The Top 7: Potential NFL Disappointments of 2009

In the NFL, very rarely does anything work out the way it’s supposed to.

The Miami Dolphins, a year removed from a horrendous 1-15 season, turned things around by going 11-5 while winning the AFC East. The New England Patriots would come back with a vengeance after losing Super Bowl XLII, but a season-ending injury to Tom Brady in Week 1 ended that dream.

The Arizona Cardinals should have been one-and-done in the playoffs, the Titans should have won at least one playoff game, the Colts finally fell in the AFC South and so on.

2009 will be no different for surprises.

Good teams will be bad, bad teams will be good. Washed up players will prove their worth, and superstars will fall.

What exactly is going to happen? Well, there’s obviously no way to know, but who says we can’t guess?

Do the Philadelphia Eagles Really Need a Blocking Tight End?

Apart from the clamor that comes up every season for a No. 1 receiver here in Philly, the other need on everyone’s list was a blocking tight end.

But is it necessary? Is a blocking tight end an absolute need?

Quite simply, no.

While they are definitely a breed of tight end more suited for teams like Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Baltimore, etc., they are by no means a necessity.

Take a team like Tennessee for example. Bo Scaife and Alge Crumpler are both primarily receiving tight ends. Not to take anything away from Scaife’s ability to block—he’s a decent edge blocker—but his real talent comes in catching the ball.

Heath Miller in Pittsburgh and Todd Heap in Baltimore are also primarily receiving tight ends who aren’t completely incompetent blockers, they’re also pretty decent at taking on a defensive end, outside linebacker, or blitzing DB.

So if those teams can get by without a blocking tight end, why would a team like the Eagles in a pass-first offense need a blocking tight end?

The answer is, they don’t.

So what is essential to a good running game? What allows those teams to get by without a real blocking specialist at tight end?

The answer is a dying position in the NFL today: the fullback.

Ahmad Hall, Dan Kreider, and Lorenzo Neal (for the Ravens in ’08, now a Raider) are the keys to the successful running game of those three teams. Also a guy like Brad Hoover in Carolina and Madison Hedgecock in New York (Giants), just to name a few.

Every efficient running game will have a good fullback leading the way, where any average to below average running game will have a sub-par or no fullback at all, as was the case with the Eagles.

Dan Klecko stepped in and performed admirably. The man gave it his best shot and did what he could when called upon. He’s a team player and deserves all the credit in the world.

However, he is not a fullback.

So even though the Eagles do not have a blocking tight end, what they do have now is a real fullback in Leonard Weaver.

Weaver is a triple-threat at fullback being able to block, run, and catch the ball. Before joining the Seahawks in 2005, Weaver was a college tight end.

As we have seen, the success of the running game leans on the offensive line (the Eagles now have the biggest average offensive line in the league), and the fullback.

Not the tight ends.

Andy Reid has already realized this, which could be why we saw the Eagles trade up and still skip out on drafting Brandon Pettigrew.

The point here is that the Eagles have the best of both worlds. The offense will be able to run thanks to the offensive line and fullback, and McNabb gets another weapon in Cornelius Ingram.

A couple big runs from Westbrook and a few touchdown receptions from Celek and Ingram, and this will no longer be an issue.

So even though the ineptitude of the tight ends, as far as blocking, was shown last season (especially Matt Schobel in the Bears game), the Eagles should be just fine with a new and improved offensive line and a real fullback.

 

Also check out 2 Minutes to Midnight Green – Orlando Morales recently added!

How the Philadelphia Eagles’ Roster Should Look for the 2009-2010 Season

Training Camp is still about two months away, but everyone is talking about who will make the 53-man roster for the start of the season.

Yes, even now.

I suppose as football fans, we need something to keep us occupied throughout these dark weeks of the NFL offseason. That’s the motivation behind draft grades, all the rumors that are intentionally circulated, and of course, guessing the 53-man roster.

There are bound to be a couple surprises with the final roster, and attempting to guess it is not all that realistic. So instead, I’ll simply be taking a look at how I believe the roster should look come September.

Again, this is a what would I do if I was Andy Reid and not what do I believe Andy Reid will actually do with the roster.

OFFENSE

Quarterback (3)

QB 1) Donovan McNabb – Easily a top-five QB in the NFL, easily wins job

QB 2) A.J. Feeley – If McNabb goes down, I’d rather have Feeley than…

QB 3) Kevin Kolb – Has shown nothing but mistakes. Not a better QB than Feeley

*Notes: All three quarterbacks’ contracts are up in 2010, which will show a lot depending on who the Eagles resign next year. These three are locks for now, any other QB brought in knows he’s only a camp body.

 

Running Back (3)

RB 1) Brian Westbrook – When healthy, the most dangerous RB in the game

RB 2) LeSean McCoy – Perfect complement/replacement for BWest

RB 3) Kyle Eckel – Can play RB, FB, and ST. Too versatile not to keep. Big guy.

*Notes: Unlike most, I am a believer in Lorenzo Booker. Unfortunately he’s just too much like Westbrook and McCoy. Also, Eckel can play three positions, where Booker is limited to one considering he’s no longer needed in the return game with Demps, Jackson, Maclin, and Hobbs.

 

Fullback (1)

FB 1) Leonard Weaver – Pro Bowl caliber FB, can also run the ball like a RB

*Notes: Weaver’s only competition is an undrafted guy, and that’s almost as good as no competition. Weaver was brought in for a reason. May have to contend with Kyle Eckel if the coaches aren’t sold on him at RB, but either way Weaver wins his job.

 

Wide Receiver (5)

WR 1) Kevin Curtis – As of now, still the best WR on this team

WR 2) DeSean Jackson – Has potential to be the No. 1, but is still young

WR 3) Jeremy Maclin – First round pick will be called upon for immediate results

WR 4) Jason Avant – Should see a lot of playing time on third down in the slot

WR 5) Hank Baskett – Size and potential keeps him on this team, for now

*Notes: If the Eagles keep six, Reggie Brown will be the sixth receiver they keep. However, I don’t forsee them keeping six. I would like to see Brandon Gibson at least on the practice squad. Gibson could turn into a playmaker.

 

Tight End (3)

TE 1) Brent Celek – Showed enough in postseason to earn starting job

TE 2) Cornelius Ingram – Hurt in ’08 for senior year but has immense upside

TE 3) Matt Schobel – Makes the team by default. Veteran could help young guys

*Notes: Matt Schobel is really not a guy who I want on this roster. I liked him when they brought him in, but his half-hearted performance against the Bears, and really all year, has turned me off to Schobel. Obviously doesn’t want to block but lacks the hands to get away with it.

 

Offensive Line (10)

RT 1) Shawn Andrews – If he stays on the field, he’ll be headed to the Pro Bowl

RT 2) Mike McGlynn – Played RT in college, would work as a backup for Andrews

RG 1) Stacy Andrews – Should be healthy and good to go at guard

RG 2) Max Jean-Gilles – Big, tough road-grater. Love MJG as a backup

C 1) Jamal Jackson – Will get pushed in camp and should keep starting spot

C 2) Nick Cole – Possibly the most versatile lineman, could backup at C and G

LG 1) Todd Herremans – Played well last year, looks to improve to next level

LG 2) Mike Gibson – Young guy with a lot of upside, played T in college, G in NFL

LT 1) Jason Peters – Best LT in football? We’ll see how he plays with a fat wallet

LT 2) King Dunlap – Seventh round pick a year ago who Eagles love in the future

*Notes: I would love to see Winston Justice make the team. I think he can blossom into a great talent if given the time and the help. He played well at RT and should get a look there and inside at guard.

 

DEFENSE

Defensive Line (10)

LDE 1) Juqua Parker – Still a more-than-capable veteran guy. High motor.

LDE 2) Victor Abiamiri – Could push for starting job, more likely in the rotation

LDE 3) Chris Clemons – Made a push late last year, could be a pleasant surprise

LDT 1) Mike Patterson – Perhaps the most underrated defensive player in NFL

LDT 2) Trevor Laws – Second-year man looks to improve on solid rookie year

RDT 1) Brodrick Bunkley – Pro Bowl caliber guy who stuffs the run extremely well

RDT 2) Dan Klecko – Played well at DT before switch to FB (2.5 sacks in 3 games)

RDE 1) Trent Cole – One of the best in the league, young and looks to improve

RDE 2) Darren Howard – Incredible ’09 campaign should carry over

RDE 3) Bryan Smith – Has yet to play a down, young guy with a lot of upside

*Notes: No surprises here, although it would be no shock to see Abiamiri overtake Parker for the starting spot. The Eagles would love their former second-round pick to become a starter, but they will probably have to wait. Howard most likely won’t repeat in ’09 year, but even half is a great help.

 

Linebacker (6)

SAM 1) Chris Gocong – Starting job is his without much competition

SAM 2) Tank Daniels – Mostly a ST guy, could help at LB in a pinch

MIKE 1) Stewart Bradley – Starter at MIKE for years to come. Pro Bowl?

MIKE 2) Joe Mays – Would love to see the “Headbuster” get some time

WILL 1) Omar Gaither – Should still be starting. Guy can be a playmaker

WILL 2) Akeem Jordan – Played well but should lose out to experience

*Notes: While Jordan played well last season, I do not believe it was well enough to keep Gaither on the bench. The Eagles have invested a lot in Gaither, a former fifth-round pick. They cut Trot to give him starting MIKE spot, and TKO to give him starting WILL spot.

 

Cornerback (5)

CB 1) Asante Samuel – Still the best in the game, has his spot locked up

CB 2) Sheldon Brown – Should play well despite contract, another lock

CB 3) Ellis Hobbs – Starting caliber player on any other team

CB 4) Joselio Hanson – Will take back third spot next year after Brown is gone

CB 5) Jack Ickegwuonu – Needs time to shake off the rust and earn a job

*Notes: Hanson and Hobbs will probably split time with Hobbs getting just a couple more snaps throughout the season. Hobbs will start next year and Hanson will move to the nickel corner after Brown is traded. Yes, I believe he will be traded next offseason. Icky needs a wakeup call or the Eagles will be welcoming an undrafted guy.

 

Safety (4)

FS 1) Quintin Mikell – Yes, I want Mikell playing free safety, his natural position

FS 2) Quintin Demps – Too much hype, he’s not yet ready to start

SS 1) Sean Jones – Not a free safety like originally thought, good SS though

SS 2) Macho Harris – Probably a free safety, but will need to make the team

*Notes: Macho Harris is probably a free safety, but needs to make the team in any way that he can. Demps is not ready to start and should sit behind Mikell/Jones for a few years to learn the ropes, there’s too much hype around him. Did I mention that I love Sean Jones as a starter for this team?

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

 

Kicker (1)

K 1) David Akers – Still the best option for this team, and still a very good K

*Notes: Any kicker brought in is nothing more than a camp body. Sam Swank will have to make an impression and latch on elsewhere, unless he proves absolutely phenomenal and too good to let go.

 

Punter (1)

P 1) Sav Rocca – His job to lose. Without much competition, doesn’t seem likely

*Notes: Rocca is in the same position as Akers. It’s his job to lose and I don’t forsee that happening. The Aussie stays in Philly.

 

Long Snapper

LS 1) Jon Dorenbos – “Don’t know who he is? Good, means he’s doing his job”

*Notes: I quoted myself. This is what I said about Dorenbos last year, and the same is true now. Part-time magician works his magic for Philly in ’09.

 

Practice Squad

OT Fenuki Tupou

WR Shaheer McBride

WR Brandon Gibson

OG Paul Fanaika

OLB Moises Fukou

TE Eugene Bright

WR Danny Amendola

RB Eldra Buckley

 

If there were a disclaimer on this it would read something like, “Numbers and players are subject to change without notice based on training camp performances and injuries.”

Prepare for the dark weeks of the NFL offseason, football fans. I’m here all year.

Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants in a Two-Team Race for NFC East

Over recent years, the NFC East has dominated the NFC. Many years even sending three teams to the playoffs.

The dominance of the division is well-known, and puts all four teams in a rather unenviable position.

This year, however, may turn out to be a different story.

Of course there are a lot of “what-ifs” but if things stay the way they are now, it would appear to be a two-team race for this division.

The Eagles and Giants are obviously the class of this division. While the Giants have had their way over the past few years, the Eagles were the dominant team before that and may be looking to take back the reigns.

The Cowboys and Redskins have had their time in the past, and certainly will have their time in the future, but at the moment they simply do not stack up to the Giants and Eagles.

The Redskins, whom I believe are the worst team in this division, are a team without an identity and without a direction.

Teams without an identity as a passing team, a running team, a defensive team, or whatever else, will always suffer because they have nothing to fall back on. They have nothing that they know they can do well. They may be average everywhere, but all that creates is an average team.

The only identity that the Redskins seem to have is the fact that they’ll overpay anybody. If you’ve ever had a sack, a touchdown, an interception, a half sack, an assisted tackle, or if you’ve ever called a fair catch, you can be sure Danny Snyder will overpay to have you on his team.

Prime example (and will be for years to come): Albert Haynesworth.

Before 2007, Haynesworth has been nothing better than average. Before that magical ’07 season, Haynesworth never had more than three sacks in a year and had only accumulated 9.5 sacks.

That’s 9.5 sacks in five years. That’s just under two sacks a year (1.9). To put that little gem into perspective, Dan Klecko had 2.5 sacks this season alone as a DT with the Eagles. A whole three-game stretch.

Are those numbers worth $100 million? I don’t think so.

Then there was that ’07 season.

All of a sudden, Haynesworth doubles his sack total in a single season to six and is voted to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team.

So what was the sudden change?

Well, Haynesworth was in a contract year in 2007 and was playing simply to get paid. But to be fair, he did repeat those number in 2008 with 8.5 sacks and a second consecutive invite to the Pro Bowl and another All-Pro nod.

But wait, 2008 was another contract year while playing under the franchise tag.

So unless Snyder found a way to sign Haynesworth to one-year contracts, don’t look for him to produce any more than about three sacks.

A guy who doesn’t produce outside of a contract year, and has never finished a season by the way…Now that’s a guy worth $100 million!

Then there was DeAngelo Hall, a poor-man’s (extremely poor) Deion Sanders, who also was severely overpaid. He’s been nothing more than a career underachiever (for every pick, he’ll get burned to make up for it) with a bad attitude. So, on second thought, he’ll fit right in to D.C.

The Cowboys, like the Redskins, are another team (using the term loosely) that cannot live up to the potential that they seem to have on paper.

So what’s the solution? Cut the only player who has lived up to his potential (with the exception of DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten) and turn your play-making duties over to a guy who showed last year that he has no motivation or desire to better himself.

Also, a guy for whom Jerry Jones severely overpaid. A first, third, sixth, and seventh is extreme for any player, but Roy Williams was a guy who had documented motivational issues and had clashed with teammates in Detroit because of his lack of a work ethic.

Tony Romo is underachieving at its best. September, October, and even November are just fine. But when it’s time to buckle down and win something for your team in December and January, not only will Romo not help the cause, but he becomes a liability.

The team has no head coach. Wade Phillips wears the title but he has no real authority with the team as long as they continue to see Jerry Jones butting in every chance he gets. Phillips has proven he belongs at defensive coordinator, not head coach.

Until Jones stops trying to interfere, and they find a real head coach, the Cowboys will always be a team with the promise but never exceeding 9-7.

The Giants are a good team. There’s no doubt about that. The doubt comes in at how good they really are.

It would appear as though the Giants showed their true colors last season on their 1-5 stretch without Plaxico Burress.

Without Burress, the Giants offense could go nowhere. No one feared the passing game, so the gameplan simply became to shut down Brandon Jacobs. Once a team shut down Jacobs, Derrick Ward was a non-issue because his only value came from feeding off of what Jacobs had already done.

Let me say this now: without Plaxico Burress, Eli Manning will show his true colors.

Either way, this year will show just what kind of quarterback Manning is. He will not have that security blanket to lean on and will in fact have to help out young receivers by throwing good balls and becoming a leader.

Let’s just say I don’t have much faith in that happening.

The biggest thing about the Giants is that defense. The defense, especially the line, looks mighty scary. They’re big in the middle and quick on the edges, which will create a whole lot of problems for a whole lot of teams.

However, with the departure of Spags to the Rams, will that defense be able to operate in the same way that they have in years past?

Brandon Jacobs is predicting 13 wins, I’m saying closer to 10 or 11 because of this next team.

The Philadelphia Eagles.

As a cautious optimist, I believe that the Eagles are in fact the best team in this division and should have the upper-hand over the defending NFC East champion New York Giants.

All the problems that the Giants have are the same that they had last year when the Eagles beat them two out of three times, with both wins coming after they had lost Plax for the season, and ultimately for good.

The Giants could not move the ball at all and were outscored 43-25 in the final two games played against the Eagles, one of them a playoff game.

While the Giants have not done much to improve as a team in need areas, the Eagles have.

All of the starters and backups lost by the Eagles via free agency have been replaced and perhaps upgraded, with age being a factor. The Eagles brought in a lot of veterans who can play at an extremely high level and can provide leadership on an otherwise fairly young team.

The first three rookies drafted, Jeremy Maclin (first), LeSean McCoy (second), and Cornelius Ingram (5th), are expected to contribute immediately and were all big-time talents in college. If they can contribute even half of what they contributed in college, the Eagles will be set for years to come.

The fact of the matter is simply that the Eagles have countered everything the Giants have done in the offseason.

The Giants bolstered their D-line with the return of Osi and adding Rocky Bernard, so the Eagles traded for arguably the best left tackle in football in Jason Peters. The Giants lost their best receiver, the Eagles have added more talent and depth to their secondary.

The Eagles have only been a couple bad breaks behind the Giants for the past couple years, but that should end in 2009.

If the Eagles can stay healthy overall as a team, they should be able to leapfrog the Giants and take back the first-place spot they’re so accustomed to holding.

With all that said, don’t discount the Giants. They won’t go down easily by any means. They still have a good O-line and running game on offense to go along with a very good defense, especially that front seven.

Overall Divisional Expectations

1. YZ – Philadelphia Eagles – 12-4
2. X – New York Giants – 10-6
3. Dallas Cowboys – 8-8
4. Washington Redskins – 7-9

*X = Playoff Berth, Y = Division Winner, Z = Home-field Advantage

Look for the Eagles and Giants to split games this season and perhaps meet in the playoffs, with a sweep of the Cowboys and Redskins.

Playoffs

If the Eagles can win the division, they should be able to land the luxury of a first-round bye. The other projected division-winners around the NFC (Cardinals, Vikings, and Falcons) will not be good enough to make the Eagles play Wild Card weekend.

If the Eagles get a first-round bye heading into the playoffs, they will be the team no one wants to face. Once they earn themselves a playoff berth, they have the talent to take this thing the whole way.

Biggest Changes To The Philadelphia Eagles’ Playbook in 2009

While there won’t be many changes for the Eagles in 2009, as far as their playbook goes, there will be some worth noting.

The list of new faces is extremely impressive and rather exciting. Leonard Weaver, Jason Peters, Stacy Andrews, Sean Jones, and Ellis Hobbs while also adding some young talent through the draft such as Jeremy Maclin, LeSean “Shady” McCoy, and Cornelius Ingram.

All of these guys will make an impact in one way or another. They all have their own unique talents to offer and could force the rather thick-headed Andy Reid to take a look at revamping that laminated sheet he’s always waving around.

The coaching staff, on the other hand, remains largely intact. Some guys have left for other jobs or have retired but new guys are stepping in and shouldn’t miss a beat. All of the coordinators are the same, so there will be no sweeping changes on that front.

So, how will each player help in changing the playbook and philosophy of the Andy Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles V11.0?

 

Offense

– Running the “Screen” More Often

It seems as though the screen was not run nearly as often in 2008 as it was in 2007 or any other prior year. I don’t have the numbers right in front of me, but it was fairly obvious just from watching.

The reason could be that Westbrook was a bit more banged up in 2008 than he has been in years prior. Regardless of the reason, the Eagles need to find their way back to the screen.

Westbrook has made his highlight reel off of the screen. Think back to the Redskins game in ’07, or the Lions game in the same year. Even in ’08 the screen put the nail in the coffin for the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round of last year’s playoffs.

But for whatever reason, the screen was simply forgotten for most of the year. And in Reid’s pass-first offense, the screen must be an important part of the gameplan to make up for the amount of running plays called.

Westbrook had perhaps the most ineffective year of his career last year. He had a career low in yards-per-reception (7.4), the second-lowest in receiving yards (402), and his lowest reception total (54) since 2003.

Peters and Andrews are both athletic enough to pick up right where Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan left off in the execution of the screen.

Also let’s not forget that the rookie McCoy can run that screen with the best of them. So whether it’s McCoy, Westbrook, or even Leonard Weaver, it’s time to get back to the bread-and-butter play.

 

– More Timing Patterns (Slants, Drags, Hitches, Comebacks, etc.)

Reid calls himself a west-coast style guy, but his playcalling would indicate otherwise. Reid loves throwing the deep ball. He’ll send his guys straight down the field and tell McNabb to heave it up and see what comes down.

This, folks, is not the west-coast offense. This is more of a vertical passing attack similar to the ’98 Vikings, or the ’99 and ’01 Rams under Mike Martz.

This season, I believe Reid gets back to his west-coast offense routes (like that play on words?).

Over the past few years, Reid has gone out and gotten the speed that he wants at receiver. In 2007, he went out and got Curtis as a free agent, 08 he drafted D-Jack, and now this year traded up two spots to snag Jeremy Maclin.

All of these guys are sub-4.3 runners who can get away from almost any corner in the league. The only hurdle here is teaching Maclin how to run an intermediate route, considering he never, or rarely, ran one at Mizzou in the spread.

Regardless, with the speed the Eagles now have, short timing patterns can turn into big plays for the offense.

Any one of these three guys have the speed to take a five-yard slant, hitch, comeback, drag, etc. and turn it into a touchdown simply by finding a crease and running away from defenders.

Look for a lot more timing patterns this year, and a lot of frustrated defenses.

 

– Throwing to the Tight End in the Middle of the Field

Reid wants his tight ends to catch more than he wants them to block, that’s obvious. It’s the reason why he passed on Brandon Pettigrew and waited until the fifth round to grab Ingram.

Ingram will back up Brent Celek, but no matter who is playing the tight end spot, they will see a lot more passes to them in the middle of the field.

Whether it’s a simple in-pattern, a slant, or a seam, look for the Eagles to use their tight ends to manipulate the safeties. Then what happens is once the safeties have been burnt by the tight ends in the middle, they will begin pressing the middle and paying attention to the tight end. That, in turn, will lead to one-on-one matchups on the outside.

This will also take place in the red zone.

If the tight ends can learn to use their bodies to shield off linebackers in the middle of the field, they could see a lot of looks in the red zone. Both guys are over 6’4″ and can catch the football. This, again, will also lead to that fade pattern to the corner working a whole lot better than it did in ’08.

One man covering the receiver is a whole lot better than having to worry about the safety as well.

 

– More Power Football being Played in the Red Zone and on the Goal Line

The Eagles now boast the biggest line in the NFL, at an average weight of 333 pounds per guy. That beef is gonna be used to push the pile when it matters most.

This does not only pertain to the red zone and goal line, but also on third and fourth and one situations. The Eagles had a difficult time moving the pile last year, but with this huge offensive line that should no longer become an issue.

Last season Reid was forced to call passing plays in short-yardage situations because of inconsistencies on the offensive line and at the tight end position. This year, he’ll be able to hand the ball to Weaver right up the gut and push the pile for the necessary yardage.

That kind of power football will be tough to stop with the size that the Eagles now boast. Also, let’s not forget that Weaver is 240 pounds, and McNabb is 250. That kind of momentum behind a 333-pound average and short-yardage is no longer an issue.

 

Defense

– More Blitzing and Man Coverage

With the linebackers a year more experienced, look for Jim Johnson to set them loose off the edge and up the middle and any other way he can think of.

Sean Jones is a big guy who can play in the box and take over for a vacating linebacker, so look for him to be that eighth man in the box fairly often.

Also, with the emergence of Joselio Hanson and the trade for Ellis Hobbs, the cornerback position looks much strong than it did last year.

Because of the new talent in the secondary, Johnson won’t have to worry so much about rolling coverage to compensate for one guy’s shortcomings as he may have had to do with Hanson last year.

I also look for even the corners to get in on the blitzing. Sheldon Brown and Hobbs are very good blitzers off the corner and can lay a hit on a quarterback who’s not paying attention. Actually, they can even if he is.

A new faith in the young linebackers will allow Johnson to really get creative and go nuts with the blitz this year. Also, the re-emergence of a guy like Darren Howard gives the defensive line a bit more credibility in Johnson’s eyes to hold their own should the blitz fail.

 

– Heavier Rotation in Places Other than the Defensive Line

Johnson has always used a rotation on his defensive line, and that’s not going to change. However, what could change is the emergence of rotations occurring elsewhere.

Linebacker and the secondary are fairly stacked as far as depth goes. This could lead JJ to mix and match different players at those two areas a lot more often than he ever has.

For example, perhaps Akeem Jordan and Omar Gaither work in more of a rotation. Or Gaither can come in for Gocong while Gocong puts his hand on the end as a defensive end. Sean Jones may see time on first and second down, while Quintin Demps replaces him on third and other obvious passing downs.

As far as that goes, we could even see Jones at strong safety and Demps at free, or Jones at strong and Quintin Mikell at free. Hobbs could play with Brown, or Hanson could be on the field with Icky and Samuel. Macho Harris may get some time in at safety and corner.

You get the point. The possibilities are endless as to what JJ could do with this defense.

Something I’ve been suggesting is the 3-4. Not permanently, but simply for different situations. How confused would a quarterback be to come out and see the Eagles in the 3-4?

Put Patterson, Bunkley, and Abiamiri on the line and have Gaither, Jordan, Bradley and Gocong all on the field together. Or perhaps put Gocong at an end position and bring in Joe Mays to play the other middle linebacker spot with Gaither playing the SAM.

It’s a work in progress.

 

Special Teams

– Trickery is the Name of the Game

There’s not a whole lot you can do with special teams. However, with the amount of talent that the Eagles have at returner, they can do a whole lot.

What would a kickoff team do if they saw Demps, Jackson, and Maclin on the field at the same time? There’s no way you could ignore one of them if there were to be some kind of trick play in order.

For the first time, you would see a kickoff team actually worrying about covering someone as they run down the field. This would distract them from the ball carrier, which really is as good as a block as far as that is concerned.

Like I said, there’s not much you can do with special teams, but you do whatever you can in order to confuse and win some games with it.

 

Overall

Overall I think the Eagles need to become more aggressive. Blitz more on defense, go for it on offense, pull out all the stops and special teams and just see what falls into place.

The great thing about having a good team already is the fact that there does not need to be a sweeping change across the board. Rather than starting from scratch and creating your playbook because you’re a new team or just because it’s not working, they can instead just tweak it and fix the problems.

The Eagles have that benefit. I look for them to use it to their full advantage.

A Final Effort to Protect Brett Favre’s Legacy as One of the Best

Reports are coming out now that nothing has come from the meeting between former New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre and Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress.

But no matter what is said or reported, no one seems to believe it. Everyone has their own ideas, but the majority opinion seems to be that he will play in 2009.

No one believes Favre when he says he’s retired, which I agree with. But only to a point.

As far as I’m concerned, the situations of last off-season and this year’s off-season are night and day.

In Green Bay, it was fairly obvious that Ted Thompson/Mike McCarthy wanted Favre gone to make way for Aaron Rodgers.

After Favre’s obviously sub-par season in 2005 (20 TD’s to 29 INT’s), he thought Favre would have been gone by 2006, and certainly by 2007.

Unfortunately for Thompson/McCarthy, Favre played too well to warrant getting rid of or benching him.

2006 was not a great year for Favre (18 TD’s to 18 INT’s), but he led a bad team to a .500 record that year, and set the platform for success in 2007.

The story of 2007 is a well-known one. Favre, at 38 years old, led the packers to a 13-3 record and to the NFC Championship game on his arm and a late-season breakout by Ryan Grant.

Let’s not forget that for the first 10 games of the 2007 season, Favre had thrown more passes than any quarterback in the league and the Packers had the most lop-sided run-pass ratio in the NFL, at some points reaching 80%-20%.

Regardless of having absolutely no running game for over half the year, Favre played like he was in his late 20s rather than late 30s.

With 28 TD’s and only 15 INTs Favre was in talks for MVP through the entire year, and did in fact earn a few votes.

Unfortunately for Favre, no one remembers the fact that he led a decent team to a year where they overachieved. That was fairly obvious to anyone really paying attention. The only thing anyone remembers was his lollipop interception to seal the loss against the Giants.

All the Favre-haters conveniently forget the fact that he had thrown for five touchdowns to only two interceptions during the postseason with a 99.0 quarterback rating, or the fact that Ryan Grant fumbled the ball away twice in one game.

No, the only thing brought up is the interception. I’m not here to defend the pass, it was a bad pass, but considering the man was 80 percent of the reason they were there in the first place, I think he deserves some slack for that.

But regardless of the fact that Favre was the biggest reason for the Packers’ success, Thompson/McCarthy had watched their golden boy hold a clipboard for far too long, leading to his storied trade to the New York Jets.

During that well-publicized offseason, the Packers did all they could to make Favre look like the bad guy in order to temper some of the backlash that they knew they would receive if Favre was wearing any colors other than green and yellow.

You must tip your hat to Thompson, the man did his job in that regard.

Favre was made to look like this evil child holding his parents hostage until he decided they were allowed to be let go, and that’s simply not the case.

Favre was pressured by Thompson and McCarthy into making a decision, and making it quickly.

The same happened to Marino after the 1999 season when Dave Wannstedt came in with the crazy idea that Marino was washed up and convinced him to retire.

Like Thompson/McCarthy, Wannstedt was in no way married to Marino and wanted his own guy (by the way, Jay Fiedler was great).

Favre, like Marino, obliged and came to the decision that he felt was the proper one at the time, and that was to retire.

I believe that when Favre gave his now-infamous retirement speech at his press conference, that he really believed he couldn’t take it anymore. He felt as though the pressures of the off-season were simply too much for him to handle any longer.

However, had he been given the time to think and make a decision, he would never have retired, and this would not even be an issue.

Instead, the man who helped bring the Packers back to relevancy for the first time since the departure of Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr, was treated like a scrub who had done nothing for the organization.

However, what was done was done. Brett Favre was now a New York Jet and they immediately became Super Bowl favorites in a lot of football circles.

And why? Because they had Brett Favre. Speaks to the man’s reputation a bit, doesn’t it? A team that missed the playoffs the previous year is being talked about in the Super Bowl because they brought in this one guy. Not bad.

Once again, Favre had his team overachieving.

Anyone who believes the Jets were a .500 team before Favre arrived is living in a revisionist historian’s fantasy world.

The Jets had made some improvements here and there and were definitely a better team, but they were a couple years away from being considered legitimate playoff contenders.

But Favre did what he always does, and that’s win. If you doubt that, just look at the man’s record. Only in one year did he have a losing season, and that was 2005 (4-12) with a putrid team around him. Up until then, the worst he had done was 8-8.

Does anyone really believe that if Kellen Clemens was under center that the Jets would have even sniffed 9-7? Or that Thomas Jones would have been able to have the year that he had?

The answer to both is no. Clemens may be a decent quarterback one day, but he doesn’t hold a candle to Favre (never will), and the only reason Jones had the year that he had was because Favre’s presence would not allow the defense to stack eight men in the box and focus only on him.

They had to respect Brett Favre.

Jones loved criticizing Favre and running his mouth, but he’ll be missing him big time when Mark Sanchez doesn’t even make a defense blink and he’s brought back down to earth.

But again, even with the Jets, Favre was in MVP talks and everyone was praising Tennenbaum for bringing him to New York, until the injury.

Favre tore a bicep in his arm and wasn’t the same for the last four or five games of the season, but how many quarterbacks could be? Elway played extremely well with the same injury, but Elway was an exception and didn’t rely on his arm strength in the same way that Favre did.

But in typical Favre fashion, he played through it.

Did you ever hear Favre blame a bad game on his arm? Never. But still there were calls to bench him, and I won’t even argue that.

I do believe that you allow a player of his caliber to try and work it out because even injured he’s far and away better than anything on the bench.

But instead of Mangini catching the heat for deciding to leave him in, Favre caught heat and was called a selfish person for continuing to play.

What?!

He’s a selfish person because he’s fighting through injury to do everything he can to help his team win? That hardly makes any sense.

The case could be made that perhaps he was hurting the team because he wasn’t the same, but that’s not his call to make. Any self-respecting football player will never pull themselves out of a game.

That is on the coach to decide.

For example, this year Donovan McNabb was not playing well for a stretch of a couple games. He got pulled by the head coach.

He was angry because regardless of how you’re playing, you never want to be pulled and no player (well, no good player) will ever do that to themselves.

But this offseason, after the injury and getting attacked relentlessly by any writer who wanted a story and wanted to cause a stir, he has decided that it’s time to hang up the cleats.

I believe that this is the real deal. Favre has been given time to think about it and come to a decision without any pressure.

In fact, new head coach Rex Ryan and owner Woody Johnson said they would have loved to have him back for another season. Apparently, they’re the only guys who get it.

If Favre comes back again, he deserves every bit of criticism that the media and fans can lay on him because this team it’s all on him.

However, he’s made his decision now and I believe he will do just as he told Brad Childress and stay retired.

The point is that Favre played the game simply to play the game. He didn’t play for the money or the fame, and he’s not this “Prima Donna” everyone believes he is.

He’s the guy throwing a touchdown in the backyard and carry his receiver around the field for a victory lap on his shoulders.

He should be a guy who’s looked at as a role model. A man who had a bout with prescription drugs and alcohol, but he beat it. He overcame his problems and became one of the best quarterbacks, if not the best, to ever play the game.

He put it all on the line, hurt or not. He did whatever he could to help his team win and 63 percent (his winning percentage, 169-100) of the time it worked like a charm. He was an unorthodox player but the job got done, and it got done extremely well.

Perhaps instead of mocking John Madden (another disrespected football icon) for his admiration of Brett Favre, everyone should follow suit and recognize the man’s importance and contribution to not only the NFL, but the game of football.

So to Brett Favre: Stay in Hattiesburg and enjoy your Hall of Fame election in five years. I hear Hattiesburg, Miss., is a great place to be in October. Well, better than Minnesota at least.

Bob Cunningham is a contributing writer to GCobb.com and other various sports websites. He also runs his own site at 2 Minutes to Midnight Green. Bob can be contacted via 2minutestomidnightgreen@gmail.com.

 

Philadelphia Eagles’ Potential Battles That Could Shape The ’09 Season

[Originally Posted At 2 Minutes to Midnight Green]

For a fan, there’s nothing better than opening week. That first game ends months of frustration and hanging on to any kind of football fix he/she can get (i.e. the draft).

For a player, there’s nothing better than being in a battle. A battle with a person you see every day, a person wearing the same colors as you.

Going in every day knowing that if you’re not at the top of your game on that practice field, you’ll never see that playing field. No player cares to know how that bench feels.

The stress is incredible, the mental toughness must be at its highest level, and your body must be at its peak.

It’s that time from a couple weeks after the draft right up until the Saturday before that first game. It’s that time that will make or break a season, a career.

Every season there are a few key battles during camps (mini-camp, training camp, etc.) that will shape the team for the coming year, and this year is no different for the 2009 Philadelphia Eagles.

In fact, there may be more for the Eagles this year than any prior year. Old faces are gone, new faces are ready to step in, but how will it break down?

Free Safety – Sean Jones vs. Quintin Demps

Jones is the veteran, Demps is the young guy. However Demps has a year on Jones as far as seniority with the Eagles is concerned.

Jones has been highly underrated during his time in the league with Cleveland. If you’ve been an Eagles fan for more than five minutes, you’ve seen the stat that he’s third in the league over the past three years in interceptions by a safety with 14 (behind Ed Reed and O.J. Atogwe).

Jones is a ballhawk. He’s a guy who can change a game with that key interception or deflection. He played well on a bad Cleveland defense, so what might he be able to do surrounded by the third-best defense in the league?

Demps is coming into his second year after being drafted in the fourth round out of UTEP (Texas El-Paso). His key role with the team in his rookie year was in the return game, and he did a decent job. He had one return for a touchdown, but unfortunately it came in a game that will only be remembered for the benching of Donovan McNabb.

In some spot duty last season, Demps looked lost at times. He also made some dumb rookie mistakes.

For examples of both, just look at the NFC Championship game vs. the Arizona Cardinals. His late hit on Kurt Warner was wrong, stupid, costly, and if I were Reid he wouldn’t have seen the field again.

Then there was the triple pass from Warner to Edge to Warner to Fitzgerald 60 yards down the field. Demps falls over himself and Fitz walks into the endzone. Can Demps be trusted this early in his career?

I don’t believe so.

Starter: Sean Jones – Demps will be a starter at some point, but now is not that time. I think the Eagles keep him as a returner and maybe give him some time in the defensive backfield.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Rashad Baker, Victor Harris

Cornerback – Sheldon Brown vs. Ellis Hobbs vs. Joselio Hanson

Brown is the incumbent starter, but due to his recent contract squabbles may find himself out of favor with Reid & Co. That’s not to say that he would be sat simply because he’s complaining about his status on the team, but it could cause some mental lapses for him (like Lito Sheppard last year).

The key here will be if Brown can separate football from business and just shut up and play. If he can, he should be fine, but if not he’ll be in trouble.

Hobbs is a guy who the Eagles just traded for over this draft weekend. Two fifth-round picks is a steal for a guy who has started for a team like the New England Patriots over the past few years.

The knock on Hobbs is his size. At 5’9″ it will be difficult for him to cover some of the taller receivers. He, like Brown, also has issues with his contract and may or may not throw a fit as well.

His contract was a main reason for his trade in the first place. Hopefully he doesn’t bring it up until after the season.

Hanson is really a dark horse in all of this, but is a guy who cannot be overlooked either by the media or Brown and Hobbs. Since they both have contract issues and are looking to get paid, Hanson may be able to beat them out by simply focusing on only football and overplaying them in camp.

Hanson got his payday, so there’s nothing to worry about on that front. He stepped up big time last year while taking advantage of Sheppard’s situation. He got paid, and now looks to fight off new competition and keep his spot.

Starter: Sheldon Brown – I don’t believe that Brown will allow his contract situation to distract him. I think he keeps his job for this year and probably gets unloaded next year. Look for Hobbs and Hanson to battle it out, but probably wind up splitting time in the nickel anyway.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Jack Ickegwuonu, Victor Harris

Linebacker – Omar Gaither vs. Akeem Jordan

Gaither has been a starter since halfway through his rookie season. He’s taken over for a Philly icon in Jeremiah Trotter, and also was the reason Takeo Spikes was sent packing after only one season.

After being a fifth round selection out of Tennessee, Gaither has far outperformed his expectations. He’s football-savvy, and a blue-collar, hard-working player. However after the debacle vs. Baltimore last season, Gaither was inexplicably deemed the scapegoat and benched in favor of Akeem Jordan.

Jordan was an undrafted rookie free agent in 2007 out of D-1AA James Madison in Virginia. Jordan is somewhat undersized at 6’1″ and 226 lbs, but he makes up for it with his speed off the edge and his vision to get through to the ball-carrier.

After replacing Gaither in 2008, Jordan impressed by coming on quickly. A huge thing for a new starter is not having that one bad play that sticks out, and I can’t recall any for Jordan.

All that means is that he did his job. He wasn’t spectacular, but he did his job and that’s really all that can be expected of a young player.

Starter: Omar Gaither – While I liked the way Jordan played last year, I think that Gaither is just a much more polished linebacker who’s not finished getting better. I do not believe he has hit his ceiling quite yet, and the trade talk surrounding him is ridiculous. Look for Gaither on the weakside in ’09.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Charleston Hughes, Moise Fukou, Tank Daniels

Left Defensive End – Juqua Parker vs. Darren Howard vs. Victor Abiamiri

Parker, formerly known as Juqua Thomas, has been the starter for the past couple of years, and has done an admirable job in his role. He is a big guy who plays well against the run and can get some pressure on the quarterback.

His weakness is the latter portion of the season. His production drops off significantly after Week 8 or so, and can cause problems for the defense trying to push for a playoff spot in a tough division.

Howard was a big free agent acquisition a few years back after becoming a big name in New Orleans, however his time with the Eagles has been average at best. Howard had bulked up to around 290 in order to be able to play both end and tackle in Jim Johnson’s defense.

In 2008, he dropped about 20 pounds and played around 270. The drop really showed and paid off as he led the team with 10 sacks and played like the elite player he was in New Orleans. The problem with Howard is that he will turn 33 during the season, and is a little old to be a starting end.

Abiamiri was a second round pick in 2007 and has a lot of high expectations from the Eagles’ coaching staff. He was having a promising training camp last year before a wrist injury sidelined him for a few weeks.

He didn’t seem to ever fully recover from injury, playing in only 10 games and was only able to muster two sacks. He’s still a young guy, but a guy that the Eagles want to see develop into the player they thought was worthy of a second round pick just a couple of years ago.

Starter: Juqua Parker – I think Parker will get the nod again this year because he’s really the best option. Abiamiri is untapped potential at this point, and Howard really is in the back-end of his career. Parker will start, but the rotation will probably be heavier than ever, with all three of these guys seeing time.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Bryan Smith, Chris Clemons

Center – Jamaal Jackson vs. Nick Cole

Jackson has been the starter at center ever since 2006 when he beat out Hank Fraley for the spot and even having the competition showing up on the cover of SI magazine (pictured above).

After two sub-par seasons from Jackson, who played like a Pro Bowl guy in 2006, the Eagles coaching staff and fans have put him on notice. At this rate, Jackson may find him on the SI cover again. However this time he may not like the outcome.

Cole impressed the staff (and the fans) last year by filling in for Max Jean-Gilles who was filling in for Shawn Andrews at right guard. Cole played extremely well and really surpassed expectations by playing well in the run and pass.

He really helped to calm the nerves of an anxious city after seeing a Pro Bowl right guard and his backup both go down with season-ending injuries. Cole is a good player and certainly deserves his shot.

Starter: Jamaal Jackson – This may be a surprise, but overall I believe Jackson is the best player here. Granted, he hasn’t played well over the past couple of years, but that could have been because of the lack of competition. Yes he should have been able to perform regardless, but competition pushes players to play better. He knows he’s on a short leash.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Mike McGlynn

Battles Not Determining A Starter:

Wide Receiver – Jeremy Maclin vs. Reggie Brown vs. Hank Baskett

This is assuming that Curtis and D-Jack have the one and two spots locked up, with Avant having time guaranteed somewhere.

Maclin, this year’s first round pick, is a guy who may take a couple years to develop, or he’ll be an instant sensation. The reason he may take a couple years is because of the offense he ran at Mizzou. I don’t think the kid ran a single intermediate route, something a receiver must do a lot in the west coast offense.

He will be a good receiver, whether that is ’09 or as late as ’11, we’ll just have to wait and see. His success will be contingent upon learning the playbook. From there, it’s all on his talent, and there’s no shortage of that.

Brown may be as good as gone in the minds of Philly fans, but I’m not so sure that Reid & Co. feel the same way. There’s a reason they made him a second round pick, and he’s shown flashes of that throughout his short time here in Philly.

In his first two years, he accumulated 89 receptions, 1,387 yards, 12 TD’s, and one rushing touchown for 13 total. That’s not bad for your first two years in the league.

2006 was by far his best season with 46 receptions for 816 yards and nine total touchdowns, including one rushing. He looked to have the speed, the burst, the hands, and the football intelligence to be a successful receiver in the league.

Even in 2007 he had a pretty good year, with a career-high 61 receptions for 780 yards and four touchdowns.

The point being that I do not believe Reggie should be cut or traded or whatever else because he comes out and has one bad year, the first really bad year of his career. He was banged up last year, and should be given another shot to compete.

When healthy, I believe Reggie has a very high ceiling. He may never become more than a two or three, but he certainly warrants a spot on this roster and another chance to prove himself.

Baskett is a guy who I feel is extremely underutilized. They have not used him in positions where he would be a fantastic asset, such as the redzone.

The guy is 6’4″ and a huge target. They thought enough of him to trade for him as an undrafted rookie free agent before he had even gone to mini-camp, so they must have had a plan for him.

He’s a good combination of size and speed, as evidenced by the fact that he’s only one of six players in NFL history to have two or more touchdown receptions of 90+ yards.

Battle Winner: Jeremy Maclin – DeSean Jackson’s success last year has hopefully opened Reid’s eyes to the fact that receivers can contribute right away. As I said, Maclin may be a bit raw in the route-running department for the first year, but that’s something that can be coached up. He’s got too much talent to sit on the bench.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Brandon Gibson (after talking to some people from WSU, it would appear that Gibson may be a steal in the sixth), Shaheer McBride

Running Back – Lorenzo Booker vs. Kyle Eckel

Booker was not given a large role in the backfield last year, and therefore was not able to do much, only getting on the field during garbage time of a huge win. Booker was brought in because of his similarities to Brian Westbrook with the thought being that he could spell Westbrook.

That never came to fruition, and now Booker’s place on this team is being questioned, especially with the addition of second round pick LeSean “Shady” McCoy. However, having sunk a fourth round pick into him, Booker will get every chance to succeed before being let go.

Eckel was a mid-season signing, and like Booker, did not get many opportunities. However, unlike Booker, Eckel made the best of his opportunities. He was brought in as a fullback, but used more as a big running back for short-yardage situations.

While he did a good job on offense and special teams, Eckel may not have a place on the roster because of the signing of Leonard Weaver from Seattle. Reid does not like to usually have the same kind of player at the same position, but both of these players fit into that category.

Battle Winner: Kyle Eckel – This is a close call, but I believe Eckel edges Booker here because of his ability to also play special teams. Eckel is a blue-collar guy who Reid will fall in love with because he’ll stick his nose into any pile, and player, and will run fearless on the field.

Eckel may be similar to Weaver, but it boils down to contribution, and he will contribute more between offense and special teams, whereas Booker would only play offense. Reid already has a Westbrook-clone in McCoy.

I believe Booker can be a good player, and will be a good pickup for another team after being released in a numbers game.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Eldra Buckley, Walter Mendenhall

 

All of these battles warrant some attention, as they will shape the team not only for next year, but years to come. This is the most important time of the year for teams around the NFL to find out what they have on their roster.

The Eagles are no different. Stay tuned, it promises to be an exciting time.

NFL Draft Recap: Pick-By-Pick Reaction and Analysis

The 2009 NFL Draft has been exciting thus far through the first round. There have been some trades, some surprises, and perhaps some reaches.

Let’s take a look at each selection.

1. Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford – QB – Georgia

First off, this guy has bust written all over him. The documented strength of Stafford is the arm strength, while the weakness is that he is rather slow in his progressions and reads.

To me, that screams, “Bust!”

Making reads and becoming quicker in his progressions can be coached so that may not turn out to be a big deal. Unfortunately, the Lions are not well-known for sculpting talented players more than they are for ruining them. Stay tuned.

2. St. Louis Rams: Jason Smith – LT – Baylor

This is a fantastic pick for the St. Louis Rams. They were rumored to want to trade out of this pick, but since there were no takers they did the smart thing and took the best player on the board. Let’s also not forget he fills a huge need.

Smith is a big, nasty guy who will bring a certain attitude to the Rams that they have lacked for quite some time.

Look for this guy to hold down that left tackle spot for the next 12-15 years.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: Tyson Jackson – DE – LSU

This may have been a slight reach for Jackson at 3, but with that said the Chiefs got a good player here.

Jackson is a guy who’s athletic enough to play end in a 4-3, but big enough to play end in the 3-4, and play it well.

The Chiefs are looking to get tougher all-around, and Jackson helps that.

4. Seattle Seahawks: Aaron Curry – OLB – Wake Forest

Curry fell into the Seahawks’ lap with the number four pick in the draft, after passing by a team everyone was sure would take him with the third pick in the Kansas City Chiefs.

Curry may be the best overall player in the draft this year, and was in talks with the Lions to become the first overall pick.

If there is such a thing as a value pick in the top five, the Seahawks just got it.

5. New York Jets (from Cleveland Browns): Mark Sanchez – QB – USC

In the first blockbuster trade of the 2009 draft, the Jets traded an immense amount (swapped first-round picks, five and 17, their second-round pick, along with players Abram Elam, Kenyan Coleman, and QB Brett Ratliff) for an unproven guy.

Not just a guy unproven in the NFL, but unproven in college as well, making only 16 starts in his college career. But then again, Matt Cassel started 16 less than that.

6. Cincinnati Bengals: Andre Smith – LT – Alabama

The Bengals did what most people thought they would do, and that is drafted LT Andre Smith. Regardless of his problems this offseason, Smith is an incredible talent and may have been the second guy off the board if it weren’t for the aforementioned troubles.

The Bengals have acquired a guy who has the potential to be a fantastic, Pro Bowl caliber left tackle for a long time in the NFL.

7. Oakland Raiders: Darrius Heyward-Bey – WR – Maryland

In typical Al Davis fashion, he overlooked talent and any other sort of stat or intangible and drafted solely on speed.

So with Michael Crabtree still on the board, waiting in the draft’s green room, the Oakland Raiders selected Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Without getting offensive, this is just a dumb pick. Heyward-Bey may turn out to be a good player, but he was not worth the seventh pick. The fact that Crabtree was still on the board just makes it even worse.

Davis’ affinity for speed will come back to bite him.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Eugene Monroe – LT – Virginia

Monroe was considered by many to be the best left tackle in this draft and could have gone in the top five simply based on preference.

The only knock on Monroe is that he’s not aggressive or tough enough in the run game, but the same was said about Joe Thomas; The same guy who made it to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season.

9. Green Bay Packers: B.J. Raji – DT – Boston College

With the Packers bringing in Dom Capers to switch the defense over to the 3-4, Raji was the only pick here. He can be that kind of Vince Wilfork-type nose tackle who can keep the linebackers free and clear to move around and make plays.

Raji is a great jumping-off point to get this 3-4 moving. He should be an impact player immediately. They better hope that their 2007 first-round pick DT Justin Harrell can play defensive end.

10. San Francisco 49ers: Michael Crabtree – WR – Texas Tech

The 49ers need to kiss the ground that Al Davis walks on, then send him a thank-you letter for allowing their franchise to progress, while sending the Raiders back a few years.

Crabtree will help out whichever quarterback wins the job in camp look a whole lot better. The last time the 49ers drafted a wide receiver who was a playmaker but perhaps a little slow, it worked out just fine.

For those who don’t know, that man was Jerry Rice.

11. Buffalo Bills: Aaron Maybin – DE/OLB – Penn State

The Buffalo Bills must have a plan for Aaron Maybin, because he doesn’t really fit into a 4-3. He’s a little too small to be a 4-3 defensive end, and not quite big enough to play OLB. He’s a perfect 3-4 pass-rushing OLB.

Look for the Bills to try and bulk him up to play outside linebacker.

12. Denver Broncos: Knowshon Moreno – RB – Georgia

In one of the biggest surprises of the first round, the Broncos picked Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno. Moreno is one of seven running backs on the Broncos roster heading into 2009.

This is a textbook case of simply selecting the best player on the board and not selecting for need, but was Moreno the best player on the board at the 12th pick? The Broncos are certainly starting the Josh McDaniels-era in a peculiar fashion.

13. Washington Redskins: Brian Orakpo – DE – Texas

Orakpo is another guy who was projected as a possible 3-4 OLB, but has been drafted by a 4-3 team as a defensive end.

He’s a high-motor guy who will help the Redskins get pressure on the quarterback, something they’ll need in a quarterback-heavy division with Eli Manning, Tony Romo, and Donovan McNabb.

14. New Orleans Saints: Malcolm Jenkins – CB/FS – Ohio State

Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins could have easily been rated the best corner and the best free safety coming out of college this year. He reminds me a lot of Antrel Rolle in that he’s versatile enough to play both.

Personally I would have him playing free safety, but with the addition of Darren Sharper he may see time at corner until Sharper hangs it up.

15. Houston Texans: Brian Cushing – LB – USC

Cushing is the first of the USC linebackers to be drafted, but I’m not sold that he’s the best. I believed, and still do, that the best linebacker from that group was Rey Maualuga, then Cushing, and then Clay Matthews.

However, I do believe that Cushing is a good player and will be very good next to DeMeco Ryans. Cushing is a smart guy who plays within his assignment which will allow him to make an impact day one.

16. San Diego Chargers: Larry English – DE – Northern Illinois

This is a great pick for the Chargers who lost their defensive end, Igor Olshansky, to the Dallas Cowboys in free agency.

A lot of people are screaming “reach” here at this pick, but I think this was a guy who was incredibly underrated and will make a big impact on a struggling Chargers’ defense.

He comes in listed as a defensive end, but he could play OLB in the 3-4. We’ll see if they have him bulk up and play DE or not.

 

To continue reading check out 2 Minutes to Midnight Green!

Tony Gonzalez Traded to the Atlanta Falcons: How Are Eagles Affected?

[Originally Posted At 2 Minutes to Midnight Green]

ESPN’s Michael Smith is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs have traded tight end Tony Gonzalez to the Atlanta Falcons for a second-round pick in 2010.

A report had come out just a couple of days ago that the Philadelphia Eagles had been in the running for the tight end’s services, but that they were not willing to go any further than a third-round pick in this year’s draft.

Thomas Dimitroff had been debating on whether or not to give up a second-round pick for the 33-year-old tight end or to stay put with the 24th pick in the draft and hope that Brandon Pettigrew fell to them.

Evidently, he wasn’t holding out much hope that Pettigrew would be there at 24.

 

Ripple Effect: The Philadelphia Eagles

This now puts the Eagles in a tough spot. With the 21st pick in this year’s draft, who do they select?

Word is out that they’re looking very heavily at Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno, and that they may even trade up to get him or trade down if he is not available.

However, in light of their failed attempt to trade for Gonzalez, would they now consider taking Pettigrew either way?

I have to think that if Moreno falls to 21, they will pick him regardless if Pettigrew is on the board or not. However, if Moreno is not there at 21, I don’t believe they’ll trade down and take a back in the second.

Instead, I see them snagging Pettigrew at 21, and then possibly trading up within the second round in order to draft UConn’s Donald Brown, a player they also really like because of his ability to catch out of the backfield.

Either way, I believe the Eagles have set their sights in this order:

1) Knowshon Moreno
2) Brandon Pettigrew
3) Donald Brown (in the second round)

It’s stories like this that just make draft weekend that much more exciting.

Philadelphia Eagles Are in Trade Talks for Tony Gonzalez

[Originally Posted At 2 Minutes to Midnight Green]

For all of you pessimistic Eagles fans, it would appear as the Joe Banner may be keeping his word and trading for a player we all want.

Unfortunately, that player is not Anquan Boldin. In fact, he’s not a wide receiver at all.

Well, kinda.

Don Banks of SI.com is reporting that the Eagles and Atlanta Falcons are in the running for Tony Gonzalez. He claims in his report that the Eagles have expressed their willingness to part ways with a third-round pick for the 33-year-old tight end.

The report does not say what the Falcons have offered, but I’m assuming only a fourth if the Eagles are in the lead. Nothing else makes sense, considering the Chiefs and Eagles actually play one another this year. So, that’s not it.

The change at GM evidently has done nothing to cheapen the price tag for Gonzalez as the Chiefs are still asking for a second-round pick.

The Chiefs are worried about the backlash if the fan base perceives the deal as a bargain for the other team, whether it be the Eagles or Falcons, so it may cause them to stand strong in their demands for a second-round pick. Which, by the way, is not going to happen.

While Gonzalez is no doubt a first-ballot Hall of Fame guy, he is 33 years old and not worth a second round pick to the rest of the league.

Personally, if I’m the Eagles, I’m doing it. I would haggle them right down to the last second, but if they refuse to budge, I would give them what they want.

I understand 33 is the tail-end of a player’s career, but what he can do for your team right away—and maybe for another two to three years—is priceless. Especially for a team like the Eagles or Falcons who are starved for a dominating tight end.

For the Eagles, it’s perfect. They like Brent Celek (as they should) but don’t believe he’s a viable starter at this point in his career. So, start Tony G. for about two years while allowing Celek to get some snaps and learn.

What do you think Celek could do with a teacher like Tony Gonzalez? That alone is an exciting thought.

The thought is that if the Falcons lose out on Gonzalez, they will attempt to draft TE Bradon Pettigrew in this weekend’s draft.

So, Philly Nation, it looks like if the Eagles can get Scott Pioli to budge on the third-round pick, we’ll have the tight end we all crave by this weekend.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

NFL Sport Channel Latest

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