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How the Giants Front Seven Translate to a 3-4 Defense
Published: January 9, 2010
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With the New York Football Giants and 3-4 defensive guru Romeo Crennel rumored to be mutually interested in discussing the Giants vacant defensive coordinator post it begs the question of how well the Giants current defensive front seven would translate to a 3-4 defense. The following slideshow will provide individual assessments of how the current Giants front seven would fare in a 3-4 defensive scheme.
Pete Carroll Should Go To Seattle: 10 Reasons Why
Published: January 8, 2010
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No NFL opportunity could be a more perfect match for Pete Carroll than the Seattle Seahawks. Carroll has always maintained that he would never leave USC unless a premium opportunity arose in the NFL. Few thought that opportunity would come with the Seattle Seahawks, but c’est la vie.
The following is a list of 10 reasons why Carroll is making a smart move
1. The Seahawks have a billionaire owner named Paul Allen who not only is willing to spend his money but also will not interfere.
2. The Seahawks are willing to give Carroll complete authority and autonomy. Not only will Carroll be head coach, but also he will be the Bill Parcells/Mike Holmgren type leader of the front office.
3. The Seahawks roster is blatantly in major need of an overhaul, especially on offense. This would allow Carroll to heartlessly remake the roster from the ground up without public or internal opposition.
4. The Seahawks have two relatively high first round picks in the upcoming NFL draft. Invaluable for a rebuilding team with no young franchise quarterback.
5. USC is under serious NCAA investigation for issues regarding running backs Joe McKnight and Reggie Bush, which may result in USC surrendering BCS money, Bowl wins and or future scholarships. Who wants to stick around for that nightmare?
6. If Carroll never left USC, he would forever be known as an NFL coach who couldn’t hack it in the pros and fled to the NCAA.
7. The Seahawks play in one of if not the weakest division in the NFL, making it easier to rebuild the team into an instant winner.
8. The money, the dollar amount of Carroll’s new contract with the Seahawks ought to be so mind blowing the numbers will appear in 3-D.
9. Carroll has said repeatedly that he prefers the west coast and living on the water. Seattle is exactly that.
10. If Carroll wins a Super Bowl, he will become only the third coach in history and the first since Barry Switzer to have won both a National Championship and Super Bowl. If you thought he was a legend at USC before his legendary status would jump ten fold.
Of course, none of this will matter if he goes to the Seahawks and lays a gigantic egg. If Carrol bombs in Seattle his reputation and ability to go back to the NCAA and recruit will be seriously damaged. No one said a move of this magnitude would come without risks. Given Carroll’s energetic and infectiously positive nature I wouldn’t bet against him.
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NFL Mock Draft Top Five: Feel Free to Mock
Published: January 7, 2010
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While it’s insane to think its possible to predict an entire NFL draft, it might be within the realm of possibility to figure out the first five picks.
Below is the best estimation of the first five picks of the 2010 NFL draft based upon scouting reports, team needs, coaches’ philosophical styles and gut instinct. Enjoy and feel free to rip me a new one in the comments section.
St. Louis Rams: Ndamukong Suh
While the more traditional route would have the Rams taking a QB, no QB in this draft makes passing on Suh a realistic possibility.
Suh lives in opponent’s backfields in run or pass plays, as his combination of strength, acceleration, lateral quickness, high motor and violent hands make him virtually unblockable. Suh is the type of player that will not only have impressive stats but will also positively impact that the stats of his teammates.
Chris Long’s sack numbers would increase with the attention Suh demands while at the same time freeing James Laurinaitis in the run game. With Suh on the defensive line and last year’s second overall pick, left tackle Jason Smith, in the fold the Rams will have their line of scrimmage effectively anchored for a decade on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback will continue to be a massive problem and Suh won’t solve that, but the Rams are so horribly lacking in talent that they may not even be ready for developing a young QB.
The last thing the Rams need is a Alex Smith, David Carr, Tim Couch or JaMarcus Russell type situation, and Suh appears to be a new age Reggie White. The Rams should take solace in what the Texans did when they took Mario Williams number one overall and traded for Matt Schaub later.
Detroit Lions: Eric Berry
It’s rare for a defensive tackle to be taken first overall, it would be a history making precedent for the Lions to take a safety with the second overall pick.
And yet that is exactly how special Tennessee Junior Safety Eric Berry is.
Berry is not just a player, he is a culture changer, as his mere presence can change the outlook and morale a team has entering a game. Yes, they already have one of the league’s premier young safeties in last year’s second round pick Louis Delmas, but that shouldn’t prevent Berry from being the pick.
Delmas and Berry have a chance to be the league’s most talented safety duo since LaRon Landry and the late great Sean Taylor laced em’ up together briefly for the Redskins.
It’s like Berry was created in a science lab. Ed Reed’s ball-hawking, the tackling of Troy Polamalu, Ray Lewis’s leadership and infectious love of the game combined with the ability to lock down the slot as a nickel cornerback in man to man situations and an innate ability to time the blitz when rushing the quarterback.
A Lions defense featuring Berry, Delmas, Ernie Simms, DeAndre Levy and Cliff Avril would be one of the most athletically explosive, versatile and entertaining defenses in the NFL.
Tampa Bay Bucs: Gerald McCoy
When the Bucs traded Gaines Adams to the Bears for a 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft they may have gotten a great deal but they also lost their only worthwhile, young defensive lineman.
With Josh Freeman established as the franchise cornerstone, it is now time for the Bucs to focus on rebuilding their defense. Oklahoma fourth year junior defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has the most explosive first step of any defensive tackle to enter the NFL since the Bears’ Tommie Harris.
McCoy can shoot a gap and reach a QB before he even reaches the end of his three-step drop. Head Coach Raheem Morris may not run a pure cover-2 defense, but his defensive philosophy is not far off. Morris asks his defensive lineman to penetrate instead of plug, which is the perfect role for McCoy. McCoy is talented enough that he may in fact be able to fill the massive shoes Warren Sapp left vacant when he left for the black hole.
Washington Redskins: Sam Bradford
It will be interesting to see Bradford’s reaction, a member of the Cherokee nation, when a team with a horribly offensive and racist name drafts him.
Bradford has the accuracy, arm, foot speed, athleticism and moxie that new Head Coach Mike Shanahan looks for in a QB. Bradford is coming off shoulder surgery to his throwing arm though and is not guaranteed to be ready for training camp, let alone rookie camp.
Combine Bradford’s inexperience running a pro-style offense, with the Sooners he ran an offense almost exclusively out of the Shotgun, with his injury history, it is obvious Bradford should not play as a rookie.
That should not be a worry though for Shanny, who can always force current Redskins QB Jason Campbell to stay another year. The Redskins will have Bradford learn from the bench for a year while fully healing his shoulder and then Shanny will have him in the Pro Bowl in no time.
Kansas City Chiefs: Rolando McClain
Chiefs’ General Manager Scott Pioli made it evidently clear during last years draft when he reached for LSU’s Lawrence Jackson, that he doesn’t care what outsiders think about his rebuilding the Chiefs.
Hence Rolando McClain, a pick many would consider a massive reach but something that is right up Pioli’s alley.
McClain would instantly become the Chiefs’ leader both emotionally and intellectually while also being an every down player for the Chiefs’ defense. McClain is almost like the Peyton Manning of defense, constantly gesturing, adjusting and intimidating.
With McClain you’re not just getting a player, your getting an extra defensive assistant coach. Though McClain lacks elite speed, he can go sideline to sideline and also possesses the strength and hip explosion to shed blockers at the point of attack. McClain may be a slight reach, but he shouldn’t disappoint Chiefs fans the way Jackson has.
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Jerry Reese Is Stuck in The Rough
Published: December 31, 2009
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New York Football Giants General Manager Jerry Reese has hit the first rough patch of a career he started so famously in 2007.
An off-season spending spree that produced Defensive Tackles Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard, Safety C.C. Brown, and Weak-side Linebacker Michael Boley has failed miserably. Either due to weak performance or injury, not a single addition has performed up to expectations.
The signing of former Seattle Seahawk Rocky Bernard to a four year, $16 million contract was puzzling the moment the ink was dry on the contract. The length and amount of money far exceeded what Bernard merited, based on his play with the Seahawks the last two years.
Perhaps the Giants were reading the scouting report of Bernard from when he was a free agent in 2005. That year he had 8.5 sacks for the Seahawks.
Chris Canty’s signing was lauded at the time and rightly so. He may still justify his $42 million contract, so he deserves time to heal and get on the field before any lasting judgement is made. That being said though, a very durable player for the Cowboys has been falling apart at the seams for the Giants.
Michael Boley’s signing signing to a $25 million, five year deal was also puzzling. Boley was benched last year by a playoff bound Falcons team due to inability to play the run.
Add an imminent suspension due to an off-field incident and one would think the Giants could have gotten him cheaper. While Boley has shown some promise and made some big plays, he has been constantly injured and and when healthy no noticeable difference is seen in the final result.
Add the recent mistake of getting into a public war of words with Giants legend Harry Carson, and one would understand if Reese is beginning to feel some buyers remorse.
Perhaps the most egregious signing by Reese was the player who received the least amount of money and years; C.C. Brown. Brown received a $1 million 1 year contract to be the Giants sole backup safety.
Brown showed some promise with the Texans but in reality only received so much playing due to a general lack of talent around him. As soon as Brown was given real playing time with the Giants due to Kenny Phillip’s injury he displayed a constant inability to make a play on the ball while it was in the air while also consistently letting wide receivers to get behind him for big pass plays. He was, to general relief of Giant’s fans everywhere, benched.
Counting on Brown to be the sole backup ended being Reese’s most costly off-season mistake in free agency, with the Bernard signing a close second. Neither should be with the team next season. Canty and Boley both deserve another full year before they can be labeled busts, but in all fairness no one can say they have gotten off to good starts.
Jerry Reese has proven in a short amount of time to be a highly capable NFL general manager. A few bumps in the road are to be expected. If Reese however is to be considered a great general manager, it will be based upon in no small part how he fixes his own mistakes.
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