NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Comparing Teams to Halloween Candy

Halloween and the NFL have a lot in common. Don’t believe me? Read on, I’ll feed you baby birds. —Both operate on the principal that sex sells: Seriously, is Halloween even for children anymore? Or wannabe playmates? —Obesity also sells: Which is more gluttonous, a bag of candy or a football helmet full of hot wings? —Both are polarizing: I’ve seen as many debates break out between Snicker and Butterfinger fans than between NFC North rivals. The comparisons don’t stop there. In fact, you can compare each NFL team to a different Halloween candy. Don’t believe me? Read on…

Begin Slideshow

The Schottey Thirty-Six: Top NFL Draft Seniors: Offense Edition

Get ready! It’s a MEGA-sized Schottey Six this week

Usually the Schottey Six brings you the best (or worst) six of anything in the sports world. This week, 36 collegiate seniors are making the list as we count down the top NFL prospects at each position grouping in football.

If you haven’t yet, take the time to go to my writer profile and check out my latest edition of the 2010 NFL Mock Draft.

Before commenting to quibble on where a favorite player is, make sure he isn’t a junior. Some potential high draft picks—Eric Berry, Dez Bryant, etc—might be coming out this year, but as juniors they will be the topic of another Schottey Six at a later date.

As with any draft related article, this is brought to you complements of DraftTek—the fastest growing NFL Mock Draft website on the internet.

Because of the massive scale of this project, the offensive and defensive standouts will shine in two different articles. Offense comes first because they get the big bucks…and the ladies.

Onward and upward, to the Schottey Thirty-Six!

Begin Slideshow

Vinny Ciurciu Added to Detroit Lions Roster

The Detroit Lions have had a busy bye week, considering they didn’t make a move at the trade deadline. Two new players on the practice squad and now a veteran addition.

Vinny Ciurciu (pronounced CHURCH-yoo) has been signed to the active roster. The 29-year-old was last with the New England Patriots but was released on Sept. 9 without seeing any game action.

Ciurciu has exactly 100 career tackles, most of them on special teams. The Lions are his fifth NFL team after the Patriots, Vikings, Panthers, and the Buccaneers—with whom he debuted as a undrafted free agent in 2003.

Ciurciu attended Boston College. He was moved from fullback to linebacker, leading the Eagles in tackles his junior year.

This move replaced DE Copeland Bryan, who was placed on injured reserve earlier today.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Michael Oher Interview: Baltimore Rookie Wants to Talk Blocking, Not Book

When the Ravens rolled into Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon, they did not expect what hit them. The Minnesota Vikings went up 14-3 at half and looked near invincible. The Ravens offense looked impotent and the visiting team could have been down by much more.

Then halftime happened.

Baltimore came out and traded punches before exploding on offense in the fourth quarter.

When Steven Hauschka set up for a game winning field goal, Vikings fans were already leaving the stadium, knowing that they would be handed the first loss of the season.

Instead, the kick sails wide left and the stadium erupts.

As a writer, I cover the Detroit Lions. As a radio personality, I work for AM 860 KNUJ in New Ulm, Minn. I attended the Minnesota-Ravens game with a media pass. Admittedly, I spent much of the game following the rout in Lambeau. The rest of the time I planned for a few interviews on each side.

With the huge games by Rice and Shiancoe, I knew I would not have much luck outmaneuvering the major media to them. John Clayton walked by and confirmed my suspicions.

On top of that, the Vikings only make Favre, Peterson, and Allen available in press conference. I waited, instead, by the Ravens locker room and hoped for the best.

In Minnesota, Matt Birk is a god and the local newspaper and television media huddled around the former Vikings center.

As a draftnik, I was excited for the athlete next to him, Michael Oher.

In all fairness, Oher had a very rookie-like game against Jared Allen. He didn’t look happy and has never been the most talkative individual.

I started the interview by asking the rookie if there was anything he would do differently to prepare this upcoming week having lost a close game.

As I was finishing my question, attempting to say something about their upcoming by, Oher interrupted me.

“The week hasn’t happened yet…I won’t know till the week happens.”

It was a stark answer, true, but utterly sarcastic. The interview wasn’t going well right from the beginning. It went downhill from there.

I wanted to ask the rookie about his move to left tackle after sliding over due to Jared Gaither’s injury. The left tackle position is often referred to as the blind side.

“The Blind Side” is also an award winning book by Michael Lewis. “The Blind Side” is also an upcoming movie. Both are based around the early life and recruitment of Michael Oher.

I prefaced my question, wanting to mention the popular book, but ultimately wanting to ask the rookie if he was glad to be back in his normal position. The question never got finished.

“I don’t want to talk about that book, don’t ask me about the book, ask me about football.”

The actual quote is longer, and not as fit for a family friendly site. His response caused a few of his teammates and his interviewer to snicker.

The next question had no preface. Michael Oher was not making this easy, but I needed more on tape.

As I said earlier, Oher was beaten badly on a number of plays by Jared Allen and it needed to be asked how the experience had treated him.

The former Runnin’ Rebel explained that he gave Allen “too much respect” in the first half. In the second, he attacked more and played with more confidence.

This was very true, and not lip service. The success of the Ravens in the second half had much to do with improved protection which allowed Flacco to reach his receivers deep.

The rookie was ready for his shower, and this interviewer did not want to delay him any longer, so I ended the two-minute interview earlier than I wanted.

It was probably for the best, as Oher was clearly not happy with his play or the loss and being the subject of catharsis is never a great way to end a day.

So, as Michael Oher begins what should be a shining career in Ravens purple and black, this member of the media sends a warning to his colleagues in the Baltimore area. For your own safety, don’t ask the man about the book.

He wants to talk football.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Chicago Bears Trade For Gaines Adams

Adam Schefter reports via Twitter that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have traded defensive end, Gaines Adams to the Chicago Bears for a undisclosed draftpick—believed to be a second rounder.

The 6’5″, 260lb end has not developed at the rate scouts had once projected for the Clemson Tiger. Adams was drafted with the fourth overall pick in 2007 in front of Levi Brown, LeRon Landry and Adrian Peterson.

Adams will not be guaranteed a starting position on a Bears front which already boasts good players in Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye. Both starters are past the age of 30 and Adams projects as an extra pass rusher in the rotation.

Chicago still employs the Tampa Two defense, a defense Adams has spent his entire career in. Rod Marinelli failed as a head coach of the Detroit Lions but is still well regarded as a expert defensive line coach. The hope is that Marinelli will be able to get maximum effort out of a player known for his lackluster play.

The Tampa Two defense demands a high level pass rush from the front four. Gaines Adams is only 26 and has the measurables to dominate off the edge. In his third year, Adams has recorded 76 tackles, 12.5 sacks and has two interceptions. Bears management hope Adams will improve on those sack numbers for the remainder of the year.

The draft pick sent to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is expected to be a mid to low round second pick. The Buccaneers are expected to start a project rookie quarterback—Josh Freeman—by the end of the year and have many needs on both sides of the ball.

Left on the defensive line for the Bucs is Ryan Sims, Jimmy Wilkerson, and Chris Hovan, joining those three will be either fourth round pick, Kyle Moore or 2007 second round pick Tim Crowder.

For the Bears, fans must worry that a injured linebacker comes back healthy and a potent offense keeps its identity. The Bears are left without a first or a second round pick in 2010 after trading for Jay Cutler before the 2009 season.

Wide receiver was number one on many fans wish lists but that need much now wait for a developmental prospect to come along or a free agent to sign.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Detroit Lions Week Six Injury Report

Buckle up Lions Fans.

If the last few weeks is any indication, the marriage of Jim Schwartz to the Detroit area is going to be filled with intrigue and suspense—like being married to a Kennedy.

So, while Lion backers may hope that Schwartz lasts as long here as his mentor, Jeff Fisher, has been in Tennessee, those same fans may want to say goodbye to knowing what the heck is going on.

Jim Schwartz might as well don a team-inspired hoodie because his lips are Belichick-tight.

This week, the Lions media (specifically Brian VanOchten) were duped by a fake Matthew Stafford twitter account when questions arose whether or not he was practicing. According to the team, he hasn’t. However, no one knows what happens when the media is closed off from Allen Park.

If the Lions were the Patriots, Adam Schefter, Peter King, and others would be knee deep in this mystery. However, no one really cares about the Lions and they are a .500 season away from getting any sort of media respect.

So, let’s not dwell.

Here’s the injury report with accompanying comments for week six against the Packers.

Doubtful

• Sammie Lee Hill (Ankle)
  

Recently Gunther Cunningham compared Hill to a young Albert Haynesworth. Although that is certainly hyperbole at its finest, it speaks volumes to what a healthy Hill could mean to this team. Hill is ahead of where the team thought he would be in his maturation and the defensive line needs him to be healthy. Turk McBride could get his second start.

• Jason Hunter (Ankle)

Hunter was one of the Lions better pass rushers before his ankle injury sidelined him. Although Cliff Avril is back and will start, Hunter still has a more well rounded game and has the added experience of having gone against Packers linemen every day in practice for much of his career.

• Ko Simpson (Hamstring)

After acquiring Simpson, it was hoped he would be able to get up to speed soon and start every game the rest of the season. Marquand Manuel will get the nod again this week as Simpson struggles with a nagging injury. Manuel is a poor man’s Ko Simpson which isn’t saying much.

 

Questionable

• Matthew Stafford (Knee)

Cue the questions about Stafford’s knee. No one knows how bad of an injury it was/is or when he will return. With no real solid evidence that Stafford has done any real work this week, he should be listed as doubtful. However, he could pull a Superman at game time. Unless that happens, Culpepper will get the start.

• Calvin Johnson (Knee)

The one thing about wide receivers, they don’t really need practice from week to week. There are plenty of diva wide receivers who barely practice at all and still put up huge numbers on Sundays. Johnson is a very real possibility to play. If not, Johnson and Johnson becomes Johnson and Williams (with Northcutt in the slot).

• DeWayne White (Hamstring)

When healthy, White is the Lions’ best defensive lineman. When injured, it forces Andre Fluellen into the defensive end spot and Copeland Bryan could start. If both White and Hunter can’t go, expect Julian Peterson to see a lot of time at defensive end.

• Jerome Felton (Shoulder)

Limited in practice the past two days, Fulton will go through the paces on Sunday morning and play if he is able. As of week six, Felton has been the best Lions at working the middle of the field. Terrelle Smith is the backup and is a better blocker but not as good of an offensive threat.

• Maurice Morris (Hip)

Morris is not the Lions number two back but he is the Lion who will carry the load if Kevin Smith goes down. With Smith healthy (and off the injury report all together) the loss of Morris does not create much of a ripple.

• Casey Fitzsimmons (Thigh)

Fitzsimmons should be active and ready to go in limited action. If all goes well, he will be a non-factor either way.

 

Probable

• Grady Jackson (Knee)

Jackson went on Wednesday but did not practice the rest of the week. It was probably just a precaution for old man winter who needs all the rest he can get. Jackson will go but expect to see a heavy dose of Andre Fluellen and Landon Cohen…blech.

• Jordan Dizon (Foot)

Dizon has been able to practice somewhat every single day this week. His presence is a must to an already lagging special teams squad and a defense which has performed well in subpackages. 

• Ernie Sims (Shoulder)

Levy has played extremely well in Sims’ absence. However, fans fail to realize that Sims will probably get his job back when he is 100 percent. That isn’t this week.

• Brandon Pettigrew (Hamstring)

Pettigrew will run prior to the game on Sunday and should check out healthy. If he is able to go, the big rook will play a large roll. Or at least he should according to Seattle Lions Fan.

• Gosder Cherilus (Shoulder)

No one player was missed more in week five than Cherilus. The second year man has played well in the last ten games and will be integral in establishing any sort of run game at Lambeau.

 

News and Notes

Packers’ Injury Report —Out: FB Korey Hall, RB DeShawn Wynn, RT Mark Tauscher. Questionable: FB Quinn Johnson, C Jason Spitz, C Scott Wells. Probable: OT Chad Clifton, OG Daryn Colledge, S Atari Bigby, RB Brandon Jackson, DE Cullen Jenkins, DT Ryan Pickett, LB Brady Poppinga, LB Jeremy Thompson.

The Packers are only an injury or two away from having just as bad of a situation as the Lions. In fact, the Lions benefit from having a healthy offensive line (for what it’s worth.)

The Lions’ depth problems on the interior defensive line may be masked by a worse problem on the Packers’ interior offensive line.

 

DeMarcus Faggins May be Ready for Game Action: Nickolas Cotsonika of the Free Press believes Faggins may see action even though he was just signed this week. In less surprising news, WR John Standeford will also be active and ready to play.

 

East Meets West: If Chad Clifton is not able to go, TJ Lang may start for the Packers on the left side. His presence would give the Packers two “Directional Michigan” stars—Lang and Greg Jennings from Western. They both could contact Louis Delmas, the Lions rookie from Western. In all, the two teams will boast 10 players from Michigan colleges.

 

Anthony Henry, Heathy, May Not Start: In a story not much talked about in this past week, Anthony Henry was benched in week five. Buchanon is the most physically talented cornerback on the roster but Kevin Hobbs could end up with the start.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Memo To Appleton, Wisconsin Sports Writer: Quit Your Day Job

Dear Tim Froberg,

To paraphrase “Officer and a Gentleman,” only two things come from Appleton, Wisconsin, and I don’t see any horns on you boy.

Readers, I’ve been to Appleton. I know a thing or two about northern Wisconsin. Actually, there are really only two things to know.

1. It will take you at least 45 minutes to drive anywhere you want to go.
2. It makes you long for the “big city” life of Milwaukee.

To put it mildly, Wisconsin isn’t like Michigan, with several large size towns. There is Milwaukee, and then there is the rest of the state.

Sure, Madison is a fine town if you enjoy Natty Light and chlamydia, but other than that, you’re better off stopping in Chicago or driving right on through.

So Appleton, whose favorite son, Rocky Bleier, played football for the Steelers, isn’t exactly a bustling, sports-crazy metropolis.

The population—roughly the size of the combined students at Michigan and Eastern Michigan—works mostly at Kimberly Clark paper company. This means that the only time Americans ever think of Appleton is when they’re changing rolls after a courtesy flush.

It should be noted that the residents of Appleton do not use Kimberly Clark products, rather, they subscribe to the Appleton Post-Crescent.

See, nobody in Wisconsin actually reads local newspapers. Everyone subscribes to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal which arrives every morning by emergency airlift, and weighs about 200 pounds (300 on Sundays).

The local newspapers in towns like Appleton, Manitowoc, and Oskosh are the literary equivilent of a man talking to himself on the subway—sure something intelligent may slip out every so often, but no one is listening anyway.

Tim Froberg, a sports writer (and I use that term loosely) really showed his backside the other day when he participated in a point/counter-point with fellow subway bag lady, Dan Kohn.

Kohn, for his credit, looked at the Lions early schedule, close games, and win over the Redskins to postulate that Detroit is a dangerous team, that the Packers (2-2) shouldn’t overlook.

Froberg, probably taking a break from his Legos and stuffed animals, titled his article, “Detroit Lions are No Match for Green Bay Packers.”

Tim, completely glossing over the points Dan Kohn made in his article, cherry picks some stats, and forgets that the Lions have played four of the better teams in the NFL, while the Packers have played the Rams. (Can you say stat padding?)

Froberg also forgets that his hometown hero, Brett Fa…uh, Aaron Rodgers, has spent more time on his back than a Letterman intern.

Bee-Tee-Dubs, Mr. Froberg, while you’re sticking your nose up at the rushing average of Kevin Smith, remember that Ryan Grant has yet to eclipse 100 yards this season, even against the boys from St. Louis.

I’m not calling for a win this Sunday, but let me tell you this, when playing a team that just took the World Champs to the wire, you may want to curb your enthusiasm, and you may want to stop yourself from providing them with any bulletin board material.

It should be mentioned, Tim, that you’ve gotten more comments from Michigan readers, this week than on your last dozen or so articles combined. Perhaps even the good people of Appleton have stopped reading your article before cleansing their backside with its contents.

If I had to pick a moment they stopped caring about what you wrote, it would be when you indicated that a trip to a major league ballpark was as exciting as the first lunar landing.

So thanks, thank you for going out on that journalistic limb and picking the Packers, a 13-point favorite to win a home game this weekend. A better article would have been what would happen if the Packers can’t go 2-0 in the next two weeks against Detroit and Cleveland.

That article would have required research, opinion, making a stand.

The article you did write could have been reproduced by a relatively few monkeys in a relatively short amount of time.

Hmm perhaps it was…

 

 

Michael Schottey is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and the producer and host of The Average Joe Sports Show on 860AM KNUJ (New Ulm, MN). He is also an NFL Analyst and Senior Writer for DraftTek.com.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

The Schottey Six: Top NFL Coordinators of 2009

The National Football League is built around high priced characters.

When a team wins, the head coach takes a lot of the credit and the general manager, owner and various star players take the rest. When things go poorly, those same people take the blame.

However, an NFL franchise is an intricate system where even twenty or more guys can comprise a coaching staff which works together to develop a team.

After head coaches, Offensive and Defensive Coordinators shoulder the biggest brunt of the load.

CBSSports.com is rightfully showcasing Mike Nolan and Gregg Williams this week to highlight the two coaches’ value to their respective clubs. Both manage defenses which have surprised everyone and have put their teams in contention.

So while we can all agree that Nolan and Williams deserve top honors, The Schottey Six is going to look at six other guys ranking the value of the top three offensive and defensive coordinators who have contributed to their team’s success this season.

Begin Slideshow

Detroit Lions Offensive Playbook: Breaking Down the Steel Curtain

The Detroit Lions can have success against good defenses.

Heading into this week, the Lions have yet to face a bad defense—New Orleans, Minnesota, Washington, Chicago are all top 15 defenses.

Minnesota has a stout run defense. Detroit ran against them.

Washington has one of the best pass defenses. Stafford had a career day.

The Lions have a good (and improving) offense. It has been special teams and defense that have killed this team.

First overall pick, Matthew Stafford has improved dramatically since game one, immensely since the preseason, and tremendously since college. He has begun to learn to trust his teammates more than his arm.

Rookie mistakes are still going to happen, but has one of his biggest detractors, I can say that he has matured faster than expected.

Meanwhile, the Lions offensive line has shown moderate improvement and additions like Bryant Johnson, Will Heller and Brandon Pettigrew have acclimated nicely.

The climate is changing here in Detroit, but beating a class act team like Pittsburgh might still be a year off. However, as with any game in the NFL, there is still a chance.

Pittsburgh has some holes this year, losing to Chicago and Cincinnati and beating Tennessee and San Diego by a total of 13 points.

Football Outsiders has Pittsburgh as the most declined defense since last year. The vaunted steel curtain is fifth in total defense but only 15th against the pass.

Certainly much of that has to do with Troy Polamalu who has been out for three weeks and hopes to play against Detroit. However, credit has to be given to the four quarterbacks who have played Pittsburgh and their quick decision making.

Can Detroit have the same success? Possibly.

Here’s how.

Begin Slideshow

Detroit Lions’ Rushing Woes Fall On Scott Linehan Not Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith rushed for 30 yards last week.

On 19 carries.

Yuck.

Certainly a lot of blame is to be shared. Also, a lot of credit is due to the Bears defense. However, for much of the second half, the Bears—sitting in a cover two—played the pass and left running lanes wide open.

The Lions were unable to capitalize.

While some of the blame must go to the Lions backs, the bulk of it must rest solely on the play calling and game planning of Scott Linehan.

At halftime, Lovie Smith made a decision. He was going to make Kevin Smith beat his team. The Bears would sit in a deep cover two, but let Charles Tillman shadow Calvin Johnson.

Think of it this way: In basketball, you can either let LeBron James beat you or you can shut him down and hope no one else gets hot. That is what Lovie Smith was hoping for, to shut Calvin Johnson down and hope no one else gets on a roll. 

However, the Lions played right into his hands.

Rather than go to their second most talented offensive star, Kevin Smith, the Lions put the ball in the hands of their rookie quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Stafford has little experience going against the cover two defense and found little room through the air.

The Lions also played right into the hands of the Bears defense, letting Stafford drop back, putting him at the mercy of the Bears pass rush.

Back to the basketball analogy—when you double LeBron James, he learns to set up his teammates. He finds the open man.

On the field on Sunday, Kevin Smith was the open man and the soft zone as the MLB backpedaled, was his open three-point jumper. Scott Linehan should have been shouting for that play to happen. But he didn’t, and it didn’t.

To start the third quarter, Detroit went punt, punt, fumble, punt.

During that time, Stafford was sacked three times and took a snap from shotgun seven times. In that same period, the Lions did not attempt a single run to the heart of the Bears defense. The 10 rush yards in the third quarter were acquired on five carries, all off tackle.

So rather than finding the open jumper, Scott Linehan tried strength on strength.

It didn’t work.

Boy did it not work.

Running away from Lance Briggs is never a good idea. Running at the empty space in front of a back peddling Nick Roach is a great idea.

Furthermore, the play calling after the Johnny Knox touchdown seemed frantic. From that point on, Scott Linehan called 29 passes and nine rushes—playing right into Lovie Smith’s hands.

Halftime adjustments have been the story of the Lions’ 2009 season.

As of right now, they’re not making them.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

« 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