Flawed Approach: How Ted Thompson Miscalculated Building the Packers’ O-Line

Through two games, it’s no secret that the Packers’ Achilles’ heel is clearly protecting franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers has competed valiantly through two games, but suffering 10 sacks in two games is simply unacceptable in the NFL.

Even when he isn’t getting sacked, he is still getting drilled and being prevented from stepping into his throws.

Couple that with the fact that the Packers have struggled mightily in the running game as well, and you have a potentially explosive offense that is getting handcuffed by the line and its inability to allow plays to develop.

Having all of those playmakers at receiver doesn’t matter if you don’t have time to get them the ball.

As a result, Rodgers is on borrowed time if he continues to get hit like he has, and the holes Ryan Grant needs to break big gains just aren’t there.

At least some guys are happy with Green Bay’s line play. Antwan Odom sends his regards, Daryn Colledge.

I think he’ll send you the really nice watch Rodgers won’t be buying you for the extra $10 million you made him on his next free agency deal.

Odom had three sacks last season for Cincinnati—three!—and 17.5 for his six-year NFL career before his five-sack effort Sunday.

I shudder to think what a Jared Allen or Justin Tuck would do to Rodgers at this point. Hide the women and children!

So where did the line play go so wrong?

What it really comes back to is the game plan put in place by general manager Ted Thompson to rebuild the line following the departure of two blue-chippers in Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera in 2004.

Those two were the last All-Pro caliber guys the Packers featured along the offensive line, and while they weren’t worth the money they received in free agency considering their age at the time, Green Bay has yet to replace them.

The harsh truth is that Thompson’s philosophy since then has been quantity over quality along the line.

While he has spent high draft picks at other less urgent areas offensively on guys like Brandon Jackson and Jordy Nelson (a blue-chipper in the first round for Justin Harrell sure sounds good right now as well), Thompson has used mostly mid-round selections on the line.

Sometimes you get what you pay for.

The result has been an offensive line that lacks physicality and that blue-chip anchor that every unit needs.

The highest pick of the bunch, former second-round pick Colledge, has been mediocre at best on the interior and is now being asked to fill in for Chad Clifton after giving up three sacks at tackle on Sunday.

Hard-working but smallish former seventh-rounder Scott Wells will retake his center spot, while the beefier Jason Spitz will likely slide over to left guard with Clifton out.

Fourth-rounder Allen Barbre, who got beat like a drum by Adewale Ogunleye last week, and fellow fourth-rounder Josh Sitton round out what the Packers will put out there in St. Louis.

Outside of Clifton, who is getting up there in age, the Packers are trusting their potentially prolific offense to a group of young, mid-round picks who haven’t shown the ability to consistently perform at the NFL level.

Meaning the Packers offense is sort of like owning a Ferrari in the middle of a Green Bay winter—you’ve got a sweet car, but you can’t figure out how to get it out of the garage.

The other glaring issue along the line has been the Packers’ inability to add a quality veteran to a young group.

Thompson is famously reluctant to make free agency splashes, but he has helped stabilize other areas of the team with some key signings.

Obviously, Charles Woodson has been a godsend for the defensive backfield, but the Brandon Chillar signing was huge for the linebacking corps, and Ryan Pickett has been an anchor for the defensive front as well.

But he has made no attempt to bring in a quality veteran to aid his young line, and they are in crisis mode now because of it.

Head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive line coach James Campen have an enormous task ahead of them. Their leaky line is threatening to sink an explosive offense, and they will likely have to fix it without reinforcements.

Maybe they bring Mark Tauscher back, but who knows what he has left?

Teams have no doubt seen what Cincinnati and Chicago have done to the Packers’ offensive front and have to smell blood in the water coming after Rodgers right now.

Bottom line, no matter how well the revamped defense plays, this team will struggle if they don’t find a way to shore up their line play.

And if they don’t, Packer fans may have a familiar villain to blame for the mess.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 2

Welcome to the Week 2 edition of the Cubicle GM NFL Power Rankings. Every Tuesday you can look forward to our composite rankings, as well as a bit of brief insight and analysis about each of the 32 teams.

The rankings are determined by simply taking the average of each of the contributors here at The Cube.  For Week 2, we have a full complement of rankings from the entire Cubicle GM team, including me, Gideon, Mickey, Joey, Walker and the addition of Smokey to the mix.

Each contributor has their own methodology to the rankings, as you can see in greater detail in the backup data here.  It’s clear that some of us are skeptical of a few of the 2-0 teams, and that a team’s record isn’t necessarily indicative of their rank.

As such, teams like Miami and Carolina moved up despite losses to good teams, while teams like Denver, Buffalo, and Washington dropped in the ranks even though they won.

For those of you who feel strongly about a certain contributor’s ranking, we’ve added a new feature on the site, and you’ll now be able to track the individual standings of each of the contributors.  Using a simple system where the road team is given a three-spot cushion, each week we will see who did the best job of ranking by looking at how many times the higher ranked team won the matchup. We will also keep overall standings for the season.

Last week, we took a bit of heat about the lofty placement of the New Orleans Saints, whose aggregate ranking was third in our Week One rankings.  After a second straight week of dominance, this time on the road in Philadelphia, the Saints have ascended to the top spot in the ranks, receiving four of six first place votes.  It’s hard to argue with an offense that put up the most points in their first two games of any team in over 40 years. Apparently Joey knew what he was doing last week.

The bottom of the ranks have become a bit clearer, as the St. Louis Rams garnered five of six last place votes to finish at the bottom for a second straight week.  The bottom four of Cleveland, Kansas City, Detroit, and St. Louis might move amongst themselves, but they will be hard pressed to crack the Top 28 this season.

As we still are figuring out who is for real in the NFL and who simply played two awful opponents to start the campaign (Denver), so there is going to be plenty of movement in our rankings. Of the top 30 teams in the rankings, 29 of them moved at least one spot, with only the Minnesota Vikings staying put at No. 6.

Eight teams moved at least five spots up or down the ranks. Of those, the Jets were the biggest climber, moving up eight spots to No. 7 after defeating the Patriots. Philadelphia and Seattle moved the most in the opposite direction, each dropping eight spots after losses last week.

As it’s still early in the season, there is bound to be plenty of disagreement between the contributors here.  Seventeen of the teams saw a gap of seven or more in the rankings, with 12 teams again having a gap of double digits. The main detractors this week were newcomer Smokey and last week’s culprit Joey, as at least one of them was involved in every double digit dispute.

San Francisco 49ers (14) – Mickey 9, Smokey 23

Carolina Panthers (14) – Mickey 16, Joey 30

Tennessee Titans (13) – Smokey 9, Joey 22

Arizona Cardinals (12) – Joey 10, Walker 22

Philadelphia Eagles (11) – Smokey 3, Joey 14

Chicago Bears (11) – Gideon 10, Smokey 21

Seattle Seahawks (11) – Joey 16, Smokey 27

Minnesota Vikings (10) – Joey 2, Smokey 12

New York Jets (10) – Joey 4, Smokey 14

Atlanta Falcons (10) – Gideon/Mickey 5, Smokey 15

Miami Dolphins (10) – Gideon 17, Joey 27

Washington Redskins (10) – Mickey 19, Joey 29

On the divisional side, the NFC led the way again, and thanks to Da Bears victory over the defending champs, the North regained its top spot with an 8.50 average.  Coming in second was the NFC East at 9.33, which was hurt by Dallas’ loss and Washington’s close win over the Rams. 

The AFC West remains clearly at the bottom with an even 21.00 average rank, thanks in large part to the stinkfest that was the KC-Oakland game. Second to last was the NFC South, improving to 18.50 thanks to New Orleans’ rise to the top.

As a reminder, you can check out all the backup data here.  Without further ado, onto the rankings.  As always, last week’s ranks are in parentheses.

1.  New Orleans Saints (3) 

Drew Brees and Co. proved that their Week One performance wasn’t due solely to their opponent being the Lions.

2. Baltimore Ravens (9) 

Another big day from the Ravens offense and a solid day from the defense has Baltimore as one of just four undefeated teams in the AFC.

3. New York Giants (5) 

The Giants spoiled the Cowboys’ big home opener thanks to great performances by Eli Manning, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (1) 

The Steelers definitely missed Troy Polamalu in a tough road loss to the Bears, but missed the real Jeff Reed most of all.

5. Indianapolis Colts (10)

The Colts improve to 2-0 despite having the ball for less than one quarter of the game in Miami.

6. Minnesota Vikings (6) 

Brett Favre is eventually going to need to average more than 6.7 yards per completion for the Vikings to keep winning.

7. New York Jets (15) 

Are they for real?  The Jets have climbed 15 spots in the last two weeks after Rex Ryan backed up his pregame talk with a big win over the Patriots.

8. Atlanta Falcons (11)

The Falcons get off to a 2-0 start with a divisional win over Carolina, but will be tested next week when they travel to New England.

9. San Diego Chargers (7) 

The Chargers fought valiantly without LT in their home opener, but ultimately fell short despite solid efforts from Philip Rivers and Darren Sproles.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (2) 

The Eagles’ biggest problem isn’t Kevin Kolb playing QB, it’s figuring out what went wrong with their defense in their home opener.

11. New England Patriots (4) 

The Patriots failed to score an offensive TD for the first time in over two full seasons.

12. Green Bay Packers (8) 

The Packers were the victims of the upset shocker of the week in a home loss to Cincinnati. A big factor was early drops by Packers receivers.

13. Dallas Cowboys (12) 

The Cowboys had injury added to insult in their loss to the Giants when Marion Barber went down with a quad problem.

14. Chicago Bears (18) 

A home victory over the SB Champs was just what Jay Cutler needed to win over the Chicago faithful.

15. Arizona Cardinals (22) 

Another win, another NFL record for Kurt Warner, who completed 92 percent of his passes on Sunday.

16. Tennessee Titans (13) 

The Titans are easily the most surprising 0-2 team, losing to the Texans despite 284 yards and three TDs from Chris Johnson.

17. San Francisco 49ers (16) 

A 2-0 start in the division is mostly thanks to a career day from RB Frank Gore.

18. Houston Texans (21) 

There is not much doubt anymore that Andre Johnson is the best wide receiver in football.

19. Buffalo Bills (17) 

Fred Jackson is tightening his grip on the starting role, even with Marshawn Lynch due back in two weeks.

20. Denver Broncos (19)

Unfortunately for the Broncos, they can’t play teams from Ohio every week.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (25) 

Who knew Cedric Benson still had a pulse?  The Bengals rebounded nicely from last week’s stunning loss to pull out a win in Lambeau.

22. Seattle Seahawks (14) 

The Seahawks drop to 1-1 and will likely have to do without QB Matt Hasselbeck who fractured a rib in the loss.

23. Miami Dolphins (24) 

The Dolphins blew four leads against Indy on Monday night and lost despite having the ball for over 45 minutes.

24. Carolina Panthers (26)

Despite the loss, the Panthers have to be encouraged by the performances of Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith.

25. Washington Redskins (23) 

There wasn’t much positive for the Redskins on Sunday outside of the final score, as they failed to reach the end zone against the lowly Rams.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (20) 

At least the fans in Jacksonville can’t watch this 0-2 team on TV thanks to the blackouts.

27. Oakland Raiders (28) 

It’s not often a team wins when their quarterback’s line is 7-for-24 for 109 yards.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27)

Another week, another 30-plus points allowed from the once vaunted Tampa Bay defense.

29. Cleveland Browns (30) 

Cleveland is not going to win many games when they get nine yards rushing in the second half.

30. Kansas City Chiefs (29) 

Mr. Irrelevant is perfect so far in his short career.  I couldn’t think of anything else positive to say about KC.

31. Detroit Lions (31) 

The Lions have led at halftime of their last two meetings against Minnesota.  Unfortunately that doesn’t stop a losing streak.

32. St. Louis Rams (32) 

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for St. Louis, second overall pick Jason Smith will miss up to two weeks with a knee injury.

 

This article originally posted on Cubicle GM.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Tuesday Morning Quarterback

Week Two is in the books, and what a week it was. 

The Cowboys opened up their brand new stadium, the Jets and Patriots squared off and Chad Ochocinco did the Lambeau Leap! What else can you ask for?

After another week, we start to draw some more conclusions and see that Week One doesn’t mean everything (Bears), but we still have to wait another week or two before we’re sure of what we see. With that said, here are my thoughts and ramblings on Week Two of the NFL.

 

Giants ruin Cowboys’ Stadium Opening

A last-second field goal spoiled the opening of the Cowboys’ new stadium, giving the Giants a 33-31 win. The Cowboys have now closed Texas Stadium with a loss and opened Cowboys Stadium with one.

 

Eli is worth the Contract

We saw Sunday night why the Giants payed Eli Manning all that money. He looked phenomenal as he shredded the Cowboys secondary all night. By the way, who needs Plaxico? Steve Smith and Mario Manningham each caught 10 passes and looked like go-to receivers for Manning.

 

Can Romo in the big one?

Last night’s game was just another one of many disappointing performances by Tony Romo in a big game. Granted it was only Week Two, but it was a statement game for Romo. He looked dreadful and those interceptions were terrible. It does say a lot about the Cowboys that they did manage to almost win the game despite of his performance. I still like Romo as a quarterback, I’m just not sure if he’s ever gonna win a Super Bowl. 

 

What a difference a week makes in Chicago

After everyone was calling for Jay Cutler’s head after last week’s performance, they are now singing his praises. Cutler was great as the Bears took down the world champs, with Cutler leading a late drive to win it. So all is well in Chicago, but Matt Forte struggled again, making it two straight games for him.

 

The Saints are the class of the NFC

My predicted NFC champions are looking great so far. The offense looks unstoppable. It doesn’t matter who is running the ball or who Brees throws it to, they can all get it done. But the real story is the defense. They look much improved, but they will face tougher foes soon.

 

Shootout in Tennessee

The Titans and Texans were engaged in a shootout on Sunday and the Texans came from behind to win 34-31. So much for the Matt Schaub haters. Schaub looked like a completely different player this week than he did against he Jets. 

Andre Johnson looked like the beast he is and made some spectacular catches, including a juggling catch in the end zone.

Chris Johnson was electric, scoring three touchdowns of more than 50 yards and gaining 284 total yards. Adrian Peterson may be the only better home run hitter in the league right now.

But for the Texans, what’s up with Steve Slaton? He looks nothing like he did last year.  Perhaps he’s fallen victim to the dreaded sophomore slump. He isn’t showing any of the explosiveness he showed last year, so will the real Steve Slaton please stand up?

Tennessee now falls to 0-2 and it has to sting, because they should be 2-0. It doesn’t get any easier for the Titans as they visit the Jets next week.  

The main concern for the Titans has been the secondary. They have been repeatedly burned the first two weeks, giving up more than 350 yards passing in both games. They have some good payers back there in Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin, but they need to improve fast if this team wants to play in January.

 

So much for the vaunted Green Bay D

A tale of two weeks for the Green Bay defense. They looked terrific in Week One, bottling up Jay Cutler and the Bears, only to get trounced by the Bengals. This goes to show you that you can’t be making judgments after Week One. 

But the real problem for the Packers in this game was the offensive line. They gave up six sacks on Sunday, bringing the season total to 10, and Chad Clifton went down. This could be a big problem for the Packers all season long.

 

Is Denver for Real?

I wasn’t a believer in Denver before the season but they’ve proved me wrong so far. Granted, the Browns and Bengals aren’t the class of the AFC, but they won both games. 

The offense hasn’t really been there yet, but what has really surprised me is the defense. The switch to the 3-4 has gone over very well under Mike Nolan’s tutelage and Elvis Dumervil is tearing it up at outside linebacker.

 

Jason Campbell is bad

Now we know why the Redskins desperately wanted Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez in the offseason. He doesn’t make many mistakes, but the guy makes no plays whatsoever. He couldn’t even lead to ‘Skins to a touchdown against the Rams, who were abused by Matt Hasselbeck the week before.

 

…but not as bad as JaMarcus Russell

I think it may be time to officially label this guy as a bust. This is his third year and he has shown absolutely nothing to prove he can be an NFL-caliber quarterback. He has a 35 percent completion percentage and is averaging 5.9 yards per attempt. The scary thing is that the Raiders are 1-1 and easily could be 2-0.

 

Other Quick Notes

• Darren Sproles looked great, but the Chargers do not think he is a feature back and won’t play him like one.
• The demise of Jake Delhomme for one week looks like it was exaggerated.
• Kurt Warner was extremely sharp in the Cardinal’s win, but didn’t go down field again.
• Watch out for the 2-0 49ers behind Frank Gore.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Week Two: Waiver Wire Rush

After Week One, FantasyDC suggested you go after these players. Now after Week Two, we have a whole new list for you to enjoy.

All players mentioned will be below 70 percent in 10 team formats and will likely be available in most leagues.

 

Go For It

Trent Edwards, BUF, QB (61 Percent Owned in 10 Team Format)

As of now Trent Edwards is ranked in or at the top five for QB’s in standard scoring leagues. Will he stay there all season? Not likely. But will he be in the top 20? There shouldn’t be a doubt.

He’s had two very solid games and doesn’t seem to be making many terrible throws forcing it to Terrell Owens, something even Tony Romo couldn’t seem to figure out. I think the best argument for Edwards is that he’s putting up these numbers, while having a running back, Fred Jackson, put up top five numbers as well.

Edwards is a spot starter with season-long roster appeal.

Target: All leagues.

 

Cadillac Williams, TB, RB (62 Percent)/Correll Buckhalter, DEN, RB (22 Percent)

Tampa Bay and Denver are both tough backfields to work through. Both have a stable of capable backs, with the Bucs signing Derrick Ward in the offseason and Denver drafting Knowshon Moreno.

That said Cadillac and Correll have played well enough the first two weeks to keep their starting role and will be on the better end of the RB split for their respective teams for at least a handful of weeks.

Target: All leagues for Cadillac, 12 team leagues for Correll, backups only for both.

 

Mario Manningham, NYG, WR (43 Percent)

This is probably the easiest of all adds. Mario Manningham looked like a man on the field this week, and although he went in the Giants No. 3 WR, he walked out the No. 1 WR in the NFL through week two.

He will not stay there; no one can argue that. But the Giants haven’t found a ground game yet and are throwing the rock all over the place. Eli Manning found his possession receiver last week in Steve Smith, and now he found his home run hitter in “Super” Mario.

Nicks is still down, Hixon is a little hurt and is sub-par at best, and the Giants intentionally did not sign a WR in the offseason, while dealing with the Plaxico situation.

Manningham is your guy, and he’s better than someone you have on your roster right now.

Target: All leagues, with a bullet.

 

Nate Washington, TEN, WR (24 Percent)

Nate Washington showed this week that week one was a bit of a fluke. Britt and Gage will get theirs, and Chris Johnson will continue to have out-of-this-world games from time-to-time, but Nate Washington was signed this offseason as the answer to Tennessee’s receiving problems, and he did nothing this week to convince us otherwise.

Don’t sign him unless you have a player to drop, but most should have someone they can let go.

Target: 12 team leagues.

 

Marcedes Lewis, JAC, TE (Three Percent) / Vernon Davis, SF, TE (43 Percent)

Jacksonville is losing receivers like crazy, and although Mike Sims-Walker played well last week, Marcedes Lewis is fast becoming David Garrard’s favorite target. He’s looking for him when he needs a first down and is more than a viable bye-week starter.

Vernon Davis is also playing on a team looking for someone to step forward when the team needs a catch. With Coach Singletary giving more trust to Davis, even making him a team captain, there is reason to believe his personal maturity is catching up to his athletic ability.

He’s already putting up numbers of a starter, and those numbers should continue to make him worthy of a roster spot on any team.

Target: All leagues, spot starts for Davis, backup for Lewis.

 

All Things Depending

 

Byron Leftwich, TB, QB (12 Percent)

Who has the most pass attempts through two weeks of the NFL season? No surprise, its Tom Brady. But No. 2 is a huge surprise in Byron Leftwich.

I can’t guarantee he keeps throwing the ball for his team all season, especially if they keep losing. But while he’s in there and as the Bucs keep losing, Leftwich will keep throwing at a huge rate. He’s horribly immobile, which adds 5-10 throws a game that would have otherwise been runs. His TD:INT ratio may not be good, but he’ll give you yards and completions.

If you’re thin at QB think about adding Byron, at least until he gets benched.

Target: 12-14 team leagues, backup only.

 

LeSean McCoy, PHI, RB (42 Percent)/Felix Jones, DAL, RB (70 Percent)

Both Marion Barber III and Brian Westbrook are a little dinged up which plays into Felix and LeSean’s hand. But Felix has his own “ding” problems, and the Eagles are used to Westbrook being on the injury report.

Both are required as handcuffs, and could be valuable in general to those thin on RB’s.

Target: 12-14 team leagues, PPR-plus for Felix.

Tim Hightower, ARI, RB (64 Percent)

Tim Hightower is still the starter, but Wells is looking more and more comfortable in Arizona.

No Arizona back should be starting in traditional leagues, but in deeper leagues you can get away with playing whoever is starting that week. For now it remains Tim Hightower.

Target: 12-14 team leagues.

 

Hold off for Now

 

Michael Bush, OAK, RB (24 Percent)/Fred Taylor, NE, RB (24 Percent)

Both are putting up reasonable numbers in very bad time-shares.

Taylor is being given every chance to be the No. 1 RB in New England, and Darren McFadden is doing nothing to make the Oakland staff give him more time on the field. But neither Taylor nor Bush are doing enough with their time and are getting unplayable numbers for it.

There are much better plays for you, no matter the situation.

Target: 14-plus team leagues.

…

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Fantasy DC’s Week Two: Buy/Sell Report

FantasyDC provides you with every weeks Buy/Sell choices. Look back at Week One and then look at the new names for Week Two.

 

Brett Celek PHI, TE

Eight receptions, 104 yards, 11 targets

Jon Dove: Buy—Brett Celek has a firm grasp on the starting tight end position on an Eagles team that loves to throw the ball to tight ends. Even with McNabb out, Celek had a huge game. Right now I would start only Gonzalez, Witten, and Dallas Clark ahead of Celek.

Billy Smith: Buy—If you need a tight end, Celek looks like he would be a solid grab. He had a nice game against the Saints and is one of the few Eagles that isn’t hurt. Celek should see a lot of passes thrown his way over the next few weeks.

 

Fred Jackson BUF, RB

28 carries, 163 yards, six receptions, 25 yards

Jon Dove: Buy—Wow! What a game! Marshawn Lynch’s illegal activity hasn’t cost him his freedom, but it looks like it will cost him the starting running back job. Fred Jackson has gotten a lot of touches and has produced. He is a factor in both the running and passing game. There should continue to be running room for Jackson because of Owens and Lee Evans on the outside.

Billy Smith: Buy—Jackson looked great against the Bucs. I agree with Jon, Lynch’s job is in danger. I think having Lynch back will give Jackson a breather and make him more productive down the stretch. You know the Bills are going to have to give the ball to their running backs in December in Buffalo!

 

Darren Sproles SD, RB

10 carries, 26 yards, six receptions, 141 yards, one TD

Jon Dove: Buy—I am counting LT down and out and it is now Darren Sproles’s turn to shine. Sproles is a game breaker and his ability as a pass catcher almost guarantees a decent fantasy game each week. You may have to give up a lot to acquire Sproles, but it will be worth it.

Bill Smith: Hold—Sproles looks good catching the ball out of the backfield. He isn’t going to light it up rushing, however. I don’t think LT is the back he was three years ago, but these two complement each other well. Sproles is a really good third down back, but if he has to carry the load for four or five games, the Bolts are in trouble.

 

Mario Manningham NYG, WR

10 catches, 150 yards, one TD

Jon Dove: Sell—Mario Manningham is more than likely a waiver wire addition for your team, but if you happen to own him, sell high. Receivers are always a good trading chip and Manningham’s explosion has his value really high. Ship him off to a team that’s wide out light and you should get a good return. I do believe that Manningham will have at least one or two more good games, but he will lack consistency. So in a trade I would make sure you get someone that can help your team. Also when Manningham has that big game don’t kick yourself because you have to look at week-to-week production.

Bill Smith: Buy—He looked like Manning’s go-to-guy last night. He was making great catches all over the field. Defenses aren’t going to commit to doubling him because they have to leave a man in the box to stop Brandon Jacobs. He is the No. 1 wide out on a Super Bowl contender with an All-Pro quarterback. He would be a nice addition to most fantasy teams.

 

Clinton Portis WAS, RB

19 carries, 79 yard, two receptions, nine yards

Jon Dove: Sell—The Redskins’ offense is terrible so sell Clinton Portis right now. I tend to stay away from players on bad teams. Example Steven Jackson on St. Louis and Portis on Washington. Neither of these guys will put up the numbers worthy of their draft positions. Trade Portis before his value drops any lower. Moving him will save you money on aspirin the entire season.

Billy Smith: Hold—Wait, Jonathan, I’ll let you finish, but Clinton Portis is one of the best fantasy backs of all-time (sorry, couldn’t help it)! He is going to continue to get touches and it’s too early to jump ship on a back of this caliber.

….

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The Talent Jury Is Out: How Phil Savage Hurt The Browns in 4 Years

Several years ago, the Cleveland Browns brought in a so-called personnel guru in former general manager Phil Savage.

It was Savage’s job to not only run a successful ship, but to also find and evaluate talent for the Browns to build their franchise around.

We all know how that story unfolded, but perhaps the most intriguing information that came out of the Savage years, was the fact that as a talent guru, he did not bring much talent to the Browns in those years.

Everything started in 2005 with the Browns owning the third overall pick in the NFL Draft.

This pick was very important because it was Savage’s first pick as a GM and he chose the best wide receiver in the draft in Michigan’s Braylon Edwards.

Right there that should have been a red flag.

Edwards was known to have issues dropping passes, but he was a big guy and he could control defensive formations depending on where he lined up.

OK, Edwards had an amazing year in 2007, making the Pro Bowl and dominating opposing defenses.

He still finished second in the league in dropped passes that year, but it was overshadowed by his huge statistical number and all of the amazing acrobatic catches he made.

Still, Edwards was Savage’s first pick and all Browns fans should have seen it coming.

The fact that Edwards dropped passes meant that Savage dropped the ball as well to begin his term as a GM.

Of course this can all be said now, after a few years have gone by, but in the end it is still a little bit of irony and coincidence combined together.

Not to continue to pick on Edwards, but here is a list of all the other players the so-called talent guru brought on board and how they have done since being drafted.

 

2005 Draft Highlights (eight total picks)

Braylon Edwards – WR – Michigan – Round 1 Pick 3

Brodney Pool – S – Oklahoma – Round 2 Pick 34

Charlie Frye – QB – Akron – Round 3 Pick 67

Antonio Perkins – CB – Oklahoma – Round 4 Pick 103

Analysis: With the exception of Edwards and Pool, the others are not even with the Browns anymore. Frye is in Oakland backing up JaMarcus Russell and Perkins isn’t even playing football after getting cut by the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in 2008.

Pool is fighting to staying in Cleveland after the 2009 season since he is in the last year of his current contract.

 

2006 Draft Highlights (10 total picks)

Kamerion Wimbley – DE – Florida State – Round 1 Pick 13

D’Qwell Jackson – LB – Maryland – Round 2 Pick 34

Travis Wilson – WR – Oklahoma – Round 3 Pick 78

Leon Williams – LB – Miami (FL.) – Round 4 Pick 110

Jerome Harrison – RB – Washington St. – Round 5 Pick 145

Lawrence Vickers – FB – Colorado – Round 6 Pick 180

Analysis: The jury is still out on Wimbley and Harrison. Jackson and Vickers are very talented players at their respective positions, but Wilson was a flop and Williams was just released last week by the Browns.

 

2007 Draft Highlights (seven total picks)

Joe Thomas – LT – Wisconsin – Round 1 Pick 3

Brady Quinn – QB – Notre Dame – Round 1 Pick 22

Eric Wright – CB – UNLV – Round 2 Pick 53

Brandon McDonald – CB – Memphis – Round 5 Pick 140

Analysis: Savage’s best draft because all four guys are current starters on the Browns roster. Whether or not Quinn works out as the starter remains to be seen, but both Thomas and Wright are outstanding and you rarely hear announcers saying either of their names, which is always a good thing. McDonald has shown some flash at times, but when he gets picked on by opposing quarterbacks it usually ends badly.

 

2008 Draft Highlights (five total picks)

Beau Bell – LB – UNLV – Round 4 Pick 104

Martin Rucker – TE – Missouri – Round 4 Pick 111

Ahtyba Rubin – DT – Iowa State – Round 6 Pick 190

Alex Hall – DE – St. Augustine’s – Round 7 Pick 231

Analysis: Savage traded away most of his 2008 draft for players like Quinn, Shaun Rogers, and Corey Williams, and even though Rucker, Rubin, and Hall are still on the current roster, the jury is still out for these guys too. Bell was released during final roster cuts before the 2009 season began.

 

In the end, Savage drafted 30 players and only 13 of those players are currently with the Browns.

That’s 43 percent, which is not a bad percentage, but out of those 13 players only four of them are starters without question marks at all. (Jackson, Vickers, Thomas, and Wright)

So taking those four unquestioned starters and dividing it by the 30 total players that were drafted and we get 13 percent of the so-called talent guru’s choices who have become reliable starters.

That is not a good percentage.

Currently, there are many experts that say the Browns do not have enough talent to compete in 2009, one specifically is ESPN.com’s James Walker.

Walker has stated many times during the offseason, training camp, preseason, and now after two regular season games, that the Browns need to play perfect football games in order to compensate for the lack of talent.

After looking at these previously drafted players and the percentages, this journalist would have to agree with Walker and say that due to the previous regimes’ lack of identifying talent, the Browns do not have enough to compete in 2009.

But that doesn’t mean that some of these players may not develop over the next year or two and become reliable starters, but the talent jury is still out on most and now it’s just time to wait some more until next year.

Hopefully I will be proven wrong in the next few weeks and these guys can step up and make an impact.

In conclusion…thanks Savage for mediocre choices.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

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2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Two Results

 

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Tuesday Morning Running Back, Week Two: Cowboys Christen New Home

$1.15 billion can sure build a state-of-the-art football facility.

Proof of that was on display on Sunday evening when the Cowboys opened their brand new football haven with a regular season game for the ages.

Even before the game one couldn’t help but get caught up in the sheer grandeur of Cowboys Stadium.

Massive doesn’t even begin to describe the facility. It can seat 75,000 people comfortably, with room for another 30,000 to view the game from a standing room section.

It is packed with enough video boards and electronics to make a Sony executive blush.

Best of all, it’s home to America’s team, and perhaps it would inspire them to finally return to the glory days of Cowboys football.

After night one, the team is still a work in progress.

The flashy Dallas offensive unit sputtered as QB Tony Romo threw three interceptions and compiled a passer rating of 29.6. And the Giants’ offense, led by wideouts Mario Manningham and Steve Smith, spoiled opening night with a 33-31 victory.

However, the final score is not as misleading as one would think, given the poor play of the Dallas offense. There were eight lead changes in the game, and no team was ahead by more than six points at any time.

It also went right down to the wire, as Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes calmly nailed a 37-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Giants to the win after his first attempt was nullified by a late timeout call from Cowboys coach Wade Phillips.

All in all, it was a fine debut for a billion-dollar stadium, and a game that should be remembered for years to come.

Elsewhere in week two:

• The Chiefs/Raiders was ugly all-around. An ugly debut for Matt Cassel, and an ugly 7-for-24 completion rate by JaMarcus Russell. But hey, at least Darren McFaddens’ power running got the Raiders a win!

• If you were lucky enough to draft the Titans Chris Johnson, give yourself a pat on the back. He gained 284 all-purpose yards despite the fact his team lost to the Texans.

• If there’s any consolation for the Rams, at least they broke their streak of 15 possessions without a touchdown. At least the Cardinals are still playing for something meaningful at the moment.

• An extra pat on the back for you fantasy owners that were stupid enough to pick the Bengals as your No. 1 defense. They recorded seven sacks, including five solo by Antwan Odom, in a win versus the Packers. At least I won’t be sneering at you this week.

• Hypothetical question of the week: The Packers celebrated their 90th anniversary on Sunday. If he were retired, do you think Brett Favre would have been invited to the festivities?

• Just when you thought Kurt Warner would spend his days reminiscing about his glory days in the NFL and gabbing about God, he completes 92 percent of his passes in the Cardinals win at Jacksonville. 

• Brett Favre told the media after the Vikings victory over the Lions that his experience with the team thus far as “been fun.” It should be fun when you play with a running back as gifted as Adrian Peterson.

• The Saints scored another 48 points on Sunday. Dare I compare them to the 2007 Patriots in terms of production?

• The Falcons are now 9-1 at home under Mike Smith. This is very surprising considering not much was expected of them at this time a year ago.

• The Jets didn’t embarrass the Patriots like Kerry Rhodes said they would, but the Patriots embarrassed themselves in that game. Sloppy passes by Tom Brady as well as numerous penalties and a lack of consistent rhythm on offense cost the Pats the game.

• Rex Ryan deserves to be complimented on his defensive schemes. The constant stream of blitzes confused the Patriots and helped to quell any sort of momentum they got.

• I’m not surprised that Phillip Rivers had a career day against the Ravens. After all, LaDainian Tomlinson was out, and the Chargers have a mediocre running attack without him.

What does surprise me however is Rivers’ inability to run the two-minute offense in the waning stages of the game. That’s why they lost. 

• Niners running back Frank Gore rushed for 207 yards against the Seahawks. Surprisingly, that’s not his career high. The team against which he achieved his career best mark was also the Seahawks. That leads me to wonder how good he’d be if he played Seattle in every game?

• Speaking of surprises, the Broncos have only given up 13 points on defense through two games. And you thought their offense was going to be their selling point.

• While it’s true that Jay Cutler didn’t throw a pick, and may have found a new favorite target in Johnny Knox, Bears fans should really thank Steelers kicker Jeff Reed who missed two clutch field goals and gave Chicago the victory.

• For all the glitz the Dolphins had last night in rolling out the red carpet to introduce the new owner and several celebrity minority owners, you’d think they’d play well.

Ball control wasn’t a problem, but their lack of delivering the knockout punch gave Peyton Manning a chance to win. Predictably, Manning’s late touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon sealed the fish’s fate.

• Have a great rest of the week, and I’ll talk to you next Tuesday.

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Who’s the Boss? Ranking the NFL’s 2-0 Teams

Rankings always interest me, but since we’re only two weeks in, it’s premature to start guessing at playoff pictures and wildcard possibilities.

So I decided that instead of doing a normal 32-team ranking system, I’m going to rank teams according to their win/loss record (since there are only three possibilities: 2-0, 1-1, and 0-2).

Enjoy!

Begin Slideshow

Maurice Jones-Drew: Jacksonville Jaguars’ One Man Band

Maurice Jones-Drew assumed the lead role for the Jacksonville Jaguars rushing attack, and ascended to take on the task of being a leader on the field, in the locker room, and in the community. When he accepted the challenge of replacing Fred Taylor as the premiere back, he probably did not anticipate being the lone offensive weapon on a team struggling to find a spark.

Jones-Drew answered the challenge in the season opener by racking up 97 yards on 21 carries, padding his statistics with five receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown.

The 4.7 yard per touch average against Indianapolis was significant in helping the Jaguars keep the game close, but it was not quite enough to nudge the Jaguars to victory.

When Arizona came to town for the home opener on Sunday, Jones-Drew was expected to be one of the major contributors in helping the Jaguars earn their first win of the 2009 season in front of the smallest season opener crowd in franchise history. 

The Cardinals set the tempo early and took the Jaguars offense out of their plan. The running game became secondary once the team was down by four touchdowns at the half-time break. With the running game taken out of the equation, Maurice Jones-Drew was nullified as a legitimate threat because the team was forced to throw the ball to try to get back in contention.

Even in a diminished role, Jones-Drew was able to put up more than 80 yards in total offense.

There have certainly been speed bumps along the way for Maurice to overcome.

First, he is not a player willing to shy away from contact.  Because he will take the offensive in initiating a hit, he takes an unnecessary beating.

His mentor, Fred Taylor, had worked with Jones-Drew to avoid taking the big hits in an effort to prolong his career. Fred knew all too well the dangers of taking too many shots, and he paid the price by being tagged as a fragile player early in his career. When he started to be more aware of his own limitations, he was less inclined to take on a defender, opting to get what he could with an eye on the next opportunity. 

Until Drew starts to understand just how short the career of an NFL running back is, he will continue to seek out contact. As these big hits start to pile up, it will begin to take a toll on his ability to remain a home run threat for the Jaguars.

With no viable alternative on the roster to offer respite from the beat downs he receives, the eventuality of Maurice missing playing time due to injury becomes more realistic.

The other obstacle for Jones-Drew to overcome is the lackluster performance of his offensive line.

He has been able to generate decent statistics despite the best efforts of his line to undermine him. With two rookie tackles, and one player returning from the Injured Reserve, the challenges presented to Maurice just to get back to the line of scrimmage can be as daunting as climbing Mt. Everest at times.

As his offensive line starts to show signs of cohesiveness and improvement, it will ease the burden he currently carries in making plays where none exists, and it will allow him to become the explosive weapon the team is confident he will be.

Jones-Drew is worthy of the feature back tag, but he needs another running back to split carries effectively in order to keep him fresh during games. The hits he has absorbed through two weeks would certainly cause lesser men to stumble, and despite his claims of being super human, he is not.

Great players certainly rise to the top and assume the role of leader, and Jones-Drew has done this with a high level of aplomb, saying and doing all of the right things. He is indeed a rising star in the National Football League, and the new face of the Jacksonville Jaguars around the country.

All Maurice Jones-Drew needs to figure out is how to preserve the momentum he currently enjoys to make it last as long as he possibly can. He is the star of the franchise, and their greatest offensive weapon. Flaming out early is not an option.

Maurice Jones-Drew is a confident and competent player.  As his fortunes continue to rise, so do the fortunes for the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

That is certainly a lot to put on one player. Drew has proved he is more than capable of carrying that burden. He just needs to know when to pick a fight, and when to ease up in order to play another down. In turn, the team needs to do Jones-Drew a favor and find additional players to take on the burden of being play makers on an offense sorely lacking in that department.

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