilitated his broken leg from his senior year of college. 

He would’ve been an early first round pick if it wasn’t for that, so he was available to the Raiders in the fourth round. 

He played his best game on my 27th birthday during the last game of the season rushing for 177 yards and two touchdowns leading us to victory over Tampa Bay.  He will definitely have an increased role next season. 

Thrid rounder Mario Henderson became the starting left tackle after Kwame Harris led the NFL in sacks allowed and penalties.  Henderson started three games at left tackle and didn’t allow any sacks nor was he ever penalized. Coach Tom Cable was confident enough in him that he didn’t draft an OT this year. 

Another third rounder, Johnnie Lee Higgins, came on strong last year as a punt returner and a wide receiver.  He returned 3 punts for touchdowns last season and 2 of them were in the top 5 for longest punt returns in Raider history. 

Cable would like for him to focus on his punt return game and be available if needed as a wideout. 

 

Trevor Scott, Chaz Schilens, Tyvonn Branch 

Trevor Scott was a sixth-round selection in the 2008 draft.  He went on to tie the Raider and NFL rookie lead in sacks for the season.  Seventh-rounder Chaz Schilens never dropped a pass thrown his way. 

He was overthrown a few times, but he never dropped a pass.  He was the most polished receiver in OTAs and looks to be a starter this coming season.

I remember in the last two games of the season, Jamarcus Russell throwing to him and neither Tom Flores or Greg Papa could believe that he made the catch because they were so used to calling incomplete passes for the Raiders. 

Tyvonn Branch was taken in the fourth round of the 2008 draft.  He recorded his first career interception in a week 2 victory over Kansas City. 

He went to injured reserve about halfway through the season, but he has shown more promise in his short time than Derrick Gibson or Michael Huff ever did. 

You can build a winning team through the draft.  This is why I stand by my theory of “A Rookie is a Rookie, no matter what round he was drafted in, if he was drafted at all.”  If a player fits in with a team well, he will succeed.

Jay Cutler or Matt Cassel: Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs Roll The Dice

The two biggest moves of the 2009 NFL offseason involved two highly sought after quarterbacks, Jay Cutler and Matt Cassel. Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears, amidst rumors that new head coach, Josh McDaniels offered to trade him for, oddly enough, Matt Cassel.

Cassel’s trade wasn’t as dramatic, due to the fact that the New England Patriots already have three-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady. Now that each player has a clean slate, I started to wonder, who will help their new team the most in 2009?

Jay Cutler is inheriting an inept offense that has no deep threats, unless you want to call Devin Hester a receiving threat. Don’t get me wrong, the Bears do have a couple of weapons, including Matt Forte and Greg Olsen, but nothing that teams around the league can’t handle.

Cutler was forming a nice chemistry with his former wide receiver Brandon Marshall when they were teammates in Denver. Now, the only question is, who’s going to become Cutler’s new target in Chicago, Rashied Davis?

When the Bears decided to trade for Jay Cutler from Denver, they might have made an enormous mistake by giving up two first-round picks, and missing an opportunity to upgrade their receiving corp. If they had only given up one first-round draft pick, there’s a high probability the Bears could’ve chosen Jeremy Maclin from Missouri.

Whoops!

I don’t necessarily know what the Bears could’ve offered the Broncos, but it might come back to haunt the Bears for a long time.

There have been rumors floating around that the Bears are supposedly interested in former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress. If the Bears do end up signing Burress, then look out NFL!

Matt Cassel, on the other hand, has more options to work with than Jay Cutler. Unlike Cutler, Cassel actually does have a reliable deep threat in Dwayne Bowe.

Bowe compiled just over a 1,000 yards last season, but don’t forget that was with Tyler Thigpen at quarterback for most of the season. Also, with the addition of former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram, Cassel will have a pretty good second option. The big question for Matt Cassel is, can he still be successful without Randy Moss or Wes Welker like he was last season in New England?

When it’s all said and done, both the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs have vastly improved at quarterback. With that said, I think Matt Cassel will fair slightly better than Jay Cutler will in the 2009 season.

Denver Broncos Training Camp: Part One—The Ifs, Ands, Or Buts

Entering the 2009 offseason, most pundits and Broncos haters assume that the Broncos will be as weak as President Obama’s health care reform plan this season (oh yes, I went there). 

Myself, I am a complete homer. Through my orange-and-blue beer goggles, I can always see a Super Bowl run for the Bronx each year. 

Only a true citizen of Bronco Country could be this relentless in the quest for another championship. So, in the words of a true Broncos fan, I’ve put together a summary of insanely optimistic views about this years team.

Rookie Training Camp Monday July 27, 2009

When I look at this year’s draft class, I can’t help but see future super stars.  Draft day gems, that the rest of the NFL so ignorantly passed up. 

Headed by two stout first round choices in Knowshon Moreno and Ryan Ayars…I mean Robert Ayers. 

Moreno is set to run all over anyone who stands in his way this season. Running behind the best offensive line in the NFL doesn’t hurt his chances of being yet another 1,000 yard back to head Denver’s potent rushing attack, either.

Moreno will also be spelled by Correll Buckhalter and fan-favorite Peyton Hillis. I pity the fools who try to stop our running game.

Ayers could be the Broncos new “freak” addition to a defensive front that was less than stellar the last two seasons. He’s got skill, a relentless motor, and a freaky physique. Coupled with Elvis Dumervil as the opposite rush end line backer, quarterbacks will be seeing orange and blue blurs in their nightmares.

To cap off the first day of the draft, the Broncos wheeled and dealed in the second round for some future stars that the rest of the NFL considered “reaches.”

Alphonso Smith is going to “bring it” in the secondary this year. I see him taking one to two interceptions back for seven points in a limited roll this year. Quarterbacks won’t want to throw to Bailey or Goodman, so Smith is going to be tested weekly in the nickel roll. He will also bring the pain to other teams in the rush defense. I’m going to go ahead and nickname him “Mini Champ” right now.

Darcel McBath will play a very limited role this year.  Think of the next two years for him as being enrolled in a graduate school for defensive backs. The deans of this most prestigious grad school are Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. Once McBath graduates from Broncos Academy, he will be a true impact safety. 

Richard Quinn is a beast…and what was that? He can catch, too? Sounds a little bit like Daniel Graham, or Ben Watson in the making. It’s no surprise that Josh McDaniels went for a “Smash Mouth” tight end so early in the draft.

Tight end is the less talked about “hybrid” position in the NFL. Guys like Mike Ditka, Shannon Sharpe, and Mark Bavaro gave this position its name. You have to be able to block, run, catch, and fight.

Tight ends have to be some of the toughest guys out on the field. Quinn stands to add to this legacy of the long line of tough guys before him.

Kenny McKinley is the only other rookie that will be fighting for a starting job this training camp. This young play-maker from South Carolina is the front runner for the returner job. He may also be able to break into the offense’s roster as a fourth to fifth receiving option (as if Denver needs anymore talent on the offense). 

These will be the rookies to watch for the next couple of days. I have no doubt in my mind that Josh McDaniels has put together a good group of young players. 

GO BRONCOS!!!

(Next I will go over my opinion of the veteran offensive players.

Looking Forward To a Full Season of Mike Singletary

As pre-season camps get ready to get underway around the NFL, we find it is time to get rolling on our Pre-Season Preview issue. In this issue, PossessionPoints.com examines all teams’ off-season moves and upcoming schedules. We use this information to make forecasting adjustments for the upcoming season.

 

Coaching continuity is one key factor we use for forecasting adjustments. For last season’s winning teams, we place greater weight on coaching continuity than we do on last season’s losing teams.  

 

This season, we find ourselves more concerned about the Indianapolis Colts than we do about the St. Louis Rams. Although the Colts have replaced Tony Dungy with his appointed heir, Jim Caldwell is still an unknown commodity in the head coach position.  

 

The question mark around the Colts’ new coach makes it difficult to automatically keep the team at a high level of performance; it prompts us to give a neutral to negative adjustment to the Colts in our assessment.

 

Even though Caldwell has been with the Colts’ organization, it’s hard to quantify his leadership abilities, chemistry with players, and game-day decision in this new position until he performs as a head coach.

 

Conversely, the Rams hired Steve Spagnuolo, who comes in with a good reputation that was built as the Giants defensive coordinator. Since the Rams have struggled in the past seasons, their performance in the upcoming season will most likely improve. In our calculations, a new coach in this situation becomes a neutral to positive adjustment.   

 

The 49ers are an interesting case. They have Mike Singletary, who took over after the seventh game last season.

 

When we look to forecast the 49ers’ upcoming season, we need to decide if we want to base our calculations on their full season 2008 data or just the nine games Singletary coached, in which San Francisco went 5-4.

 

The chart below shows the 49ers’ season split into the pre-Singletary and post-Singletary periods:

 

 

Their overall PossessionPoints performance improved 109 percent under Singletary: that overall improvement was driven by the 40 percent improvement in their defense.

 

The other consideration that comes into play is the team’s ’09 schedule. Based on last year’s “overall” PossessionPoints numbers, the 49ers’ ’09 schedule is the 26th hardest or 7th easiest, depending on how you want to look at it.

 

We realize that when a coach takes over in the middle of the season, there is a limit of what he can change. For Mike Singletary to have the effect he had makes for some potentially high expectations next season.

 

Let’s face facts: the 49ers are not in the toughest division in football. If we get to December and they are contending with the Cardinals and Seahawks for the division title, we would not be surprised.

Terrell Owens Should Be Commended for Supporting Michael Vick

Terrell Owens’s statement that Michael Vick should play immediately should be lauded and added to by other NFL players.

In an AP article, Owens was quoted to have said:

“Why shouldn’t he? I mean, there’s a lot more guys around the league that have done far more worst things than that and gotten second chances.”

Owens was joined by Bills safety George Wilson, Buffalo’s player representative.

Wilson was also correct when he said, as quoted by AP:

“How do you bring a man out of suspension and then suspend him again? I mean, he’s paid his debt. I think you just continue to hold him down by bringing him back and then suspend him.”

This is not to excuse or minimize what Vick did.

Although I would understand an NFL-imposed continuance of Vick’s suspension, what Owens said made sense.

The reason for a continuance is quite simple.

The NFL is his employer in a sense.

Employers can and do establish personal-conduct policies.

Vick has probably already told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell why the quarterback lied to him when allegations first surfaced.

It’s simple: human nature.

There has been enough written and said about this young man.

He paid his dues to society.

Vick should play this year.

I look forward to seeing Vick excel as a football player, but more important as a young man who has been given a second chance.

My hope is that his wealth is recaptured, so that he can do a lot of good with it.

Why?

Because I have faith in Vick.

Even though the haters don’t.

Owens should be commended for using his vast star power to address this important subject.

Wilson should also be commended for joining Owens and standing up for Vick.

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