Patriots Down Eagles: Thoughts From Preseason Opener

Now maybe this isn’t for you “morning people”, but did anyone else wake up Thursday, look in the mirror, realize what day it was, and get a big smile?

I did for one reason: football’s back.

The two sports I follow most closely—ironically both called football—begin midway through August. While the premier and champions league run until May, the NFL only goes until February.

Six months without real football. I shudder at the thought.

Anyway, here’s six quick thoughts (well, quick for me) on the first preseason game between New England and Philadelphia:

1. Michael Vick? Color me shocked.

The more I think about this move, the more I like it for Philadelphia. I’ve heard the move described in the same way just about everywhere from ESPN to local radio to national radio.

They call it a “risk vs reward” scenario. Some pundits think the reward is worth the risk, a lot of pundits do not.

Me? I just don’t see that much risk. There’s a massive PR hit, sure. Everyone’s going to wonder why Philadelphia is making this move. Does it unseat Kevin Kolb? (Probably not) Will it mess with McNabb’s head? (No, he lobbied to get him there) Will there be protesters a mile deep at Philadelphia games? (Probably, but they’re braver souls than I to go toe-to-toe with Philly fans)

So what’s the risk? That he’s suddenly going to go open a new dog fighting ring and get himself landed back in federal prison? I just don’t see it. The contract is bigger than I expected, but he’s only making $1.6 million this year, with a $5.2 million option on the horizon if he’s a good boy.

He’s got the chance to get himself back on respectable ground, eliminate his debt, get out of bankruptcy, and still hit free agency at the ripe age of 31.

Philadelphia just might be the best place to accomplish that.

2. Tom Brady Looks A-OK.

I heard a rather preposterous thing said on ESPN by Merril Hoge that Tom Brady’s career might be better served because he hasn’t exposed himself to the year of hits during his prime that he would’ve taken had he not been injured last year.

Now putting the obvious recovery from knee injury stuff aside, I disagree on a couple levels. First, Tom Brady’s career has had a very odd arc compared to many franchise quarterbacks.

Obviously, he ended up getting playing time right away, thrown into the starter’s role in just his second season when Drew Bledsoe was injured.

If Brady were to take a serious stab at some of the career records, he really is done a disservice by losing a year at the head of one of the most potent offenses in the game.

But even if you assume the career records were already out of reach for Brady, his chance at being the best quarterback of all time is going to come with his ability to produce two things: single season records (which he has done for one season so far) and Super Bowl titles.

Brady will likely never end up with the career numbers in terms of yards, completions, touchdowns, etc. that Peyton Manning will, but if he wants to take a serious stab at the “best of all time” mantle, he’s definitely taken a big step back by losing a prime season to injury.

Either way, we’ll have to see how he continues to perform through the season, but the early signs seem to be good.

3. Rookies Making Big Plays

There was a couple great plays made by a few rookies that I think deserve special mention.

Julian Edelman, a Wes-Welker carbon copy out of Kent State, had an awesome punt return for a touchdown, but his work with the first team offense was especially good to see.

He was likely in because Welker was not playing, but he did well.

He’s probably the backup best suited to filling the role of that slot receiver/slasher so the offense won’t have to adjust too much whether he or Wes is in, but he performed very admirably and got open a good deal.

Also, Darius Butler played very well, putting in a few key blocks on Edelman’s touchdown return, looking sharp throughout the game and intercepting the two-point conversion attempt by Philadelphia that proved key late in the game.

The backups did let the Eagles’ backups put up some points, but at this point it’s more about getting the little things right than it is about results. 

Still, the fact those two stood out and were able to make some great plays was a good sign for their chances of making an impact in the regular season.

4. Now’s the Time to Temper Expectations

Listened to a good deal of sports radio today and, luckily, there’s more pressing matters in New England than the Patriots first preseason game.

I ended up hearing more calls last night and tonight about Michael Vick than about the Patriots and what they’ll do this season, which was a welcome change.

Preseason games are great for a number of reasons, but analyzing what the team’s going to do all four quarters when it comes to the regular season isn’t really one of them.

For instance, the Patriots were clearly very comfortable in a three-receiver set and that looks to be their primary offensive set going into this season.

One one key play on 3rd-and-one with Andrew Walter behind center in the third quarter, the Patriots elected to run with a three-receiver set and an empty backfield.

With one yard to go (and a host of running backs on the roster), I wonder how often the Patriots would elect for such an obvious passing play, but at this point it’s impossible to tell if they just wanted to see more passes out of Walter, if they actually prefer a short pass to the slot, or if they just didn’t want to run into the teeth of a Philadelphia defense with their backups.

Still, good signs all around from the Patriots’ first team. I think the Eagles still have some work to do offensively, but they’ve got a lot of young guys still finding their feet in the NFL and it will take some time.

Patriots Training Camp: Rounding Up Week One

The NFL season is, as they say, a marathon, not a sprint.

But looking at how fast this 2009 iteration of the New England Patriots have hit the books, the field (and each other) so far, you’d be forgiven for thinking the season started next week.

The Patriots have had 14 practices in the first seven days and 11 have featured hitting and conditioning with full pads.

Obviously few people get a real look at multiple training camps every year but I can assure you that the ratio is one of the highest in the league.

It sets a tone across the organization, too: get your lunch pail, it’s time to do work.

And the Patriots have had a lot to hammer out in just the first week. Coming off a year where the team managed 11 wins without their star quarterback, it’d be easy for some to think the team could coast through preseason with a “business as usual” outlook.

Not so.

There are a lot more questions than answers at this point for a team that will need to reign in an offensively upgraded division if it’s going to return to the playoffs.

Being in the bottom third of the league in third down defense is simply not going to get it done in 2009 barring another offensive explosion. Even if that is the case, Belichick is hardly going to sit on his hands defensively.

So early in camp there’s little definite when it comes to who will or won’t make the roster, who is likely to see the majority of snaps during the season, or any of the other big-picture questions that will be answered in the coming weeks.

But it’s telling that Belichick has focused largely on situational drills involving red zone offense and defense right from the beginning.

Situational drills are a favorite of Belichick, especially those with time constraints focusing on end of quarter and end of game scenarios.

This is a team that returns a good amount of its starters and second-stringers so there should be little handholding in terms of learning the system and that seems to be the case early in camp.

But there’s not a whole lot of conclusions you can draw so early. A first-week standout can miss the roster, so I’m holding off making too many declarations too early.

With that, though, here are few early thoughts based on the first week of Patriots camp:

 

Brady has remained sharp

Brady proved that the zip he showed in minicamp was not a mirage and thus far there’s been little to no discussion about his injury.

The most talked about quarterbacks to this point seem to be backup Kevin O’Connell and newcomer Andrew Walter (as well as the departed Matt Gutierrez and Cleo “thanks for the cup of coffee” Lemon), but the quarterback depth chart is hardly, if ever, settled so early in camp. 

 

Adalius Thomas looks ready to excel

There’s been good early noise about Thomas, a special teams maven from his Baltimore days who was given a rather large contract (five years, $35 million) by New England when he hit free agency before the 2007 season.

Thomas was as good as advertised in his first season (though didn’t make the expected jump to top-tier elite pass-rusher some thought he might) and was injured in 2008, playing in just nine games.

This year, Thomas will likely wear the defensive radio helmet and will be the Patriots’ primary pass rush threat from the linebacker position this season.

Thomas has earned his contract so far with solid play, but he has yet to make the jump most—myself included—believe he’s capable of.

In this training camp, however, Thomas has excelled. Mike Reiss of The Boston Globe already has Thomas as the best defensive player in camp the first week.

Whether Thomas’ contract is looked upon as a good buy or a phenomenal value (or perhaps a bust) will depend on his this season shapes up.

It seems he’s aware of that fact.

 

Vince Wilfork dedicated to the season

The Vince Wilfork situation looked like it had the potential to derail, or at least distract, the Patriots heading into 2009.

Wilfork skipped the team’s voluntary organized team activities, which are, of course, about as voluntary as getting wet when you fall out of a boat.

It was a message to the team that he wants, and thinks he deserves, a contract extension.

With Richard Seymour also hitting free agency and left tackle Matt Light and Tom Brady slated to hit the market after next season, New England’s books are looking like they could get top-heavy quick.

I’ve been fairly clear in that I think Vince Wilfork is quite possibly the most important player to this Patriots defense. The nose tackle position, in the 3-4, is the most crucial lynchpin and losing a star nose tackle in his 20s is never a good idea.

It’s good news for New England that Wilfork has decided to not extend his holdout into training camp—whether his reasons are benign, monetary, or he’s simply feeling the need to prove his worth early and often to the team.

 

T.J. Donegan is a featured columnist on the New England Patriots team page. You can contact him by email here or follow him on Twitter here.

Must Love Dogs: Michael Vick Deserves His Second Chance

I’m guilty of a lot of things in my life.

Chief among them is probably taking for granted the freedoms I’m lucky enough to enjoy as a citizen of the United States. 

I’m not rich.  I’m not famous.  I’m not politically connected.  I don’t live in Michael Vick’s world.  I can at best glimpse its hazy outline through the constant media coverage his life has become.

But what we both do share is a citizenship that affords us a second chance.

The term “debt to society” is thrown around mostly as a weak synonym for a prison sentence in our world.  We take it as a nothing term, a filler, a daytime Law & Order buzzword.

But what it means, and why it’s such a fundamental principle to any functioning society, is that as an individual you’ve done something for which you owe your fellow man.

Paying that debt means more than being deprived of a luxury; it’s not a time-out.  It’s, at least in this system, a time period by which you sacrifice your freedoms because you’ve done wrong.  You have a debt that needs to be settled.

Michael Vick settled that debt in the eyes of the court system.  While most of us don’t really think of it in such a way, the court system is a representative of our rights as a society.  Its word is our word, its decision is our decision.

Vick committed a horrible act upon defenseless animals.  As an avid dog lover, I can’t simply dismiss that fact.  For the rest of my life I will associate Vick’s name with whatever evil allows people to hurt dogs.

But I’ve never been locked up.  I’ve never been imprisoned.  I’ve never had my freedoms taken from me.  Michael Vick has.  That’s what our society deemed appropriate for what he did.

Was it enough?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  That’s a matter of opinion.

But if you have a problem with his sentence you should bring those concerns to the people who handed it out, not the man to whom it was given.

What should Vick have done?  What could Vick have done?  Ask for more prison time? Walk back to the judge at the end of his sentence like some perverted Oliver Twist?

“Please, sir, can I have another six months?”

Michael Vick has had his livelihood stripped from him.  He’s gone bankrupt.  He’s lost two of the most valuable years of his life and greatly cheapened whatever value his remaining years may have.

A football career is among the most ephemeral commodities any young man can possess, and he’s had the prime years of it taken from him because of his actions.

Now people are out for blood as well?  They want to take it all from him?  Where does it end?

What if Michael Vick’s talent was that he was a brilliant business mind?  That he could detect minute patterns in the stock market and was a savvy investor?  What if his crime were murdering another man?  Or raping a woman?

I don’t think Vick’s crime—as heinous as it was—deserves a life sentence, where his prison isn’t a federal facility with concrete and bars, but a world where he is not allowed to bring the talents he was given and has cultivated to bear, with whatever success they may bring him.

Should we not allow murderers, once they’ve served their time, to make above a certain wage?  Should society hang over them, waiting to strip any comfort they might find?

Isn’t their crime just as heinous?  I love dogs, but there’s no path by which a right-thinking person can say murdering a person is not the greater crime.

Michael Vick, like the millions of other ex-convicts in this country who are now free, has paid his debt to society.

He is bankrupt, his talents are likely fading, most of his friends either ratted him out or no longer find it profitable to call him a friend, and it’s unlikely any team will ever commit a large contract to him again.

Has he learned his lesson?  I don’t know, but that’s not the way our prison system works.  It may be the way Roger Goodell’s NFL works, but Michael Vick is owed a second chance to prove he can be a good person.

Our prison system provides benefits to those who show progress in reshaping their lives (even as many of those facilities strip away the programs that best help those convicts accomplish that), but it does not require of them anything but time.

Perhaps Michael Vick hasn’t learned any lesson other than acting on his baser impulses will have consequences he can’t afford.  Perhaps the only reason he’ll stop the behavior that landed him in jail is because it may land him there again.

But if, as a society, our concern is only that he’s “learned his lesson,” then maybe our concern shouldn’t begin and end with how many football games Michael Vick must miss this fall.

Maybe our concern should be with a prison system that seems to think keeping men and women unable to function in society in a box with other men and women unable to function in society will magically turn out productive, healthy people.

Maybe Michael Vick isn’t the problem here at all.

This country is a lot of things, but I’m glad to know at the very least it’s a place where a man can be guilty of many things and still be allowed the opportunity to make up for them.

T.J. Donegan is a B/R featured columnist for the New England Patriots. Track him on Twitter here. He can also be reached at tdonegan@gwmail.gwu.edu.

 

 

Into the Group Thing: The NFL Units That Improved the Most This Offseason

Football at all levels, but especially the NFL, requires more than just one star player.

Ray Lewis may be the best linebacker of this generation, but even he’s not going to slice up NFL offenses without the help of the 10 other men on the field wearing the same uniform as him.

Even that probably doesn’t go far enough. Everyone from the backups to the coaches to the front office guys must work together to build a successful team.

But some aspects of play can be broken down to a unit of players within an offense or defense. Groups of starters, backups, special teams guys who will bring a new intensity to practice—a unit can almost be a team unto itself.

Some units are just a player or two away from being championship-caliber, but some need to be rebuilt from the ground up.

The Bears’ passing game? That might take a few more moves, a great year from LT Orlando Pace, or just a player making a leap few think he’s capable of.

The Saints’ pass defense? Mostly more of the same there, I’m afraid.

The Bills’ offensive line? Who exactly is going to play tackle, anyway?

While those groups seem to have holes left to fill and training camp battles left to wage, other units in the league—some as questionable as the three above just last year—may have addressed what were significant problems for their teams in the past season.

Some will make the jump to elite, others are just looking for a little respect. Some of these upgrades have their teams’ fans thinking Super Bowl, others just have them seeing a “W” or two.

With that, let’s look at some of the most dramatic unit upgrades across the NFL.

1. Philadelphia Eagles’ Offensive Line

The Eagles had a lot of things to be happy about in 2008. A return to the NFC title game, the rejuvenation of Donovan McNabb, and an all-around competitive season in what was probably the toughest division in the NFC (if not the league).

But the Eagles also have had a lot to work on. They gave up 5 sacks in the postseason and were only able to generate a paltry 3.2 yards per attempt in the playoffs. During the season they weren’t much better, getting just 4.0 yards per carry, although the sack numbers were better (they allowed just 23 all season).

Much of that is due to Brian Westbrook’s difficulty with injury last year. While he soldiered on and started 14 games, by the time the title game rolled around he was hardly the force he’s capable of being.

With tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan (a combined 26 years of NFL experience between them) hitting unrestricted free agency, it was time for a change.

The Eagles responded with some pretty bold moves. While the right tackle spot may not yet be settled (it’ll be one of the Andrews brothers, although it looks like Shawn has sealed it up going into camp), they went after free agent LT Jason Peters, who has spend his five-year career (with two Pro Bowls) in Buffalo until now.

Peters didn’t have a phenomenal 2008 in Buffalo, but he’s very talented and will anchor a line that, if it plays to its talent level, could be the key unit on an eventual NFC champion.

Other notable moves:

RT Stacy Andrews UFA, signed from Bengals (should move to RG)

C Nick Cole RFA, retained

OT Jon Runyan UFA, remains unsigned

OT Tra Thomas UFA, signed with Jacksonville

 

2. New England Patriots’ Defensive Backfield

 

Injuries to key players, the loss of Asante Samuel to free agency, and a hectic schedule all played a key role in the failure of the New England Patriots to maintain their hold on the AFC East.

 

While the Patriots finished with an 11-5 record despite the Week 1 injury to Tom Brady, they often struggled to contain the elite quarterbacks and receivers they faced.

 

While the Patriots ended up with decent numbers overall for yardage, they still gave up way too many big plays (12 pass plays over 40 yards, among the worst in the league) downfield despite having a decent enough pass rush.

 

CB Ellis Hobbs performed admirably, earning a trade to Philadelphia to join Samuel for his troubles, but it was clear New England had to make significant improvements in the short and long term to its pass defense if it was going to make it back to the playoffs.

 

With safety Rodney Harrison retiring and Hobbs gone, it was already going to be an uphill battle for New England to field an elite cover unit, but the Patriots have done well so far.

 

The signing of free agents Leigh Bodden (of Detroit) and Shawn Springs (of Washington) seems to have cemented two week-one starting positions, at least going into training camp.

 

They’re typical New England moves: bring in a veteran CB who may still have some elite left in his boots and a talented but underperforming journeyman on a one-year “prove it” or “show me” deal for short money.

 

It seems GM Scott Pioli may be gone but his philosophy of getting value over all else certainly isn’t.

 

The Patriots also used two of their first three picks in the draft to add backfield quality and depth for the future by bringing in Oregon safety Patrick Chung, a hard-hitter who should remind Patriots fans of the recently departed Harrison, and Connecticut CB Darius Butler, who will work his way into the system right away.

 

Making them roommates at rookie minicamp? Well maybe that’s just coincidence—but I doubt it.

 

Either way, much like Philadelphia and their line moves, fielding a new-look, talented defensive backfield will certainly have New England fans excited for the season to begin.

 

Other notable moves:

 

S Tank Williams UFA, resigned by team

S Brandon McGowan UFA, signed from Chicago

S James Sanders, UFA resigned by team

 

3. Detroit Lions’ Passing Game

 

There just weren’t a lot of things to get excited about in Detroit last year. Mitch Albom tried, bless his heart, but there’s just not a lot of pride to be found in Motown these days.

 

Especially when it comes to football.

 

But that could be changing, at least when it comes to Detroit’s feeble passing game.

 

Jon Kitna was better than most people thought, to be honest. (Back-to-back 4,000-plus yard seasons in 2006 and 2007 are certainly nothing to sniff at. Although with just four starts in 2008 and a lovely stay on the IR, Kitna has since found a new home in Dallas backing up Tony Romo.)

 

But Megatron himself, Calvin Johnson, was fantastic despite not having a terrible amount of quality around him.

 

Clearly, the Lions figured it was best to play to their strengths this offseason.

 

Detroit made their biggest splash by drafting Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford first overall, of course. But savvy moves to pick up veteran receivers Bryant Jackson (UFA from the 49ers) and Ronald Curry (released by Oakland) will give them a good, deep pool of receivers.

 

Who will be doing the throwing is the question, however.

 

Stafford is, very clearly, the obvious future option. But with Daunte Culpepper on the roster, even with questions remaining about his health, it’ll certainly be a question worth examining throughout training camp.

 

If Stafford is a quick learner, makes all his throws accurately and with good zip, it’ll be a fast transition. I would imagine Culpepper will start early this year and then record could easily determine when (or if) Stafford gets the call.

 

In front of Culpepper and Stafford, Detroit has added good offensive line depth by picking up Ephraim Salaam from the Texans and Daniel Loper from the Titans, although the loss of OT George Foster could hurt them. The Lions also managed to re-sign guard Stephen Peterman, so they’ll at least have consistency at one position.

 

The Detroit passing game may not be elite, but it should at least be able to pull itself out of the bottom third of the league if Matt Stafford can do at least as well as Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco managed in their rookie seasons.

 

Other notable moves:

WR Mike Furrey, released, signed with Cleveland

G Damion Cook, UFA re-signed

G Edwin Mulitalo, UFA still unsigned

 

4. St. Louis Rams’ Offensive Line

 

Dear Marc Bulger,

It really just hasn’t been that much fun being you the last couple years. Sure, you’re a starter in the NFL and you got to throw to Torry Holt and hand off to Stephen Jackson the last couple years.

You even got a half-second cameo in that awesome “Leave Nothing” commercial.

Okay, so the cameo had a guy who looked an awful lot like you (different number!) getting crushed beneath a leaping Shawn Merriman after he hurdled half your offensive line.

Hey, at least when he collapsed on top of you the ball found its way to Jackson to run through all those guys.

So yeah, it just hasn’t been that much fun being you.

But at least next time Nike wants to shoot a commercial, they should have a harder time getting people to believe Merriman could make it through the line untouched so easily.

Love,

NFL Fans

 

The Rams have spent much of this offseason rebuilding an offensive line that, while loaded with talent, has battled injuries and age and, quite simply, come up short the last two years.

 

Gone is franchise LT Orlando Pace, now with Chicago. Replacing him will be Jason Smith, the Rams’ stellar first-round pick out of Baylor who could be the future of the club.

 

The underrated Alex Barron should guard Bulger’s blindside for the near future, giving Smith the chance to tee off at right tackle for the time being.

 

The Rams also worked to retain the quality they already had in-house. Linemen Richie Incognito and Adam Goldberg, both restricted free agents, were retained. Guard Mark Setterstrom, an unrestricted free agent, was re-signed by the team and will battle Incognito for a starting role and could back up across the interior of the line.

 

At center, Jason Brown, formerly of the Ravens, was brought in by the team to the tune of five years and $37.5 million. He should continue to perform at the high level he did in Baltimore, barring more of the injury bug that St. Louis just hasn’t been able to shake the past few years.

 

But that’s the rub, really.

 

It’s not as though the Rams have lacked talent on the offensive side of the ball the last few seasons. I think half the fantasy football experts are still sore from the fall from how high they were on St. Louis’ offense just a few years ago.

 

Much has happened, but not a ton has changed. With the skill this team does still possess, even with Holt gone, a solid season from a revamped offensive line may finally get the Rams back into the “respectable” column in the minds of NFL fans.

5. Honorable Mentions…

 

These are the units that I’m still not entirely positive about, but have certainly improved this past offseason and could be forces this coming season. Some of these are maybe another move away or will need to really develop as a group in training camp, but I’d say they certainly deserve a solid mention.

Washington Redskins Defensive Line/Pass Rush

 

The notable move here is bringing in DT Albert Haynesworth, obviously. It’s a big contract for a very dominant player, but his worth will ultimately come down to two questions: can he stay healthy and disciplined and will he be a 3-down force or have to come out more often?

 

There’s no question about his impact in Tennessee, and he’ll sorely be missed there, but it’s his impact in Washington that’ll decide what his ultimate NFL legacy will be.

 

This was already a really solid defense that hits hard and often and, having lived in Washington myself the last three years, was one of the most fun teams to watch play.

 

With greatly improved quarterback play, a great defensive year from Washington might be enough to at least turn some heads in a division that remains among the toughest in the NFL.

 

Other additions:

 

DE Brian Orakpo, draft

DT Kedric Golston RFA retained

DE Phillip Daniels UFA retained

DE Renaldo Wynn UFA from Giants

CB DeAngelo Hall UFA retained

 

Tampa Bay Backfield

 

Tampa Bay is firmly in rebuilding mode right now with a new GM, a new Head Coach, new franchise QB waiting in the wings, and a new star running back in town.

 

Even Derrick Brooks, who is probably the best player to ever pull on a Tampa Bay uniform, finds himself no longer in the employ of the Buccaneers organization.

 

The GM and head coach moves were bold hires by the club, who seem like they’re hoping to recapture the magic of 2002 when Jon Gruden, then considered a too-young hire out of Oakland, led them on a great Super Bowl run.

 

But Gruden inherited a playoff team that was built on the foundations laid during Tony Dungy’s tenure.

 

Head Coach Raheem Morris and GM Mark Domenik are not getting the likes of Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, and Warren Sapp to play havoc with.

 

Instead they’ll work with RB Derrick Ward, who is looking to prove he was more than just a capable understudy in New York, and Kansas State QB Josh Freeman, who wants to prove his doubters wrong and become a franchise quarterback.

 

It’s a new era in Tampa Bay, but in the division that is seemingly playing host to a Cinderella story year after year, they’re at least all in it together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five Ready to Shine: The Best Backups in the NFL

One of the hardest things to do in the NFL is predict, before the season, which teams will earn the right to keep playing on through the winter months.

Making the playoffs requires a lot of things of a football team: determination, hard work, skill, management of egos, and luck.

The last one plays a particularly pronounced role in one facet of NFL life: injuries.

They strike early and often (just ask Tom Brady) in the league and, at any moment, a player’s career can be dashed in one play. It’s the sad truth of the NFL.

But an injury to even the most important player does not necessarily doom a team’s season. (again, ask Tom Brady’s replacement, Matt Cassel)

Great teams are always preparing for the worst, and while no team, player, or fan should ever wish for an injury, a team must always be prepared by stocking every roster spot with as much talent as possible.

With that, I’d like to point out who, in my opinion, are the most talented players in the league who wait in the wings, ready at a moment’s notice to step into the limelight. 

The idea of a “backup” in the NFL is never really set, though, especially as “platooning” has taken hold across the league. For instance, some of the most successful backfields in the game today are comprised of not even one or two star backs, but a whole group who share the load.

Many hands make light work, as they say. So I’ve tried to take that into account as much as possible and go with players who also do their work on special teams, only in specific game situations, or have to make the most of limited touches on the ball.

But that just makes the list more debatable, which is half the fun.

 

1. Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints

While Reggie Bush has proven to be as explosive and athletic a player in the NFL as he was in college, he has yet to really find success is a running back in the NFL.

Yet behind him is Pierre Thomas, a supremely talented back out of Illinois who has yet to really see a great deal of time in the NFL.

Thomas went undrafted out of college and was signed by the Saints to fill out camp, but performed so well that they kept him on the roster, where he’s been ever since.

The last two years he has entered the season behind Bush on the depth chart, and as training camp is set to begin hasn’t quite supplanted his more esteemed teammate.

But Reggie’s injury last year allowed Thomas to earn much more time behind center, where he outperformed Bush’s career yards-per-carry mark by a full yard (4.8 vs. 3.8) and managed nine rushing touchdowns in just 129 attempts.

His coming-out party was really Week 17 of the 2007 season, though, when he got the start and ended up with 226 yards from scrimmage (105 rushing, 121 through the air) and caught a touchdown.

It put Thomas on the map…and lost me a fantasy football title. But I don’t hold a grudge or anything…I swear.

Also displaying some very soft hands, reeling in 32 receptions, Thomas could find a lot more work on first and second down this season, even if Bush is healthy.

While Bush is still one of the most exciting athletes in the game, and might be the league’s best punt returner, it’s unlikely that he’ll keep his hold on the mantle of starting running back much longer with Thomas performing so admirably in limited time.

And then it might be Thomas getting the Subway promotions.

By the way, I was watching Happy Gilmore not too long ago and there’s the part where he gets the Subway sponsorship, and he mentions they gave him a card to get free Subway for the rest of his life along with his sponsorship money.

I’ve always wondered if a restaurant would do that. Like is Mr. Submarine still mailing coupons to Scottie Pippen? Is Larry Bird still rocking Chardon Jeans free of charge?

I know some people who do contracts like this for pro athletes, but I’m always embarassed to actually ask them. I think I’d just prefer to go on pretending that somewhere in Tiger Woods’ house is a fountain spouting free Gatorade.

 

2. Lawrence Timmons, LB, Pittsburgh

I wasn’t originally going to put Timmons on this list, for the obvious reason that the guy who was in front of him on the depth chart, Larry Foote, is no longer with the team, so Timmons should get the chance to show the world what he can really do.

But when you think Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker in 2008, you think James Harrison. You think LaMarr Woodley. You think James Farrior.

In 2009, you’ll think Lawrence Timmons.

After recording 13 tackles and zero sacks in 2007, Timmons ratcheted it up, taking playing time away from Larry Foote as he tallied up 65 tackles and five sacks.

That Larry Foote is going to be collecting game checks that have a return address in Detroit, and not Pittsburgh, is largely due to the play of Timmons.

With Timmons taking over Foote’s starting role (and even more snaps, one would think) it’s very likely that Pittsburgh’s defense is only going to get more aggressive and more creative in 2009.

The sound you just heard was the AFC collectively tearing their hair out.

 

3. Kevin Faulk, RB, Patriots

Kevin Faulk is another name I toyed with not including on this list. He’s a career third down back. He probably wouldn’t be terribly effective as an every-down threat, these days, and I question what he would do with 300+ carries in a season.

But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been one of the best guys who doesn’t fill up the “Games Started” column during his 10-year NFL career.

With 35 starts, total, in his time in the league, Faulk has hardly been given the chance to truly shine as a feature back.

At 32, that time is likely well behind Kevin, but he’s still done more with limited time than maybe any other player he played with or against.

Coming out of college, Faulk was thought to be the next great thing. He had an amazing career at LSU and seemed to be poised for great things.

Ten years later, Kevin Faulk won’t be making the NFL Hall of Fame, but he has managed nearly 6,500 yards from scrimmage and has been one of the most dependable offensive performers in Patriots history.

Starting when necessary but always a fixture on third down, Faulk had a great year in 2008 as the only real constant in a nebulous, shifting backline that saw starts from BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Sammy Morris, Faulk, and Lawrence Maroney while also featuring Heath Evans and a cameo from LaMont Jordan.

If there’s room for one “dependable, if not explosive” option on this list, it had to go to Faulk.

 

4. Jeff Garcia, QB, Oakland

Jeff Garcia has had a very odd career. He was definitely more than adequate in San Francisco and made three Pro Bowls, looked to be done after bad years in Cleveland and Detroit, seemed to have his swan song in Philadelphia and then resurfaced in Tampa Bay to post back-to-back quarterback ratings in the 90s once again.

I wonder if any other quarterback in the league has been dismissed as done more often than Jeff Garcia only to come back, once again.

Now he’s in Oakland, backing up JaMarcus Russell, who has way too much money invested in him to not be the starter come opening week.

Still, I think most fans would be surprised to look at what Garcia has actually done in his career.

Four Pro Bowls, a career 87.5 QB rating, more than 25,000 passing yards and 161 touchdowns against just 83 interceptions.

The last couple years he’s been especially effective. Much like Brett Favre in his last year in Green Bay (and the total opposite of Brett Favre since he left Green Bay), he finally seemed to realize he’s not the same passer he was in his heyday in San Francisco and has focused more on being accurate on short throws and taking few risks.

As a result, his interception percentage has been down to just 1.1%, 1.2%, and 1.6% the last three years…the best three years of his career in that regard and among the tops in the league all three years.

As good as those numbers have been at 39, I don’t think Garcia has a lot of years left in him.

But we’ve said that before.

I guess he’ll just have to settle for being on this (esteemed) list for now.

 

5. Jerious Norwood, RB, Falcons

Jerious Norwood is one of those names that seems to just stick in the back of your mind. You probably know of him. You should’ve heard of him by now. But you just can’t put a face to a name.

Well this might be a refresher, it’s his game-winning touchdown run for Mississippi State against Florida in 2004.

I love that video. He bursts past one defender, then completely freezes another with a sidestep before bursting past everyone, even making two Florida defenders crash into one another in a feeble attempt to tackle him.

The sidestep is my favorite part. The guy misses him so bad he ends up in the parking lot. But it’s alright, I hear they only charged him half-price to get back in the stadium because the game was over.

I’ve been waiting for the inevitable NFL Live “Jerious Norwood, 23 carries, 185 yards, 2 TDs)” stat line to scroll across my TV ever since.

It hasn’t happened.

It hasn’t happened because, to this point, he’s never gotten 20 carries in a single NFL game. He’s never even gotten 15.

The book on him is that, listed at barely over 200 pounds, he’s too small to be an every-down back. He’s incredibly fast, has great hands, is a very solid kick-returner, but there’s questions about his ability to pound out four-plus yards consistently on first down crashing into behemoth linemen.

Still, there might be no player in the league who has done more with limited time recently. His last three years he had 99 rushes, 105 rushes, and 93 rushes, respectively, with just two starts.

His yard per carry average might be the most obscene in the NFL, though. In 2006 it was 6.4, in 2007 it was 6.0, and last year it was 5.1 yards per carry.

Which brings his three-year career totals to 297 rushes for 1735 yards and 76 receptions for 717 yards and a host of long touchdown runs/receptions.

Got to love that.

But now, Norwood is sitting behind a mammoth name on the depth chart: Michael Turner.

Turner, who would’ve easily topped this list two years ago when he was stuck behind another huge name (LaDainian Tomlinson, you may have heard of him), but has since become the resident runner in Atlanta.

So while I might have to wait a little longer to see the huge day from Norwood that I figured would find a regular home on my screen by now, I’d bet dollars to donuts that day is coming soon.

NFL: The Five Biggest Offseason Additions

The NFL is a league constantly in flux. New faces come in. Old faces leave.

It’s a year-to-year log rolling contest. Keep your feet or get left behind.

From the front office on down there’s rarely extended continuity in the NFL and this offseason has been no different.

Each team has to perform on the field come Fall but the foundations for playoff success or regular season failure are laid in the Spring months and a single change can be the difference between the two.

With that, here’s the five best additions NFL clubs made this past year that could swing division races across the country.

Tracking the Trend: The Resurgence of the 3-4 Defense in the NFL

The NFL is in the midst of a watershed defensive revolution; one that is a decade (or, depending who you want to credit, decades) in the making.

In 2000 when Bill Belichick was lifted from the Jets for a first-round pick and became the New England Patriots’ head coach, he brought a lot of things with him.

Namely, he brought his wealth of coaching and football experience gleaned from his father, a renowned coach at Navy, Bill Parcells, his boss with the New York Giants, and as a coach himself, with Cleveland and, albeit briefly, the New York Jets.

But while he has also brought three Super Bowl trophies to New England, his lasting legacy throughout the league may be bringing the 3-4 back into style.

Belichick is hardly the first to utilize the system in the NFL—it first made its appearance in the NFL maybe 30 years before in Houston under Wade Phillips’s father Bum Phillips* and, ironically, in New England—but he may be responsible for it finally sticking after it fell out of favor in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.

*sidenote here, there’s a bit of a controversy over who brought it to the league first. Bum Phillips is credited with it at Houston while other sources also credit Chuck Fairbanks in New England right around the same time. The 1972 Miami Dolphins also employed it, but I haven’t seen them on film (besides the title game) so I don’t know if it was their base or if it was just something they used when necessary.

As I’m sure you’ve read a thousand places before, the NFL is a copycat league. But it only copies what is deemed successful.

While the system popped up here and there through the 1970s and into the 1980s, its most successful early version was run by the Giants in the mid 1980s, leaning heavily on the singular talents of Lawrence Taylor.

(Edit note: I originally had the Steelers of the 1970s as the team using it long term with great success, but Pittsburgh didn’t adopt the system until 1982 after the Steel Curtain retired. They are the longest running 3-4 team, however, moving away from the system eventually until moving back to it this decade.)

The new blocking rules instituted in 1978 allowed for offensive lineman be much more physical, extending their arms and opening their hands beyond the frames of their shoulders when pass blocking.

It allowed for bigger offensive linemen overall, since you didn’t necessarily need the same lateral quickness that it took to block under the old rules.

While that change was big enough for the game, as offensive linemen got larger it simply became too hard for just three defensive linemen in that era to stuff the run when the offense turned upfield to plow the road.

With the advent of the 300-350 pound athletic monsters that populate 3-4 defensive lines these days, that’s no longer really the case. But change was slow in coming.

Even Belichick, who began with the 3-4 in 2000, reverted to the 4-3 when the Patriots won their first Super Bowl. The Rocky II-esque Southpaw switch threw off opponents and Belichick stuck with it through the 2002 season.

But by 2003 Belichick saw a greater value in going back to his preferred system where he could take advantage of his personnel’s unique abilities, as well as the market at large.

Trading for four-time Pro Bowler Ted Washington, he got the prototypical nose tackle that the 3-4 demands and, securing Roosevelt Colvin in free agency, he was able to pair two of the most versatile, athletic outside linebackers (Colvin and McGinest) to shave nearly a yard per carry from their run defense of the year before.

The rest—two Super Bowl victories and one heck of a defense—is history.

The rest of the league took notice, and some other franchises followed the lead of teams like the Patriots, Ravens, and Steelers, copying their schemes and hiring their coaches.

But in the last two years, the 3-4 has exploded across the league and, in 2009, it’s supposed (but certainly not definite) that 12 or 13 teams will employ it as their base formation.

Part of that is the defensive success of the Patriots and Steelers—the Ravens switched back to a 4-3 and 4-6 defensive package, but have waffled between the 3-4 and 4-3 the last few years—but part of it is the Patriots and their offense.

James Lavin wrote in his book The Management Secrets of the New England Patriots that the original reason Belichick switched to the 3-4 was to combat the “spread” offense that teams were beginning to use more.

While the NFL “spread” is only a distant cousin to the type of offenses of the same name you see in college, the principle is similar: put as many receivers as you can manage on the field and beat defenders to the open space created before defenders can get to the quarterback.

In the NFL, that’s easier said than done as the field stays the same size but the players, in general, just get bigger, more powerful, and faster.

Much, much faster.

The 3-4 is particularly suited to stopping the more wide open offenses, though, because it allows its primary rushers, its fast outside linebackers, to stand in a 2-point stance and either drop into coverage, rush the passer, or line up man-to-man and stay with a tight end.

The 4-3, with an extra large pass rusher playing nose-to-nose with an offensive lineman not available for pass coverage, hinders what a defense can do to confuse quarterbacks and makes it easier for the offense to find open seams and open receivers.

The 3-4 manages all that, however, without sacrificing much in run defense or the pass rush—as long as you have the correct personnel.

It was no happy accident that Belichick brought in Ted Washington when he returned to the 3-4, just as it’s no accident that he drafted Vince Wilfork, another large run-stopping, gap-clogging force in the middle of the line.

What is an accident on Bill’s part, however, may be the rebirth of the 3-4 across the league.

While speed-centric 4-3 defenses like the Tampa-2 system employed by the Buccaneers and Colts this decade have been able to shut down many passing attacks without giving up much in run support, they’re still vulnerable without much bulk across the defense.

So when Belichick and Scott Pioli brought in Randy Moss and Wes Welker in 2007, the Patriots may have subsequently made their job finding defensive personnel much harder.

The Patriots were hardly the only team running a wide open offense in 2007, but their work (and vast success) primarily out of the shotgun with four receivers wide (they rarely, if ever, will employ a 5 WR look like a college spread) has almost necessitated the playing of faster, more agile, more versatile linebackers who can drop into coverage.

Basically, the NFL version of the “spread” offense’s success has forced defenses to adapt by, as the Patriots did in 2003, adopting the 3-4.

This has a number of consequences.

First, let’s look at the teams who will look to employ the 3-4 this season.

There were eight-to-nine teams that used it last year.

Baltimore used it somewhat, but they’ve been all over the place in that regard.

New England, Dallas, Cleveland, Miami, the New York Jets, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and San Francisco (only part-time, under Mike Nolan) employed the scheme, in some sort, for a large portion of their defensive snaps that weren’t situational rushes.

This year Green Bay, Kansas City, and Denver are expected to join them. Cleveland will retain its 3-4 as it transfers from one former-Patriots-defensive-coordinator head coach in Romeo Crennel to another in Eric Mangini.

Replacing Mangini in New York is Rex Ryan, the Baltimore defensive coordinator who likes to employ a 3-4 as well and Baltimore could also employ the scheme again.

It’s no accident, though, that eight of those teams are AFC teams. No team exclusively uses a “spread” or “run-and-shoot” offense” in the NFL, but plenty of teams often go to a four-receiver (or two TE) set and move to the shotgun or no-huddle to create mismatches on defense.

Many of the AFC passing attacks feature three-and-four receiver sets with a pass-catching tight end extensively, especially teams like New England (since 2007) and Indianapolis (since Manning).

If you’re gameplanning for defensive playoff success in the AFC, those have to be your targets.

While a team may only be in their base defense 30-40 percent of the time, at most, being dominant on first and second down is always going to lead to dominance on third and fourth down, when defenses employ run blitzes or extra defensive backs depending on the situation.

With a 3-4 base defense, you simply are better suited to matching up with more receivers. With four linebackers who can all drop into coverage, the offense doesn’t know where the rush is coming from before the ball is snapped.

Manning may gesture like he’s dictating War and Peace in sign language pre-snap, but at most he’s trying to read body language or key off of personnel and what he knows from film study—two outside linebackers standing up behind the line can always rush from both, all, or neither side anytime they wish and there’s really no telling until they make their move.

Now, Manning is exceptional at film study, so he can create small advantages and at least believe he knows where the rush is coming from, but the extra man able to cover slot receivers or come after him still creates problems, even for a player of his caliber.

But the rebirth of the 3-4 perhaps comes down simply to a matter of finding the right people to fit your system.

When Belichick adopted the 3-4 in 2000 and again in 2003, it was an extremely valuable move for a franchise and coach that did not want to (or could not) lay out millions to get the most prized free agents.

The key positions in the 3-4—the pass-rushing outside linebackers, the mammoth nose tackle, and the huge, versatile defensive ends—all feature ideal body types that are poor fits for their respective positions in the 4-3.

All the defensive linemen in the 3-4 have to watch two gaps at once while confronting one, sometimes two, offensive linemen to defend the run. As a result, they have to be 290 pounds or bigger all across the line.

The nose tackle, in particular, has to be not only a mammoth (Ted Washington was 360-370 pounds and was considered ideal for his position), but has to take a mental and physical pounding.

There’s a great run-down of the 3-4 here told to the Rocky Mountain News (R.I.P) by Joe Collier, who supposedly first taught Belichick the system. In that article, Collier explains the nose tackle is “the most important” player in the system.

Everyone would love to play quarterback, even with all the hits you have to take. You get all the plaudits, the praise, the money, the face-time.

The nose tackle instead gets to face double-teams all day, still has responsibility for two gaps, and must blow up huge fullbacks to get to the tailback on nearly every running play.

While he has two linebackers to help him in run support, they’re usually watching for quick hitches over the middle and he’s, generally, all by himself on the defensive line at the point of attack.

More from Collier in the article linked above:

“But that guy [the nose tackle] is the first guy you have to get,” Collier said. “He has to be physically capable of playing the position and mentally tough enough to do it over the long haul. I used to ask [longtime Broncos nose tackle] Rubin Carter’s son, Andre, all the time where he wanted to play in the NFL and he’d always say, ‘Anywhere but nose tackle, because I saw how my dad walked around the house on Mondays.’

Basically, it’s not a fun time. It takes a special type of football player to clog up the line in the 3-4.

The 3-4’s biggest weakness, historically, has been its inability to stop runs up the gut. This is largely because the guys capable of playing the nose tackle position effectively are rare, rare finds.

It’s just not easy to find a guy willing or able to do the work of two men.

They do exist, however.

But when you’re the only 3-4 team in the business, getting that guy is a breeze, you can draft him later, pay him less, and compete with less teams for his services.

Washington was a four-time Pro Bowler when he came to the Patriots, but he wasn’t really an ideal fit for the 4-3 and was considered a bit bigger than some would’ve liked for his position.

Even in the draft, the Patriots have often been able to stay pat at a low draft position and wait for their ideal guys to simply drop to them in the later rounds.

When there’s 12 other teams looking to find the same generational guy, though, it becomes more difficult to secure the right kind of talent to support your system. 

The same is true of all the other 3-4 specific guys who come out of college.

You’ve no doubt heard the term “tweener” and “hybrid” a lot in this past draft. It’s largely because the league is nearly split down the middle between the two defensive bases.

Guys like Aaron Maybin, for instance, are prized assets whereas, a decade ago many teams might pass because size-wise, he’s stuck between two positions.

Maybin, a DE in college, may have a hard time playing the position in the NFL because, even after putting on nearly 30 pounds before the combine he is still just 250 pounds.

Small for a defensive lineman, perhaps, but close to ideal as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

With his exceptional first step, 4.59 speed (once he adjusted to being 25 pounds heavier) and nearly 40” vertical leap, he has a real future as a pass-rushing OLB who can drop into coverage and stay with receivers.

It showed with his draft, where he was taken 11th overall by the Bills. The Bills will primarily use him as a speedy DE pass-rusher in the vein of Dwight Freeney (who is considered undersized at 268 pounds for the position, 15 pounds heavier than Maybin was at his Pro Day)

It’s likely he’s a situational rusher prospect who will make the switch to 3-4 OLB at his newfound size or continue to put on weight (he hasn’t speculated as to his ideal weight, according to what I’ve seen) and stay as a 4-3 DE.

Having more teams defend from a 3-4 base also presents the problem, for a team like the Patriots, of holding on to your franchise players.

Vince Wilfork, for example, is expected to begin, officially, holding out of mandatory sessions (the OTAs he skipped thus far are “voluntary”) this week.

Whereas in 2003 or 2004 the Patriots could have simply waited (and likely will anyway) or even let Wilfork hit free agency without having to pay him the money he’s seeking (something in the range of $10 million per year, reportedly), now he’s going to command a much higher price tag.

It’s all simply a numbers game: there’s just no shortage of teams now who will gladly shell out franchise money for a guy who, in the 3-4 more than any other scheme, is an absolutely essential player.

In the end, it’s just another chapter in the long history of strategic shifts that the NFL has taken.

But it’s a shift that will, at the very least, make it more difficult for teams like Pittsburgh and New England, who once held the monopoly on ideal 3-4 defenders, to succeed the way they have this past decade.

New England & Greg Ellis: Right Player, Wrong Personality?

The Dallas Cowboys have let another productive, veteran player know he is considered surplus to requirements for the 2009 season.

The 11-year veteran Greg Ellis was released by the Cowboys this week. Ellis is the apparent victim of either a very rapid aging process, an on-going health concern that made his contract too much to bear, or Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones simply being sick of him.

It’s an interesting move considering how dominant the Cowboys were rushing the passer last year.

While Ellis slipped noticeable from his 2007 form—when he racked up 12.5 sacks in just 10 starts (13 games total) coming off an Achilles tendon tear—he still managed eight sacks in 16 games alongside teammate DeMarcus Ware’s blistering mark of 20.

Jones stated last week that Ellis would be cut if the Cowboys didn’t receive a trade offer, which isn’t exactly the best negotiating tactic when you’re trying to get fair value (or really, any value) from a trading partner.

It seemed to indicate that, for one reason or another, Jones didn’t want Ellis (and his $4.15 million salary) in a Cowboys uniform anymore and, likely, didn’t care if he got anything in return.

The question is, where does Ellis go from here?

He’ll certainly be worked out by teams looking to bolster their pass rush this season. The Bengals, with their second-to-last league mark in sacks last season, have been mentioned.

Some other possible fits for Ellis might be Green Bay, Kansas City, and the New England Patriots. While Ellis infamously grumbled over the switch to a 3-4 OLB from a 4-3 DE. He does have experience in the role and, his best year came from such a hybrid position.

The Chiefs will be re-instituting a 3-4 base scheme with former New England front-office guru Scott Pioli in town and the Patriots and Bill Belichick were partially responsible for bringing it back en vogue in recent years.

Green Bay, as well, is looking to institute the scheme, drafting the monster, Vince Wilfork-esque B.J. Raji to anchor the line at nose tackle in this year’s draft.

The Patriots are the more intriguing option right now, though, given their recent track record of refurbishing castoff veterans—many with character questions—as model NFL citizens once they hit New England.

I can tell you right now, it isn’t the food in Foxboro, MA. There’s some good places to eat, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not going to give you the legs of a 24-year-old.

But can the Patriots control a player that has developed a reputation as a malcontent?

There’s no room to hold grudges in the NFL: It’s a business and you should always treat it that way. But I certainly don’t blame Ellis for being a little miffed at being asked to switch from defensive end to outside linebacker in 2006 after eight productive years as an end.

The responsibilities (and ideal body type) of a DE in a 4-3 and an OLB in a 3-4 are, for the most part, wildly different.

At 6’6”, 270 pounds with tons of experience rushing at the NFL level hand-down nose-to-nose with offensive linemen, you’re just not built to succeed in the same way coming from the OLB spot where you have to be faster and lighter.

The NFL is, by and large, a numbers game. Ellis knows that as well as anyone. The $4.15 million next to his name is part of the reason he’s watching daytime Colbert Report re-runs with the rest of us.

It’s also why he had every right to be upset at being asked to play a position that would likely afford him less sack opportunities.

When you make your money in the NFL as a pass rusher, sacks are your most valuable commodity.

For 270 pounds Ellis was a very quick end rusher, but he would’ve been at least 20 pounds too small to play as the ideal 3-4 end and about 20 pounds too big to be the ideal 3-4 OLB.

Consternation is the word you’d probably use to best describe how he felt about his NFL future at that point.

Hence the Parcells is setting me up to fail remarks.

At his size, speed, and technique, it was a long-shot for him to succeed quickly as a 3-4 OLB. The fact that he did it in 2007, putting up such amazing numbers that season is testament to his ability as a football player and athleticism at age 32.

The fact that he aired his complaints publicly in the media, prior to the switch being made, shows a personality type that is not generally in line with how the Patriots and the media co-exist.

Still, I think there are far worse “locker room guys” in the NFL than Ellis. He was a team leader in Dallas and was elected as the team’s union representative.

I don’t know the specifics of his selection as the union rep (I do know it’s not a position most guys jump at), but I’d say it’s a positive mark on his record.

I think he was immature in complaining about his contract and being asked to switch positions—something the Patriots could ask him to do at some point, when you look at how versatile they often ask their linebackers to be—even if he was justified, in some ways.

However, the NFL is, again, by and large a numbers game. You simply don’t often see guys hit the market with his combination of pedigree and production level.

While his age and the fact Jerry Jones cut him in not-so-discreet fashion are red flags, any team needing pass-rushing help will be forced to at least kick the tires on Ellis.

Right now, the Patriots are seemingly set at one outside linebacker position with Adalius Thomas and are working in the the re-signed Pierre Woods, the gone-and-back-again Tully Banta-Cain, and Vince Redd at the other spot.

Shawn Crable, who spent half of his rookie year inactive and the other on Injured Reserve, is another option there, as well. The unofficial depth chart has him shading in at inside linebacker, however, despite his ridiculous speed, overall athleticism and, reported, pass-rushing instincts.

(Here’s a very good scout.com breakdown of those four players and what the Patriots look for in an OLB out of college, for extra credit.)

They’re hardly secure options right now and the Patriots could always use a veteran situational rusher, at the very least.

With Ellis’s experience the last few years as a 3-4 outside linebacker and the ideal size and body-type of a 5-technique rusher, especially in nickel formations, the Patriots could sign him and mix in some more exotic rush packages and get his hand back in the dirt pre-snap.

Belichick has certainly done crazier things in the past.

The baggage is explainable, but it’s still there, and it will certainly limit his options contract-wise.

Regardless, Greg Ellis will play football somewhere, for someone, in 2009.

It could very well be with the Patriots.

 

Old Joey Galloway May Be Key to New England Offense

Much has been made about Tom Brady’s apparent return to life this past week.

The media storm hit fever pitch with Brady showing up during the NCAA Lacrosse championships at Gillette stadium to throw a football around, addressing the Boston media for the first time, and giving his first in-depth interview with Peter King of SI.

Given that nearly 100 media members were credentialed for his first press conference in nearly a year, it’s clear that all the focus is on him.

Where Brady goes this season, the Patriots (and media) will follow.

One of the claims he, Wes Welker, and Randy Moss have been making since returning to organized team activities is that this version of their offense has the chance to eclipse the output they had in their first year together, the record-setting 2007 season.

More than one writer has scoffed literally at the thought of them scoring another 550+ points, but if they are to have a chance, it will hinge on the abilities of more than just guys named Tom, Wes, and Randy.

Joey Galloway may be the forgotten man in this offense, with little talk about the veteran the Patriots signed this Spring.

The mere mentioning of his name around southern Massachusetts seems to produce, at best, an “Oh yeah, I forgot about him” response from most.

But with Jabar Gaffney following former offensive coordinator to Denver, Donte Stallworth and his Martian alter-ego Nicco (why has nobody ever profiled this guy?) now learning former defensive coordinator Eric Mangini’s new system, and only a host of also-rans on the roster right now, Galloway’s ability to produce as the third WR may be the key to this offense reaching the lofty heights of two years ago.

While Galloway is borderline-ancient by NFL standards at 37, a throwaway line in Peter King’s recent column has the man still running 4.4 second 40-yard-dashes, so his speed is apparently still there.

He didn’t have a great final year in Tampa Bay, injuring his foot and only playing in nine games (four starts), but he’s been durable and very productive in his career, with over 10,000 receiving yards in 14 years.

He’s always been a big play threat despite not really playing with many quality quarterbacks over the years, generally averaging between 16 and 19 yards per reception.

Clearly, Randy Moss is the big play threat in New England, but one of the main problems he’s had to face the last two years is a lack of a complementary option downfield to keep safeties honest.

With Galloway, they have that now. If he’s running 4.4 in the 40, as is reported, it will be all but impossible for any team to consistently double Moss downfield and, even if they do, they’ll have to contend with Galloway.

It’s certainly an interesting proposition and a typically cagey move by a New England front office that has been able to get production out of guys on the tail end of their careers.

If it works out, the Patriots will have a real shot of at least being as potent an offense as they were in 2007. It’ll have to for New England because beyond Welker, Moss, and Galloway, there’s little else in established talent on the roster.

Currently the depth chart is rounded out by Greg Lewis, Sam Aiken, and Matthew Slater.

Aiken is a solid special teams player but hasn’t seen much action with the offense on the field in his single year in New England, ditto for Slater who also returns kicks.

Lewis has had a half-decent career so far, spending his six years in Philadelphia but only catching more than 40 balls one year. At just 28, though, he’s physically still got a lot of years ahead of him.

At the very least, he’ll be entertaining to read about. His Patriots.com profile says he likes internet dominoes and spades and sang the national anthem off-key at a Cubs game.

Well, you learn something every day.

Looking Back to the Future at the Big Moves of The Belichick-Kraft Era

There have been some great (dynamic?) duos in our time.

Batman and Robin. Cheech and Chong. Farley and Spade. Seth Rogen and Marijuana. Megan Fox and a warm day.

Even in football there have been quite a few in the past couple decades.

Montana and Rice. Peyton and Marvin. Owens and, well, himself.

But there may not have been a more prolific coupling of wills than Belichick and Kraft over the past decade.

Three Super Bowls, four AFC titles, records set in defense, records set in scoring.

It’s been a hell of a ride for them. Mike Reiss of Boston.com has a great article looking back over their time together and why they’ve been so successful.

It’s a fascinating read looking into the personalities of the two men who built a dynasty, nearly lost it to controversy, and came back stronger than ever.

But the key point to take away is how simple they make it sound.

It’s about an attitude; a philosophy of thinking long term, maintaining flexibility (both financially and in terms of adaptability on and off the field), and trusting your instincts and colleagues.

Sounds easy, right?

Well, when you look over the decisions they’ve made together over the years, it’s clear it’s one thing thing to say you believe those things and another to actually back it up–especially when it comes time to say goodbye to some of your most beloved and productive players.

With that, let’s look at some of the bigger moves the Belichick/Kraft duo has made in New England.

Most seemed questionable at the time and certainly kept WEEI in business with angry callers, but can you argue with results?

Let’s look, and see what it means for some soon-to-be free agents in New England.

1. The Trading Block: Deion Branch and Tebucky Jones

In 2003 the Patriots had one of the young, athletic studs at Safety in Tebucky Jones. A first-round pick by the Patriots in 1998, Jones’ contract was up following the 2002 season.

To protect his rights, the Patriots dropped the franchise tag hammer on him, a designation that would’ve cost them $3 million that year and left him a free agent the following year.

But with the league’s highest-paid safety and team captain Lawyer Milloy already on the books, the Patriots found themselves with a whole lot of safety and not enough cap room.

So the Patriots did what other teams might have not done: franchised and then flipped their 29-year old starting safety, who helped them win Super Bowl XXXVI, for three draft picks.

As it turns out, that wasn’t the only bold move the Patriots made at safety that Summer. More on that in a bit.

—

Three years later, though, the Patriots found themselves on the other side of the coin.

But New England refused to, once again, commit too much money to a position (and a player) they felt wouldn’t earn it in Deion Branch.

In 2006, Branch was offered a contract extension by the Patriots, a four year deal that would’ve paid him his salaries of approximately $1 million, $1.5 million, $4.3 million, and $4.79 million from 2006-2009.

It’s the type of backloaded contract that you give to guys who haven’t quite proved their worth who you can cut with little cap repercussions after a year or two if they don’t improve.

In short, Branch felt it was a bit of an insult to offer a Super Bowl MVP.

For a guy who was two yards short of 1,000 in his best season, Branch was aiming high, though, asking for the type of contract that Reggie Wayne got with the Colts (6 year at $40 million), a deal he was never really going to earn, even as the number one receiver on a team with Tom Brady.

So Branch started his awkward, protracted holdout that extended deep into August.

With seemingly everyone, Tom Brady included, pleading with the Patriots to just sign Branch so they could have some hope of making it back, the front office and Belichick held fast.

The Patriots bucked what seemed like fair logic and the wishes of their superstar quarterback and traded Branch to Seattle, where he has (mostly due to injuries) had just 1798 yards and 12 TDs in three years.

Bold moves that, in retrospect, paid off.

2. Marching Orders: Ty Law and Lawyer Milloy

In 2003, fresh off of the sign-and-trade salary dump of Tebucky Jones, the Patriots were looking to dump more by getting Lawyer Milloy—the three-year team captain and probably the most popular player on New England’s defense—to renegotiate his league-high salary.

Milloy agreed, in principle, but the Patriots and Milloy were never really close on a figure heading into the season.

So Belichick and the Patriots made the kind of move that most teams balk on but never actually deliver: they cut Milloy five days before the start of the season.

They had tried to renegotiate with the 29-year-old Milloy since April of that year, but seeing themselves at an impasse and having signed Rodney Harrison, they up and cut the team captain.

As I recall, this move generated as much heat for the Patriots in New England as Spygate did in the rest of the country.

There was a collective “They did WHAT?!” echoing up and down 495 that day, along with a few other four-letter words.

In the locker room the move was questioned, as well. Per ESPN NFL writer John Clayton’s report at the time:

“Has it ever been this quiet in here? I don’t think it has,” linebacker Tedy Bruschi, Milloy’s rookie roommate in 1996, said. “I think ‘shocked’ is the word. … You sort of just shake your head and ask yourself, ‘Why?’ “

“It is scary in the timing,” cornerback Ty Law said. “There’s such a thing as good business and bad business. I don’t know what category this one falls under. But to my eyes, and being selfish, at this late in the game and in regard to him and his family, I’m quite sure this is something that could have been done a long time ago.”

If you’re familiar with the club and the usual party line that players only ever give the media, this is about as close as a “The coach and office are out of their flipping minds” comment you’ll ever see from Patriots players.

It only got worse for Belichick and co. when, five days later, the Buffalo Bills trounced them 31-0 upstate with a spirited performance by their brand new starting safety: Lawyer Milloy.

So what did the Patriots get after dumping their two starting safeties? In moves panned as pure salary dumps by a team content to just win one Super Bowl and slide back to mediocrity rather than pay the guys that got them there?

They ended 2003 with the league’s best scoring defense, allowing a league-low 238 points, winning 14 games and walked all over Buffalo in week 17 by the familiar score of 31-0.

Oh, and they won a Super Bowl, too.

—

In the Spring of 2005, Ty Law was 30, coming off an injury-shortened season where he had just one interception in seven games.

Yet he was viewed as a valuable asset that, on the backside of his career, could still be useful in most sets as one of the best big-play cornerbacks in the league.

Unfortunately for Law, that asset wasn’t worth $12 million, his ludicrous cap number for the 2005 season.

Law signed the contract originally as part of a seven-year extension in 1999.

Plenty of contracts in the NFL have these sort of insane salary years stapled on the end so teams can go to the media and say “look here, we’ve signed him to a 9-year, $86 million contract!” when they’ve really signed the guy for, at most, three years at $5 million a year and then they’ll just cut him before the big years kick in.

But Law’s cap number should’ve never been allowed to escalate that high and it’s not known how much of an effort the Patriots made to renegotiate, releasing him in mid-February.

As a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the league’s best cornerbacks, even at 30, he would’ve commanded close to $7 million a year for, likely, four or more years—an amount the Patriots weren’t willing to pay.

He signed with the Jets and managed a career-high 10 interceptions and a fourth Pro Bowl selection the following year.

As Belichick said about the release of Milloy and could’ve repeated about this move, Law was simply a “victim of the system.”

The Law move really could’ve gone either way. I don’t think anybody thought he couldn’t do the job anymore, but the question was what kind of contract he would demand. 

They were simply never going to eat nearly 15 percent of their total salary cap (the cap number for that season was $85.5 million total) on one player who didn’t have “Brady” on the back of his jersey.

Cutting him was inevitable without a renegotiation, which they were unable or unwilling to do.

In the end, the Jets were just willing to commit a lot more money to Law than the Patriots.

3. Free Agents Are Anything But Free: Willie McGinest and Asante Samuel

Willie McGinest was one of those moves that I don’t think opened a ton of eyes when it happened.

He was a free agent and I think most people thought that, at 34 and the career sack leader in the postseason, he’d simply retire a Patriot.

But looking back at it (not trying to make a controversy out of nothing, as there was some noise when he signed with Cleveland) the Patriots maybe should’ve looked at him a little closer.

Despite being 34, he was clearly a good Irish boy who had been one of the most versatile pass rushers in league history, playing at both ends and both outside linebacker spots in his 12-year career with New England.

He was still an effective pass rusher, racking up another six sacks in 2005 with 44 tackles, in line with his career averages.

He eventually signed with Cleveland, putting off retirement for a few years to play for his old coach Romeo Crennel. Even with little help in Cleveland’s defense, among the league’s worst, he managed another four sacks in 2006 before falling off in the years following.

Could’ve Belichick had kept him on as year-to-year depth at linebacker? Given his apparent love of older linebackers in the last few years, it’s certainly plausible. But it wasn’t to be.

—

Asante Samuel being allowed to walk did open a lot of eyes, however.

He was slapped with the franchise tag in 2007 on the condition that it would not be applied in 2008 if he played in 60% of defensive snaps or the Patriots won 12 games.

Instead of negotiating a lucrative extension for a player that was becoming one of the best shutdown corners in the league, the Patriots may have burned their bridge to Samuel by locking him down with the franchise tag.

Players hate the franchise tag because, in a rough and tumble league where it’s very easy to tear, blow out, break, strain, or otherwise destroy something along with your value, playing one year without a safety net or a big signing bonus is a huge risk.

Couple that with the fact that you get franchised right at the time that, usually, you’re supposed to cash in with a huge contract and it’s easy to see why players get miffed at it.

So Asante was a little unhappy with the designation.

This was an ugly breakup, to say the least, with talk that Samuel would only show up to play a little more than half way through the season, earn his year of service, and hit the bricks and never look back.

The Patriots obviously felt he was worth the money with Samuel tying Champ Bailey for the the league lead in interceptions with 10 despite being overlooked for the Pro Bowl.

Yet, the Patriots didn’t want to commit the type of money a player of Samuel’s caliber commands in the open market (something in the vein of the $56 million over six years with $20 million guaranteed the Eagles gave him).

Still, they could’ve saved money by signing him to an extension in 2007 rather than franchising him. The way the salaries in the league escalate, I think it was pretty apparent that $45-50 million over 6 years would’ve gotten the job done.

For example, look at the contract extension the raiders just gave Nnamdi “My Spellchecker Just Blew Up” Asomugha: a minimum of $45 million over three years, with the first two years—worth nearly $30 million—completely guaranteed.

At that kind of money Samuel, who dominated in his franchised year of 2007, earned his first Pro Bowl nod, and nearly sealed the Super Bowl against the Giants with an extremely rare dropped interception, would’ve been a bargain.

But the Patriots have gotten where they are not by following the crowd and escalating with the rest of the league, but by in doing what makes sense for them. 

Still, locking up one of the league’s best cornerbacks, at just 26 years old, for six years at $8 million per certainly would’ve been nice for New England.

They instead concocted the “we won’t do it again in 2008, we promise” deal they eventually worked out with Samuel, had an unbeaten regular season, then big adieu to arguably the best Patriot cornerback ever.

Those Yet to Come: 2010 Free Agents Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Jarvis Green, Logan Mankins, Kevin Faulk, Stephen Neal, Stephen Gostkowski, Ben Watson, Nick Kaczur, etc.

If you’re thinking, “That’s a lot of starters,” well, you’re right.

The three biggest names on this list are arguably DT/NT Vince Wilfork, RDE Richard Seymour, and G Logan Mankins.

The anchors of the defensive line and an All-Pro Guard in Mankins, the Patriots will have to probably part ways with at least one of those players.

At a combined bulk of 942 pounds and seven Pro Bowls at an average age of just 27, they’re worth their weight in free-agent gold.

Seymour has struggled with injury in recent years, missing four games in 2005 and seven in 2007. He came back with a vengeance last year, recording eight sacks in 15 games, his best statistical season since 2003.

Seymour has been around and dominant for so long he seems like he must be 31 or 32 by now but he’s still just 29 (will be 30 in October) and already has five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro selections to his name.

Certainly with this being a contract year, you’d look for him to have a season equivalent to what he managed this past year, assuming he stays healthy.

With that kind of performance, though, it’s likely he’ll command a huge contract extension. With more teams moving to 3-4 he’s the ideal size for a two-gap blindside defensive end while still maintaining an explosive burst to the pass rusher.

His play had fallen off somewhat in the past couple years but the time out from injury seems to have sparked whatever it was that he lost and he looks like, once again, one of the best pass-rushing ends in the game.

Vince Wilfork, as well, is one of the best at his position in the game.

At just 27 (28 in November), he’s got his best years ahead of him, but has been rewarded with just one Pro Bowl, this past season.

It’s tough going for any DT/NT playing the 3-4, though.

You have to soak up double teams and usually cover two gaps while maintaining a physical base and anchoring your line at the 0-technique (over the center) so you can stop the run.

It’s arguably the most essential position for a successful 3-4 and it’s why players like Boston College’s B.J. Raji, the ideal body type for the position (minus the short arms) who models his play after Wilfork, end up as top-10 picks in the draft.

Still, on Pro Bowl ballots these guys have to compete with guys like Albert Haynesworth who, as a DT in the 4-3, is able to rack up better stats because they don’t have to deal with as many double teams and can compress the pocket more, getting more sacks.

Wilfork is in on every defensive down though, putting in more time for less exposure (and less money) to casual fans.

It has gotten better though, as both Wilfork and Steelers NT Casey Hampton (injury replacement) made the Pro Bowl this season (Hampton’s fourth selection) primarily playing out of the 3-4, opening up lanes to the QB for their Pro Bowl teammates Mike Vrabel and James Harrison.

Because, in the words of Wolverine (I need a drink after this reference): “I’m the best at what I do but what I do isn’t very nice.”

It’s why when you look at NFL.com’s Pro Bowl roster page for 2008 you get a fun little “highlight” button after pretty much everyone’s name.

Well, pretty much everyone but Wilfork, the offensive linemen, and the kickers. (And, for some reason, Champ Bailey? This is what happens when nobody throws your way, Champ.)

Either way, the Patriots would be mad to let him walk, right?

The Patriots drafted three DTs this year, including Raji’s teammate Ron Brace in the second round. Unless Belichick is thinking of switching to the 4-3, that’s a lot of guys to play one position with a 27-year old Pro Bowler as the incumbent.

Unless that guy’s going to walk.

And given the long history they have with letting popular, productive players walk, even when they’re in their prime, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do let a guy like Wilfork walk rather than pay him big-time DT money.

The Patriots could franchise Wilfork and re-sign Seymour, which wouldn’t lock up too much money, but if Wilfork’s franchise tender is based off of DT money, it pays him based on contracts given to guys like Haynesworth rather than guys like Hampton.

Then, if Wilfork walks after 2010, they could have several guys, Brace included, ready to fill that spot.

While the salary cap escalates, again, to $128 million next year and there’s a really solid chance there won’t be a salary cap in 2010, the Patriots do have to watch their cap room.

They have to, not because re-signing both Seymour and Wilfork to free agent contracts will leave them with little room to make moves next offseason (even though it would), but because of the contracts that are up after 2010:

QB, Thomas Brady.

LT, Matthew Light.

RB, Lawrence Maroney.

Yikes.

That’ll certainly put Belichick and Kraft’s system to the test.

« 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