Tennessee Gets First Win: Who’d Have Thought 1-6 Would Sound so Sweet?

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Intuition Or Idiocy? Predictions For Week One

So the NFL season has officially begun, with your author’s beloved Titans falling in OT to the reigning champ Steelers 13-10.

Obviously, each NFL season has its quirks and surprises: last year the Dolphins and Falcons shocked everyone by rebounding from a sucky ’07 to make the playoffs, for example. Thus, predicting the results of the first week’s games would seem an impossible exercise. But not at PaP. We think ourselves savvy enough to predict an entire week’s matchups correctly.

And it is with this idea in mind that we introduce our first round of Intuition or Idiocy predictions, wherein we will try and correctly guess each game’s result. Now, NFL scoring makes exact predictions a mite tricker than, say, soccer forecasts, so we’ll simply give you the winner and a points differential to follow, plus a few tidbits of (probably hokey) information.

In addition, each week we will choose the BORE (Brain-numbingly Obvious REsult) game of the week and the YAWN (Yeah, All We Need) low-scoring matchup of the week, as well as the AWE (Amazing Weekly End-result) shock result of the week. As regular readers will know, we are masters of the acronym, so hopefully this latest batch will live up to expectations.

 

 

The Predictions

 

BORE game of the week, sponsored by John Beck’s Mormon Childhood: Buffalo @ New England

The first week normally offers a lot of surprises, but not here. The Bills are in disarray, without a good left tackle, a(nother) brand new O-coordinator and an anemic preseason offensive display. By contrast, New England looked fierce and have a point to prove. Brady has just sired a child – no doubt also a future Hall-of-Famer – so he’ll enjoy playing with Buffalo’s defense like a kiddie rattle.

New England by a lot 21+

 

 

YAWN game of the week, sponsored by the Cincinnatti Police Department: St. Louis @ Seattle

 

Both these teams were incredibad last year, and both figure to be finding their stride. Both have new head coaches and new systems, so this will be a barometer game where the Rams and ‘Hawks start to fully grasp a new style of play. Boooooooring.

Seattle by 7+

 

 

AWE game of the week, sponsored by Joe Flacco’s Eyebrows: San Diego @ Oakland

 

OK bear with me on this. We are not a blog who thinks the Raiders team-build well. Between stupid draft picks and coaches punching coaches, they’re not a team many like in ’09. However, the Bolts are usually very slow out of the gate and the Raiders are going to run the ball like nobody’s business, so I’m going with the Silver ‘n’ Black to pull one out of the bag here and shock everyone.

Raiders by 3

 

 

The leftovers, sponsored by The Undrafted Rookie Association

 

Miami @ Atlanta: Last year’s two surprise teams meet in Week One. Miami will look to recreate last year’s Cinderella run, but it won’t start here. The Dirty Birds’ offensive quartet of Ryan, Turner, White, and Gonzalez will be too much for any Wildcat to overcome. Atlanta by 10.

Philadelphia @ Carolina: The Panthers inexplicably gave Jake “6 turnover” Delhomme the kind of moon-on-a-stick contract usually reserved for overrated free-agents in Washington, and Philly are this year’s chic Super Bowl pick. Philly to edge it in a minor shootout. Philadelphia by 10.

Minnesota @ Cleveland: The Brett Favre inevitable failure of a season Show starts here, and chances are it’ll start well. With the Williams Wall to play at least this game, don’t expect much from the Browns; they won’t be able to run it and Brady Quinn didn’t exactly set the world on fire in preseason. Minnesota by 14.

New York Jets @ Houston: Rex Ryan’s first game in charge, but don’t expect a win. With Glass-Bones Schaub healthy enough to start, the Texans have a good defense and the unstoppable Andre Johnson. That will be enough to squeak out a W here. Houston by three.

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis: After stinking it up last year, the Jags get the joys of playing Peyton Manning in Week One. New coaching staff or not, Manning is still Manning, and expect him to tear it up with TDs to Wayne, Clark et al. Jags will put up a fight, but it’s Indy’s to lose. Indianapolis by 10.

Detroit @ New Orleans: So obvious it almost eeked New England for the BORE game, the Saints are going to run amok against a Lions D that was horrible last year. Jim Schwartz is a defensive mastermind, but this job will take time. Expect Drew Brees to show Matt Stafford how it’s done. New Orleans by 21+.

Dallas @ Tampa Bay: The Bucs seem to have no idea what’s going on these days, changing starting QBs and RBs at will, and the ‘Boys should win this one. Plus, it’s September so Romo will actually be good. Dallas by 14.

San Francisco @ Arizona: The Niners are in transition, and the Cards are coming off one of the best offensive years outside of New Orleans. Fitzgerald to dominate, Arizona to walk it. Arizona by 17.

Washington @ New York Giants: Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell need the ‘Skins to do well this year to keep their jobs. However, a tough Week One matchup won’t help. Even without Burress and Ward, the Giants’ steady offense and brutal defense will be too much here. New York by 10.

Chicago @ Green Bay: Big early pace-setter in the NFC North here, with Da Bears on the shoulders of Forte and Cutler against the Pack on the shoulders of a 3-4 defense and Aaron Rodgers. I like the latter here, the Pack to win it in a physical affair with a big day for Rodgers to banish any lingering Favre memories. Green Bay by 13.

We’ll be keeping track of our overall prediction record as the season progresses, so check back next week for new predictions and to see how badly we messed these ones up.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Peyton Manning’s Back-up and the Four Other Cushiest Jobs in the NFL

So we all know that playing in the NFL is a privilege without compare. Boatloads of cash, worldwide fame and you’re getting paid to play in a brilliant sport. But what are the honest-to-God best jobs to have in the NFL?

Sure, being Tom Brady or Adrian Peterson must be great, but surely it’s more fun to do precious little and still be an NFL employee?

We here at PaP are going to look at the best jobs in the NFL whose rewards are huge but don’t require much effort, and we’re starting in Indianapolis.

Procuring Posterity: Can the Steelers Repeat in 2009?

Since writing this article about the Detroit Lions a while back, I have been wondering about the masses of yearly changes the NFL undergoes offseason upon offseason. By this point in the close season, most rosters (apart from whichever one Brett Favre is declaring interest in) are settled and draft picks are beginning to get signed up. New coaches, regimes, players and stadiums have come and gone, but every year around the June-July media deadzone, pundits gather around and begin to posture about the upcoming season.

The first question that most ask is: can the current Super Bowl champs repeat? We at PaP, ever the supporters of the little guy, chose to postulate about the league’s worst team first, but the question mark over the Pittsburgh Steelers’ chances of repeating interests us as well.

Pittsburgh is an organization with a rich history of winning and one which, if not for the meteoric rise of Tom Brady in 2001, could possibly have been remembered as the dynasty of the 2000s. They’ve won two Super Bowls in the last five years under two different coaches and have established a roster continuity which only New England can rival.

It would seem likely then, that the Steelers have as good a shot as any team in the last 20 years to repeat as Super Bowl winners. Were they to do so, they would earn that elusive ‘dynasty’ title which so few teams acquire and even fewer re-acquire years down the road.

So how do the Steelers hope to go about winning the Big Dance all over again? Well, here’s a three-step recipe for how to do it. Mike Tomlin, if you’re reading, you’re welcome.

Step One: Beat the Ravens

The Steelers are in a division which they and the Ravens have dominated (aside from Cleveland’s freak ten-win season in 2007) for a number of years. The Bengals and Browns have been horrible (and I mean Nightmare-on-Elm-Street-sequels horrible) at stopping the run for a long time, and thus the power offenses of Baltimore and Pittsburgh have enjoyed a comfortable dominance over them of late. Thus the lesson becomes: beat the Ravens and you’ll usually beat the division.

Pittsburgh swept their divisional games last year, beating their bitter rival Ravens thrice as the season progressed through January and guess what? They won the division and the Vince Lombardi trophy. They’ve only lost six divisional games since their Super Bowl-winning season of 2005, but four of these have been against Baltimore, so it’s not an easy task.

Step Two: DON’T Rest Your Starters in Week 17

OK, so assuming the Steelers have beaten the Ravens twice and have the division locked by Week 15, the temptation for Mike Tomlin might be to rest his starters and let them be fresh for the playoffs. Seems a sensible plan, but it’s a really crappy one too.

Although it’s not a strategy that Tomlin has followed before. In Week 17 last year, despite a mortal lock on a playoff spot, he played all his starters and went on to win the Super Bowl. By contrast, the 13-2 Titans (much to your author’s chagrin) sat everyone in week 17 and got shellacked by the Colts’ second-stringers before going on to commit horrible rookie errors in the playoffs and losing to the Ravens (although the play clock had definitely run out).

Even if Tomlin chooses to rest his stars in Week 16, he should put them back on for Week 17, because even if they stink up the joint, it should motivate them to perform in crunch time. However, given the young coach’s history, he won’t rest anyone and this is a good idea.

Step Three: Don’t Let New England Intimidate You

Given the Steelers’ recent pedigree, it’s hard to believe that the Patriots, who haven’t won a championship since 2004, are still believed by many to be the favorite in the AFC as the dreamy Tom Brady returns. Despite their five-year title “drought” (if it can be so called), they’ve still got one of the best coaches in league history and a future Hall-of-Fame QB at the helm, so they’re obviously still a danger.

IF (and it’s a big IF) these two teams were to meet in the playoffs, say, in the AFC title game as many predict, it would be easy to get intimidated by the gaudy offense and staunch defense that New England brings to the table. The key to this possible matchup is determination, which Pittsburgh has in spades. Maniacally pressure Tom Terrific, baffle them with defensive tomfoolery/wizardry, and pound the clock into the ground. If the Steelers can stand toe-to-toe with the Patriots and win, they should be able to do it with any NFC team.

So can they do it?

The answer to this question seems to be a resounding ‘yes’. Barring horrible injuries or an inter-dimensional portal over Heinz Field, the Steelers have a good shot at repeating as NFL champions in ’09. Unfortunately, unless anyone is in possession of a DeLorean (or indeed Grays Sports Almanac), the only way to know if the Steelers will do what they definitely are capable of is to wait til February.

 

Originally posted at playactionpost.com

Unheralded but Undeterred: Five Rookies Who Could Surprise In ’09

Tom Brady. Terrell Davis. Deacon Jones. Mel Blount.

This short list of players may seem simply a random collection of past and present football greats, but in fact it’s a small selection of late-round NFL picks who have carved out stellar pro careers. The NFL draft, no matter how much it is analyzed, is an inexact science, and every year it seems like a late-round player makes a big splash at the pro level.

In recent years we’ve seen Marques Colston (7th round), Brandon Marshall (4th round) and Ahmad Bradshaw (7th round) make big impacts for their teams, so who will be the next late-round sensation in the NFL? We at PaP have chosen five possible breakout candidates for the 2009 season, and are only taking one candidate per position.

Regular readers will know that we are huge supporters of the forgotten men of the NFL, and would rather root for the small-school hopeful than the megabucks wonderkid, so it is in this tradition that we look at these late-round afterthoughts.

Draft analysts once described Drew Brees as “lacking accuracy” and accused him of being a spread-option miracle, so it’s fair to say that they’ve been wrong before. We hope not to be.

Restoring the Roar: How the Detroit Lions Can Battle Back

The Detroit Lions sure have some committed fans. They sat through one measly playoff win in half a century. They sat through decades of horror and countless rebuilding years. They sat through the worst season in NFL history. They sat through the god-awful Matt Millen era. They sat through watching multiple first-round draft picks suck their way out of the NFL.

Sure, they also sat through 10 amazing years of Barry Sanders, but it would seem the Lions fans are due some good news. And with the complete renovation of the front office—and a minimally altered logo—perhaps they can take a small step on the road to redemption in ’09.

So how can the Lions possibly hope to rebound from 50 years of bad luck and worse play? Here’s the three-step plan the Lions should follow to restore the roar and finally give the fans at Ford Field something to cheer for.

Step 1: Trust Your Veterans

This is something the Lions have not done for the better part of two decades. Instead of grounding the roster in experience, they turn the keys over to the first rookie they see and set the franchise back 10 years.

Andre Ware and Joey Harrington are just two of a number of high-profile busts in the Motor City (see also: Williams, Mike and Rogers, Charles) in recent times, and the drafting of Matthew Stafford might indicate they’re going to once again trust an inexperienced hand rather than the savvy one of NFL vet Daunte Culpepper.

The percentage of QBs in the NFL who started from day one and made it work is minuscule, so new coach Jim Schwartz should learn from others. Quarterbacks the likes of Romo, Rivers, Palmer, and Brady all sat for a while before starting and have developed into stars, whereas the likes of Leaf, Couch, Carr, et al., have started from day one and flamed out spectacularly.

Detroit cannot afford to start Stafford immediately only for him to get snapped in half and lose all confidence.

However, it would seem that Schwartz (and new GM Martin Mayhew) are not being rash in their personnel decisions. Instead, they appear to be adhering to this concept by adding veteran defenders like Julian Peterson and Larry Foote instead of trying to draft their way out of trouble. Rebuilding is (more often than not) a marathon, not a sprint, and only now do the Lions seem to be acknowledging this.

Step 2: Establish Continuity

The Lions are now on their sixth head coach in the last decade, and every position seems to have been permanently fitted with a revolving door.

A young nucleus has begun to emerge—Kevin Smith, Stafford, Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, Ernie Sims—and Detroit needs to build around this talented group if they are to succeed. Although I don’t think they should start Stafford this year, trying to establish an off-field chemistry between he, Johnson and Smith would seem prudent in the hope that they can become the hugely talented triple threat they have the potential to be.

The franchise must give its new staff time to acclimatise to new surroundings because even if it takes two years before the team is challenging in the division, surely it’s worth the wait.

The Lions gave Matt Millen a five-year contract extension (not a typo, a five-year deal) after not winning on the road for an NFL-record three seasons in a row. If he can swing that, then Jim Schwartz should be able to buy himself a few years on the job before his seat heats up.

Step 3: Don’t Be Reactionary

The average NFL fan (no offense to all of you out there, I’m one too) is the most knee-jerk critic in the known universe. Every time our QB throws a pick, we want him benched, and every tackle our linebackers miss is like a dagger to our souls. Teams who listen to fan hoopla often end up benching players just because they had a bad game, and don’t see the bigger picture.

Take Philadelphia as an example: Eagles fans bayed for Donovan McNabb’s blood to the point that he was benched during a game (allowing Kevin Kolb to throw Ed Reed a record-setting 108-yard interception TD return), but Andy Reid stuck with his quarterback and put McNabb back under center the following week. The result? A 48-20 crushing of the Cardinals and an eventual NFC Championship berth.

Reid saw what happened without his offensive catalyst, and was able to revert back to the formula that works before too much damage was done. Instead of benching starters because of a bad play or two, stick with them and see how much player trust can gain you in the win column.

NFL fans may be a hugely important part of the game, but the minute a GM or coach starts letting fan hype get in his head, he needs to pack his bags. The Ford Family, Jim Schwartz, Martin Mayhew, and the whole Lions franchise need to keep a cool head or risk having another decade of disappointment.

The key to success is patience, and if the Lions want to succeed, they should follow this virtue.

Oh, and don’t let Matt Millen come within 400 miles of Ford Field.

Originally posted at playactionpost.com.

NFL Escape Plan: Requests for Trades Bear Little Fruit

It seems increasingly common in the NFL that players are trying their utmost to get out of contracts and use the considerable media attention the NFL receives to try and manufacture a trade.

These decisions are usually based on either a hatred for the coaching staff (see: Ocho Cinco, Chad) a desire for a better contract (see: Boldin, Anquan). In this off season alone we’ve seen the two aforementioned wide-outs request trades, along with the likes of Carolina pass-rusher Julius Peppers, Philadelphia cornerback Sheldon Brown, recently acquired Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, and Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett.

However, NFL teams are becoming increasingly frustrated with these seemingly perpetual gripes and are standing much firmer on their belief of not trading players without good reason.

The Chad Johnson saga has been raging so long that he’s had time to change his name, but head coach Marvin Lewis and the Bengals’ front office refuse to get rid of him because he is still under contract.

So why do players want to leave? Each player who requests a trade is disgruntled, that much is obvious, but it seems that the frustration can be attributed to three main factors.

 

Factor 1: A Falling-out with the Coaching Staff

As with Cutler, Ocho Cinco, and even the Brett Favre debacle of last off season, players want to leave when they feel they’ve lost the trust/faith/respect of the coaching staff around them.

It’s a given that every NFL player has an ego, and when that ego stops being fed or respected the player is usually inclined to leave (Terrell Owens is an obvious example of this).

A personal rift between player and coach can be enough to trigger a trade, and, as we’ve seen with Cutler, the coach will almost always look to shift the player rather than have him cause huge locker-room disruption: Josh McDaniels traded Cutler, Mike McCarthy shipped Favre and Wade Phillips/Jerry Jones cut Owens.

Players will not play hard for a coach they don’t respect. When a coach loses the player’s respect, the player wants to get outta Dodge, and understandably so.

 

Factor 2: Contract Demands

Most NFL players are probably unhappy with their contracts (well, apart from this year’s rookie class), but the brighter your name shines, the more likely you are to be given a wheelbarrow full of money.

Usually this sudden dissatisfaction with a contract comes from another player at the same position (or even a teammate) receiving a big fat deal. All of a sudden that contract you signed two years ago isn’t looking so lucrative: Anquan Boldin and Chad Ocho Cinco have had this issue as counterparts Larry Fitzgerald and T.J. Houshmandzadeh got a lot of money.

At a time when multiple-receiver sets are becoming increasingly popular, the likes of Boldin and Ocho Cinco can demand more because their roles are likely to increase year after year. Long gone are the days when a player would work hard for the duration of his contract.

Although the market value of certain elite players may increase, demanding a new contract after two years of a lengthy deal is not going to endear any player to his franchise or fans.

Factor 3: Desire for a New Challenge

Sometimes, when a player has played for the same team for years, he welcomes a new challenge.

Tony Gonzalez is a Kansas City favorite but requested (and received) a trade because he wanted to leave and the team felt it was time. Gonzalez felt that he had done enough for the Chiefs during the last decade to merit a trade elsewhere and managed to get his wish without a media hailstorm.

Julius Peppers felt much the same way after his years of production in Carolina, but he has not been traded as Carolina is desperate to keep him around.

Not every player is a one-team man, and after a while even legends have to move (think Joe Montana’s brief swan song in K.C.). It comes as no surprise that elder players sometimes simply want a fresh start elsewhere. And sometimes, it must be said, they deserve the opportunity.

Over the last decade, players’ egos have increased and the NFL has become an even more profitable league, so everyone wants more money. However, an increasing number of franchises are deciding that enough is enough and refusing players’ requests to move.

The day cannot be far off when players realize that the more they complain, the less likely they are to have their wishes granted. The NFL is getting more old-school in its actions—from player discipline to contract renewal—and the players will have to learn the hard way to keep their head down and shut up.

Complaining, it seems, won’t get you anywhere.

The PaP 11th-Hour 2009 Mock Draft

It will no doubt be apparent to all our regular readers that we at PaP have yet to produce a mock draft for the 2009 NFL draft, which takes place today at 8:30pm GMT (3.30pm ET).

This fact is largely because we hate being wrong, and with today’s news that Matt Stafford will indeed be the first overall pick in the draft, our chances of being right have skyrocketed.

Thus, we have decided to chuck in our two cents at the 11th-hour in the hope that we’re right. If we aren’t, our retractions can be swift and brutal. So, without further ado, here’s the PaP mock draft for 2009.

With the first overall pick, the Detroit Lions select Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia: This is a total lock and something we know will happen. Write it down folks, Stafford to the Lions.

With the second overall pick, the St. Louis Rams select Jason Smith, OT, Baylor: This pick makes total sense for the Rams. Alex Barron isn’t the answer at left tackle and with no Orlando Pace, Smith is his heir apparent.

With the third overall pick, the Kansas City Chiefs select Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia: The Chiefs do need help on the defensive front, but this is too high for Tyson Jackson (DE, LSU), for whom they wouldn’t mind trading down, and Aaron Curry has never played in the 3-4 defense before.

Pair Monroe with last year’s first-rounder Branden Albert, and the Chiefs can begin to repair their once-proud O-line.

With the fourth overall pick, the Seattle Seahawks select Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest: Lots of people have the ‘Hawks taking Mark Sanchez (QB, USC), but I can’t see them tying up that much money at one position with Sanchez and Hasselbeck.

My guess? The Chiefs started all the chatter about Seattle taking Sanchez so they could trade down. Curry makes this linebacking corps one of the best in the league.

With the fifth overall pick, the Cleveland Browns select Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB, Texas: The Browns are in dire need of a pass rusher and Orakpo is the best in the draft.

B.J. Raji (DT, Boston College) makes some sense but they already have Shaun Rogers and again, they won’t want to tie up that much money at one position.

With the sixth overall pick, the Cincinnati Bengals select Andre Smith, OT, Alabama: Michael Crabtree (WR, Texas Tech) could be the pick here if Chad Ochocinco is traded, but as it stands, the Bengals need to get a running game and protect Carson Palmer. Were it not for off-the-field stuff, A.Smith would be the first tackle taken.

With the seventh overall pick, the Oakland Raiders select Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland: The Raiders do actually need a wideout but instead of taking the far superior Crabtree, Al Davis will insist (as always) on clocked speed. Heyward-Bey ran the fastest 40 at the combine, and he’s the pick due to Davis’ quite frankly mental draft strategy.

With the eighth overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: If Crabtree is sitting there at eight, the Jags need to pick him. They have no legit offensive weapons apart from MoJo Drew, and Crabtree could be elite.

With the ninth overall pick, the Green Bay Packers select B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College: The Pack were horrible against the run in ’08 and they’re changing to the 3-4 defense. Raji is the only quality nose tackle available, and Green Bay would love him to be there.

With the 10th overall selection, the San Francisco 49ers select Mark Sanchez, QB, USC: If Sanchez slips to ten, the 49ers will jump on him at top speed. If someone jumps up to select Sanchez, they’ll look offensive tackle instead.

With the 11th overall selection, the Buffalo Bills select Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss: After trading Jason Peters to Philly, the Bills need a proper left tackle to replace him, and Oher is the last left tackle left in the draft. The pick makes itself.

With the 12th overall selection, the Denver Broncos select Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU: The Broncos have been awful against the run for some time, and the front seven figures to be their focus if they don’t trade up for Sanchez.

Jackson is the only true 3-4 defensive end in the draft, and the Broncs would leap at the chance to get him.

With the 13th overall selection, the Washington Redskins select Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee: After the mammoth acquisition of Albert Haynesworth, the ‘Skins need outside pass-rush help badly, and Ayers is the best DE available. Be warned ‘Skins fans, Snyder wants Mark Sanchez <gulp>.

With the 14th overall selection, the New Orleans Saints select Malcolm Jenkins, CB/S, Ohio State: The Saints’ pass D has been diabolical for years now, and Jenkins gives them the upgrade they so desperately need.

With the 15th overall selection, the Houston Texans select Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri: A bit of a surprise here, but if Maclin slips down to Houston, the thought of pairing him with Andre Johnson may be too tempting to pass up.

With the 16th overall selection, the San Diego Chargers select Rey Maualuga, LB, USC: The Bolts need middle linebacker help to take the heat off of Shawn Merriman and Shaun Phillips on the edges. Maualuga is a thumper who will remind them of Junior Seau.

With the 17th overall selection, the New York Jets select Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State: The J-E-T-S are in dire need of a future at QB, and Freeman is the last first-round signal-caller left on the board.

With the 18th overall selection, the Denver Broncos select Brian Cushing, LB, USC: After taking Jackson, Denver continues to rebuild its front seven with the athletic Cushing. Between the two of them, they should better the Broncos’ run D.

With the 19th overall selection, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss: The Bucs probably want Freeman, but if he’s gone, so Jerry gives them a disruptive interior force they’ve lacked since Warren Sapp left.

With the 20th overall selection, the Detroit Lions select Evander “Ziggy” Hood, DT, Missouri: This is a bit of reach, but since they traded Cory Redding to Seattle, Detroit needs a defensive tackle. Hood is the last good one available.

With the 21st overall selection, the Philadelphia Eagles select Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia: Personally, I think the Eagles should draft a receiver here like Percy Harvin (Florida), but it seems increasingly likely that Moreno is the pick. He’s super-quick and should be a nice compliment to Brian Westbrook.

With the 22nd overall selection, the Minnesota Vikings select Percy Harvin, WR, Florida: Harvin has had some off-the-field issues, but his gamebreaking ability can’t be overlooked. He’ll take the pressure off of Adrian Peterson and help the passing and return games.

With the 23rd overall seleciton, the New England Patriots select Clay Matthews, LB, USC: Matthews is a high-character, high-motor linebacker who can help Jerod Mayo galvanize what was an aging positional group.

With the 24th overall seleciton, the Atlanta Falcons select Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn. State: The Falcons lost Keith Brooking and Michael Boley in the offseason, and can use Maybin to rush the passer from multiple spots, including the now-depleted outside linebacker position.

With the 25th overall seleciton, the Miami Dolphins select Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers: The Fins need a complementing receiver to the speedy Ted Ginn who is now starting to emerge as a wideout. Britt is tall, strong and unafraid to make the tough catches in traffic.

With the 26th overall seletion, the Baltimore Ravens select Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois: Davis is another huge talent with off-the-field questions. The Ravens’ pass D broke down for much of last season, and they lost Corey Ivy in free agency. Davis is a great athlete who will instantly contribute in the nickel and dime packages.

With the 27th overall selection, the Indianapolis Colts select Chris “Beanie” Wells, RB, Ohio State: With all the top receivers gone, the Colts look elsewhere on offense. Joseph Addai had a bad year in ’08, and Wells is a bruising back who can complement Addai’s production.

With the 28th overall selection, the Buffalo Bills select Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State: If the Falcons hadn’t traded for Tony Gonzalez, they would have picked this guy, but instead the Bills get the best TE in the draft, whose size and speed combination could be deadly at the NFL level.

With the 29th overall selection, the New York Giants select Hakeem Nicks, WR, N.C. State: Since Plaxico Burress is no longer with the team, the G-men need a big target for Eli Manning. Nicks has got some of the best hands in the draft and has the frame to go up and grab the 50/50 jump balls.

With the 30th overall selection, the Tennessee Titans select Darius Butler, CB, UConn: The T’s need a wideout, but it’s not their style to draft one in the first round. They need D-line rotational help too, but there’s not much left. Thus, cornerback becomes the new priority. Butler is an athlete who will eventually replace Nick Harper.

With the 31st overall selection, the Arizona Cardinals select Donald Brown, RB, UConn: The Cards need to be able to run the ball better, and Edgerrin James is too old to be the answer here. Brown is an every-down back who can carry the load.

With the 32nd overall selection, the Pittsburgh Steelers select William Beatty, OT, UConn: Beatty becomes the third UConn player off the board in a row, and gives the Steel City help at tackle, where they just lost Marvel Smith.

 

So there it is, the PaP 11-th hour mock draft. Enjoy!

Tennessee Titans: Stick or Twist? Possible Draft Day Trades

On Apr. 25, the Tennessee Titans will be picking at No. 30 in the NFL Draft. With needs at wide receiver, defensive line, and cornerback, the team would seem to have a good slot to grab a solid talent at any of the three positions.

However, with names like Anquan Boldin, Julius Peppers, and Chad “my old surname was too dull” Ochocinco still out there on the trading block, is there any chance this pick will be used as trade bait to lure a star to Nashville? Or will it be mortgaged to move further up in the draft to select a top talent at one of these positions?

The Titans are not normally big movers or shakers on the first day of the draft, but with the team so close to the top of the NFL ladder, is this the year that Jeff Fisher, Bud Adams, et al pull the trigger on a trade to take Tennessee over the top?

Possible Trade No. 1: Titans send first and second round picks to Arizona for WR Anquan Boldin

It has recently become very apparent that Boldin wants out of Arizona, and despite the Cardinals’ surprising playoff surge, the lack of success in the desert seems to have affected the star wideout adversely.

He’s practically begging to be traded, and with Tennessee not having had a proper No. 1 receiver since Derrick Mason, it would seem prudent to at least consider trading for Boldin.

The Titans had a fantastic ’08 year, but without a stud wide receiver, teams are going to gameplan specifically against the run and see how many times Kerry Collins can win a game with his arm.

The price suggested here is hefty, but with Tennessee’s excellent D-line coach Jim Washburn turning the likes of Kevin Vickerson and Jason Jones into legitimate rotation players, you have to think Tennessee can find their desired D-line depth at almost any slot in the draft.

Boldin would make this offense tick far better, enabling Justin Gage to be the No. 2 guy while “Q” commands double teams. The Cardinals may want to retain Boldin, but if the Titans dangle two first-day picks at the Cards, it’ll be hard for them to refuse, and Tennessee would acquire a star at a big need position. However, given the T’s predilection for not signing WRs, this trade may never get beyond speculation.

Chance of fruition: 50 percent

Possible trade No. 2: Titans trade second-round pick to Bengals for WR Chad Ochocinco/Johnson

It’s not exactly news that Ochocinco wants to leave Cincy, and with TJ Houshmandzadeh leaving for Seattle, his desires figure to have increased.

Despite the management’s stubborn (and quite frankly pointless) refusal to let Johnson go, a first-day pick would seem to be enough to get the Who Dey nation to let the receiver go. They will be able to rid themselves of a huge locker-room disruption and begin rebuilding the team’s chemistry.

As with Boldin, this would add a huge upgrade at a weak position, but with Ochocinco’s anti-team antics so well publicized, it’s unlikely Jeff Fisher would actually want him with the club.

Also, Chad would probably be less than excited to play for a small-market team who may win a lot, but aren’t given the media attention of, say, the Jets or Patriots. He may want to leave, but even if he does, Nashville does not seem a likely destination.

Chance of fruition: 10 percent

Possible trade No. 3: Titans trade first and third round picks to San Diego to move up to spot No. 16 in round one to draft Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee/Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss

This would seem to be the most likely of all these hypothetical trades, as Tennessee needs to replace Albert Haynesworth, and improving their already good rotation would enable the Titans to continue pressuring the QB without blitzing.

San Diego is already laden with talent, and don’t have gaping holes at any position that they won’t be able to address at No. 30. If middle linebacker is their choice, Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis figures to still be on the board. If it’s running back, UConn’s Donald Brown will likely be available.

This trade gives them another pick in the middle rounds to perhaps bolster their O-line or cornerback rotation, and Tennessee would now simply draft a wideout (like Penn State’s Derrick Williams) or cornerback (like Vanderbilt’s DJ Moore) in round two.

Tennessee would love to get Ayers, a pass-rusher who’s stout against the run and played his college ball in the Volunteer State. If he’s gone at No. 16, Peria Jerry from Ole Miss is a disruptive interior force with up-the-field penetration skills who would appear a perfect replacement at DT for Haynesworth.

Also, if Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins slips (as many have him doing), he could be the pick, as could Illinois’ Vontae Davis (although the likelihood of the Titans drafting another first-round cornerback with character issues would appear slim).

If Tennessee does elect to trade their first-round selection, this would seem the most likely deal to get done.

Chance of fruition: 70 percent

Read more by me at playactionpost.com

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