Brian Urlacher Is a Douche Bag.

When Warren Sapp reads about something you said and determines that you should shut your mouth, you know you’ve done something really bad.

During last week’s Bears/Vikings games, middle linebacker Brian Urlacher allowed a Yahoo sports columnists to watch the game with him and take notes.

Besides acting like a five year old to his guests, and not a 31 year old multi-millionaire celebrity, Urlacher had some choice words about watching his team.  “This sucks.”  Pure monosyllabic bliss from New Mexico’s favorite son.

Urlacher continued his critique of the team, reminiscing about the days of just running the ball and wearing down teams, and allowing the defense to make the plays.  He also brought back fond memories of 2008 where Kyle Orton led the bears to an amazing 9-7 record, and no playoff berth.  “But Kyle has won games. His formula works. So I’m not taking a shot at Jay or Kyle.” 

True, Orton does have a better record than many quarterbacks. But what has Orton won?  He has the same amount of playoffs wins as Jay Cutler. Zero. He has the same number of playoff appearances as Jay Cutler. Zero.

What Urlacher fails to realize, as well as many Chicago fans is that this team is a shell of its former dominating self. Urlacher was never a great middle linebacker, but his speed allowed him to make up for his mistakes. 

He’s older now. Not as fast. Nowhere near as good. And when he was voted the most overrated player in the league, I don’t recall any of his teammates publicly stating that they agreed, though I imagine Lance Brigg’s might have had some thoughts on the matter.

Warren Sapp is right, Urlacher needs to shut his mouth and instead of bitching about how their identity has changed, he should be in the film room helping his replacement do a better job. Perhaps he’s as good at teaching as he is at playing middle linebacker in his thirties.

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Denver Falls to San Francisco but Prove They Have Depth

Now that we are a few days removed from the Broncos’ preseason opener, its time to take a look at the game without emotions raging inside of us.

Although Denver lost the game 16-17, the Broncos showed that they have depth at many positions.

The receiving corp looked good throughout the whole game. Despite less playing time, rookies Kenny McKinnley and Nate Swift looked good.

The starters also looked good, even without star Brandon Marshall, who is recovering from a hamstring injury. He is likely to return next week.

The running back position proved to have the same depth as the receivers did. Correll Buckhalter started the game at running back, but only racked up four yards on as many carries.

Fan-favorite Peyton Hillis led the team in yards with 49 yards on 10 attempts, continuing his average of almost five yards a carry.

Rookie Knowshon Moreno looked impressive until he was taken out in the second quarter with a knee injury. He is most likely out for the rest of the preseason, but should be ready for the start of the regular season.

With a great showing by the skill players came an unbalanced performance by starting QB Kyle Orton.

He move the ball down the field very well. He looked very accurate on most of his throws except four three of them. All were interceptions, including one in the endzone by veteran Nate Clemons.

On the other hand, backup Chris Simms looked very impressive. He played the entire second half while throwing for almost 150 yards and two touchdowns.

Let’s flip it over to the defensive side of the ball now.

Recording four sacks on the day, the pass rush was definitely the highlight of the game. Players who helped reach that total were converted DE to OLB Elvis Dumervil and rookie Chris Baker.

Leading the team in tackles was all around player Spencer Larsen. The backup fullback/linebacker got five take-downs versus the Niners’ offense.

All together, the Broncos looked alright vs. San Francisco. Their are still many things to work out before the start of the season, but that’s what preseason is for.

I’m looking forward to seeing what next week has to offer.

NFL’s Top 5 Questions Going Into Training Camp

Mini-camps have closed in the NFL and now we head into the worst four weeks in the NFL all year. These next four weeks are are full of anticipation as the players take their break before the start of the grueling five-to-six months of NFL Football.

As it is every year, there are many questions for all franchises heading into this part of the year. It is very hard to single out just a few, but in this article, I will take a look at, what in my view, are the biggest problems teams will be facing.

 

Before we start, here are some questions that didin’t make the list.

How will Jay Cutler fair in Chicago?

How will the three first round picks at quarterbacks do in their first year?

How will Josh McDaniels do after the controversial off season?

 

That’s enough with the questions that didn’t make the cut. So without further adieu, here are the Top Five questions going into training camp.

 

5. Will Julius Peppers be able to work out a long term deal with Carolina?

The Panthers were finally able to get Julius Peppers to sign his franchise tag contract, and he now says he is happy in Carolina and is looking forward to a long term deal with the franchise. This could be extremely important because it would be very costly to have to franchise tag him again next year. For Carolina it is the sooner the better.

 

4.  How will Brett Favre’s re-unretirement unfold with the Vikings?

This year’s sequel to the Brett Favre saga has been less interesting than the box-office sensation that kept us hanging on the edge of our seats last year. With a predictable ending, many fans and viewers will be disappointed with this failed attempt at remaking what was once an amazing thing.

I project this to be rated 2 out of 5 starts by most critics.

 

3. What will happen with Brandon Marshall and the Broncos?

“You’re not getting traded! Get your [butt] in training camp and we’ll give you the big money next year!” -Josh McDaniels (Late July, 2009)

This conversation needs to happen in order for Josh McDaniels to gain control of his team. I’m interested in seeing this one play out.

 

2. Will Plaxico Burress be suspended? If not, who will he play for?

At this point in time, I feel that Plaxico Burress will not be suspended.

Comissioner Roger Goodell would have done it by now if he was going to do that. That being said, I think that as soon as Goodell says he will not be suspended, teams will forget that they ever said they weren’t interested. I think he will most likely end up in Chicago, Tampa Bay, or Baltimore.

 

1. Will Michael Vick be reinstated? If so, who will want him?

Michael Vick did a bad thing, and did his time for it. He deserves a second chance and I believe he will be given one. The problem is, who is interested?

With such a troubled past, teams may be afraid to sign the once star quarterback. If he can’t make it into the NFL, he will have to try to make it in the UFL, which is begining its inaugueral season in October.

There it is. Not much surprising but that’s my take. If you disagree, comment or write a whole other article on your opinion. Looking forward to you opinion.

Prater’s Problem: An In-Depth Look at The Denver Broncos’ Kicker

Mile High altitude is a kicker’s best friend. It may just be a myth, but it does always seem that kickers can get that extra few yards on those long kicks.

In the 2008 offseason, former Broncos’ head coach Mike Shanahan decided not to resign beloved kicker Jason Elam. Elam had kicked four game-winning field goals the previous season, but Shanahan wouldn’t give up the cash. He wanted a player who had a powerful leg and was good at kickoffs, so he let Elam slip away to Atlanta.

How can you replace a player who is the franchise leader in points and games played? Its certainly isn’t easy. You need a guy with a powerful leg and an unbreakable spirit. The answer: Matt Prater?

Matt Prater is a simple man from a small town in Ohio. The 5’10”, 180-pound kicker isn’t hard to figure out. Here’s a look at his 2008 statistics:

Yard Range: FG% for Yard Range (makes/attempts)

1-29 yards: 87.5% (7/8)

30-39 yards: 88.9% (8/9)

40-49 yards: 45.5% (5/11)

50-plus yards: 83.3% (5/6)

As you can see, Matt Prater had three misses total from 1-39 yards, and 50-plus yards. He had double that in the 40-49 yard range with six!

With a new head coach, the Broncos’ need to be great in all three aspects of the game. In order to be successful, the special teams needs Prater to step up from the 40-yard range.

If Matt Prater wants to continue to be a pro kicker, he needs to prove that he has the heart and mind to be one.

Statistics provided by http://ownersedge.fanball.com/nfl/player/6705

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