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Category Archives: Indianapolis Colts

Second Place Is Just The First Loser, Part II

04 Feb

I was reading an article by ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley and Mike Sando about the best and worst Super Bowl losers of all-time. It’s a great piece and I really suggest you all checking it out. You can click here to do that. As I was reading this I was thinking how great to re-do their list. I’m guessing you guys would have a different list than theirs and mine, too.

Yesterday, we looked at the 10 best teams to lose a Super Bowl. Click here for Part 1. Today we are looking at the 5 worst teams to lose in the Super Bowl today. Also, we will go over the 1 Super Bowl that was played on February 4th. So, let’s get crackin’.

The Flab Five: The Five Worst Teams to Grace The Super Bowl

  1. 1979 Los Angeles Rams - Until 2008 and this year, the ’79 Rams had the worst record of any team to make the Super Bowl. Just think about that. For the first 42 Super Bowls, the Rams were the only team to have gone to “the show” with a 9-7 record. That’s just bad. Then the Cardinals, and now this year’s Giants have followed up the Rams mediocrity. Now, I was about to pick one of those teams, but they have studs, the Rams didn’t. Plus, the Giants were riddled with injuries for the first 2/3s of the year. The Rams had legendary Vince Ferragamo quarterbacking the team. Actually, the only stars of the team were the Youngblood brothers. To their credit they played a great game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV. Now, look at that Super Bowl logo…beautiful…now look at the teams…beautiful…all of this in the Rose Bowl? Thank God those mediocre Rams got there, because they gave us the most eye-pleasing game the Super Bowl has seen. That’s about the best compliment I can give them.
  2. 1994 San Diego Chargers - Do you remember this game? The 49ers not only had the quickest 1st score in Super Bowl history(at that time), they also had the quickest 2nd score. Before 5 minutes expired the game was OVAH, O-V-A-H, OVAH! Seriously, the NFL should have called it right there. This Chargers team had a couple of good-great players: Junior Seau, Natrone Means…and the list stops there. Remember Stan Humphries? Yeah, this team was so overmatched going into it that even Charger fans were putting money on the Niners.
  3. 1985 New England Patriots - Tony Eason and Steve Grogan…that’s who the Patriots were bringing into battle with them against the 17-1 Chicago Bears…yeah that Bears team! This isn’t your brothers Patriots that you see today…these were your father’s Patriots. The only team in NFL history to make awesome uniforms look like clowns clothes because their play was so horrendous. Now, this team did have some talent: Irving Fryar, Andre Tippett, Craig James…heck, their head coach was none other than Hall of Famer Raymond Berry. Too bad he couldn’t have played this one for them.
  4. 2008 Arizona Cardinals - I tried Arizona, I tried…but you’re team just should not have been there. Now, this is why to many people Kurt Warner deserves to be in the Hall of Fame (I believe he should have been in even before this one). The Cardinals had talent: Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Adrian Wilson, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. So, placing them in this list was hard and they really should have won the game. Heck, Warner and Fitzgerald almost single-handedly won the game for them…but the Cardinals defense just wouldn’t let that be.
  5. 1986 Denver Broncos - I tried to pick teams that weren’t on ESPN’s list, but I just have to agree with them. Obviously, I don’t have them in the same order, but I do agree with the 5. This team…well, the 80′s Broncos were basically all John Elway. Just go back and look at those teams. Elway’s stature gets raised even higher in my opinion because he took 3 Broncos teams that were anywhere from average to bad without him, to Super Bowls. This team was just too bad on defense. They are on par with this year’s New England D…the only difference being that New England has been picking up their play as of late. 

Now we need to get to the Super Bowl that was played on this day 5 years ago. The Colts were hoping this is how they would end this year in their home stadium, but fate would have something to say about that.

February 4, 2007 – Indianapolis Colts 29, Chicago Bears 17 – Dolphin Stadium, Miami, FL - The first Super Bowl to have rain. I still believe Rhodes and Addai should have been co-MVP’s, but Manning earned that honor with 25-38 passing for 247 yards and a touchdown. It was astounding that Lovie Smith and the Bears took the ball out of Thomas Jones‘ hands, 112 yards rushing on only 15 carries, and put it in Rex Grossman’s hands. And Tony Dungy laughed. The Colts won their 2nd Super Bowl title, the first for them in Indianapolis.

Tomorrow I will do my preview and picks for Super Bowl XLVI. Enjoy Super Bowl Eve…yeah, it’s going to be a trend!

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2012 in Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts, Joseph Addai, Los Angeles Rams, Lovie Smith, New England Patriots, NFL, Peyton Manning, Rex Grossman, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl, Thomas Jones, Tony Dungy

 

They hired who?

27 Jan

 

Well, we are a few days away from the Pro Bowl (does anyone know or even care who’s playing in that?) and a little over a week than the event that mustn’t be named and all teams have a head coach for the 2012 season. There were some shockers, some good hires and some baffling decisions. We have already talked about Kansas City hiring Romeo Crennel, Jacksonville hiring Mike Mularkey and St. Louis hiring Jeff Fisher. Let’s look at the other 4 teams that have fired and hired in the past couple of weeks.

Indianapolis Colts – fired Jim Caldwell – hired Chuck Pagano - The firing makes since, although I still say they shouldn’t have hired Caldwell in the first place. I mean, come on it’s not too hard to see a disaster that he is while he was coaching Wake Forest. Jim Caldwell should have never been hired, but to put this year’s blame on him is unfair. This team had no direction, lack of talent and until the last couple of weeks looked like they were satisfied with the #1 pick and mailed it in. For them hiring the wrong man, blaming him for the crap-fest that was they’re wasted season, I have to say STUPID. Weird how this franchise was looked upon as one of the smartest and most stable franchises over the last decade. Should we re-asses that? Only time will tell. The hiring of Pagano is really interesting. First of all, since 1998 this franchise has been all about offense and now they go and hire a defensive minded coach. But, last year was the first and only year as a defensive coordinator. This could be a great hire but I think it is a huge risk. Also, what does this say about Peyton Manning’s future? How about the future of this franchise? By March, we will know whether the Colts want Peyton or not and pretty soon we will see what direction they will be going in. For the hire and new direction, so-so but this can/will be re-evaluated in a couple of years.

Oakland Raiders – fired Hue Jackson – hired Al Davis Dennis Allen - Too early for an Al Davis joke? The firing of Hue Jackson is the WORST decision of the year for any team (ok, maybe tied with Kansas City firing Todd Haley and Philly putting their O-line coach, Juan Castillo, as their D-coordinator). Hue couldn’t help the injuries to the key players on the team (Jason Campbell and Darren McFadden to name a couple). And with all of that he still got them to 8-8. This marks 2 straight years the Raiders have fired a coach after he did a really nice job with the team. The firing stupid. The hiring of Allen is also strange. Like Pagano with the Colts, Allen was a first year Defensive Coordinator with Denver last year. Again, we really can’t tell what he will be. I just thought that once Al Davis left, this franchise would act a little more normal. But I guess I was wrong! Hiring was so-so.

Miami Dolphins – fired Tony Sparano – hired Joe Philbin - The firing was probably a year or two late. Ross had cut Sparano’s legs out from under him since the beginning. They were always looking for the next coach and when they couldn’t find him, only then did they “back” Sparano. The firing is a so-so because it was about time, but very poorly handled. I love the hiring of Joe Philbin and actually think this is one of the better hires this year. Unfortunately, Philbin’s son will never get to see his dad make his dream job, to be an NFL head coach. Philbin has been the OC in Green Bay since ’07, so he made the transition from Favre to Rodgers without a hick-up in the offense. The hiring is good (GREAT).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – fired Raheem Morris – hired Greg Schiano - The firing of Morris was just like that of Indy…they never should have hired him. Morris was clueless from day one. I can’t believe they hired him but they ended up what was right and the firing is good. Now on to the crazy part. What in the world were the Glazer family doing? Seriously, they wanted Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Sherman, Chip Kelly and finally settled on Greg Schiano. Talk about a bizarre head coach hiring process. I can understand Marty, although he is pretty old now. What I don’t understand is Mike Sherman (he failed at both Green Bay and Texas A&M and you want him as your head coach?) and the 2 college coaches. It was like Tampa had to get a “name” candidate. I am one to believe that it’s almost never a good idea to bring in college coaches to NFL franchises. Schiano did a nice job at Rutgers and probably the best they could have ever wished for. But, Schiano has rarely any NFL presence. I think the hiring of Schiano is borderline stupid. I will put a so-so because I like the type of offense in (which I love). Good luck Tampa.

I will see you tomorrow and pretty soon we will be talking about the big game that mustn’t be mentioned!

 
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Posted by on January 27, 2012 in Al Davis, Chip Kelly, Chuck Pagano, Darren McFadden, Dennis Allen, Green Bay Packers, Hue Jackson, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jason Campbell, Jeff Fisher, Jim Caldwell, Joe Philbin, Kansas City Chiefs, Marty Schottenheimer, Miami Dolphins, Mike Mularkey, Mike Sherman, NFL, NFL Head Coach, Oakland Raiders, Peyton Manning, Romeo Crennel, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tony Sparano

 

The ring’s the thing…

26 Jan

It took long enough but the Dallas Mavericks have finally gotten their championship rings. And boy what a beaut they are!! Check out that ring. It took the Mavericks long enough to receive their rings, since they actually won the NBA Finals back in June of 2011. Owner Mark Cuban said he waited until after the NBA lockout to get started on designing the ring so he could confer with players on a design to choose. The rings, made by Josten, are said to be based off of the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup rings from their 2009-2010 championship season (but you decide on that one). I think the rings could definitely use a little more color in there, but man those things are pretty. It is estimated that team owner Mark Cuban spent $1.4 million on the rings for the 15 players and coaching staff. At 250 diamonds and 10 karats the ring weighs 92 grahams, which they say feels like holding 40 pennies. The ring is 14-karat white gold and of the 250 diamonds, there are 31 princess-cut diamonds representing the 31 year the Mavericks have been in Dallas and the NBA. On one side is the players name, alternate M & basketball logo, NBA logo, star and player’s number. On the other side is Dallas Mavericks, the Larry O’Brien trophy (with one circular diamond representing this championship and the franchise’s first), the playoff motto “The time is now” and the year 2011. You can watch the ring ceremony video here. It’s kind of boring, but wow look at those shooting jackets the Mavs are wearing. On the back in massive lettering is 2011 NBA Champions and the Larry O’Brien trophy in gold. Are they wearing those all season? Or is this just a one night thing? If I was Dallas, I’d put World Champions on the front of the jersey, instead of Dallas or Mavericks just to remind everyone of who their daddy’s are. Sort of like what the New York Baseball Giants (before they moved to San Fran) did back in 1906, since they won the 1905 World Series. You can see it here. Yes, they wore those uniforms all year long!! The Mavs got pounded, just like they did the night they raised their championship banner. Only time will tell if this is to be their only ring or if more is on it’s way.

In other news, the Indianapolis Colts have hired Ravens DC Chuck Pagano as head coach. Word is, he favors handing the 1st pick of the draft over to the Redskins in return for Rex Grossman and John Beck. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, that’s just what was told to me by an “inside source”. The Bucaneers are now looking at former Green Bay Packers and Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman, while the rest of the world collectively asks “Why”? But, I will have more on these hirings later this week.

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2012 in championship rings, Chicago Blackhawks, Chuck Pagano, Dallas Mavericks, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, John Beck, Mark Cuban, Mike Sherman, NBA Finals, Rex Grossman, Tampa Bay Bucaneers, Texas A&M, Washington Redskins

 

You have to risk it all, to win it all.

19 Jan

I was looking for some information on my Redskins, when I came across this article. Now, I could go on and on about what I think about the Redskins and the quarterback situation, but I think this brings up a whole other subject. That being that the NFL is a one position league. Take some time to at least scan through that article (believe me, it’s good for fans of any team). Let’s take a look at what the NFL has become.

I never really thought about writing about this subject until today when I read Jason Reid’s article on the QB situation for Washington and the whole league. It just reinforced my position that I have come to over the past 2-3 years. That being, the NFL is a one position (QB) league. You have to have a great QB to win the Super Bowl these days. Just go ahead and look at the QB’s that have made and won the past 11 Super Bowls (in reverse order):

That’s right, you have to go all the way back to 2000 to see an average/good QB match-up. And that was really before a lot of the rules have made it to a QB league. Gone are the days of a Jim McMahon, Jeff Hostetler, Doug Williams, Mark Rypien winning the Super Bowl. Sure, you see Rex Grossman in Super Bowl XLI in 2006. He was surrounded by an outstanding defense and a great running game (why did Lovie Smith stop running the ball in the 2nd half?). But this is the exception. If you want consistent winning, which is the best way to make 1 or multiple trips to the Super Bowl, you have to have a great QB. This league is the haves and the have-nots. Sure, you can have your team jump up and have a great year winning 10 or 11 games and making the playoffs. There’s 5 new teams making the playoffs every year. But if you want to turn that into consistency, you have to have an elite QB. For the fans of the teams that don’t have an elite QB? You’re screwed. You want to know why the 49ers are back in the NFC Championship Game? Look no further than Alex Smith and before you start laughing, go look up his numbers this year. He has been more than a game manager. I wouldn’t put him in the elite catagory, but for at least this year he is a very good to great QB. For all of the flack (no pun intended) toward Joe Flacco (and I have my doubts, too) he has been a good to very good QB most of the time and has a ceiling in the elite level.

All we have to look at is this: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER have I ever even agreed with the notion to root for your team to lose games to get a higher draft pick. Well….that is until this year, of course. Sure, it was foreign to me and very hard. I even caught myself pulling for the Skins to win games that they were close in and ones at the end of the season. I reveled in the fact they swept the New York Football Giants for the first time since 1999!!!! I could finally call my brother and act like a complete idiot, pumping my fists in his face Harbaugh-style and singing Hail To The Redskins at the top of my lungs. Then, I remembered where our franchises currently stand and I cried like a baby…but enough about that.

Why did I pull for the Skins to Suck For Luck? Even though they had no shot at him because the Colts were purposely throwing their season. What other choice do you have? If you want your team to have a chance to win a Super Bowl you better believe this is your only shot nowadays. Plus, I think you would too if your team hadn’t had a franchise QB since 1985 when Joe Theismann went down to a nasty, career-ending injury at the hands of LT. And if you look at it, the Skins haven’t had a legit Hall-of-Famer at the QB position since Sonny Jurgensen was throwing it around from 1964-74. THAT’S A FULL 8 YEARS BEFORE I WAS BORN!!! Sorry to yell, but COME ON! I realize that their only shot at being a legitimate franchise again is to get that elusive franchise QB. More than ever this is imperative. And it is to your team, too. I mean, think about it…the Colts aren’t stupid (well….) they are risking alienating the face of the franchise, since it moved to Indy in 1984, to draft the next elite QB. They now for them to maintain a level of excellence, this is their only way.

So, thank you Roger freaking Goodell. You have messed this league up, in the name of safety and trying to grab the casual fans’ eyeball. Thank you for giving my team (and many other fans’ teams) the chances of “when Hell freezes over” to not only win a Super Bowl but to compete for it for a full decade!

 
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Posted by on January 19, 2012 in Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, Brad Johnson, Donovan McNabb, Doug Williams, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Indianapolis Colts, Jake Delhomme, Jeff Hostetler, Jim McMahon, Joe Flacco, Joe Theismann, Kerry Collins, Kurt Warner, Mark Rypien, Matt Hasselbeck, New York Giants, NFC Championship Game, NFL, Peyton Manning, Rex Grossman, Rich Gannon, Roger Goodell, San Francisco 49ers, Sonny Jurgensen, Super Bowl, Tom Brady, Trent Dilfer, Washington Redskins

 

UnLUCKy Horseshoe

18 Jan

WHOA NELLY!!! Did anyone see this one coming? Of course we did. I actually saw this coming the second the Indianapolis Colts hired Jim Caldwell. Jim Caldwell was a Barry Switzer-like hire, just without all of the championship rings from coaching college. Let’s take the Delorean back to 1994…

Jimmy Johnson had just stepped down from winning back-to-back championships with the Dallas Cowboys. Mr. Plastic Jerry Jones as Owner, President, GM, Emporer, Pharoah, Caesar, etc. wanted a puppet. He wanted a man that he could control, a man that would go with the flow and do it Jerry’s way. Jimmy Johnson was too much of a free-thinker and rattled too many of Jones’ cages. Now, I think the same applies to Mr. Bill Polian circa 2009. Tony Dungy, who didn’t rattle cages like Johnson but did have success, had just retired and Polian needed his own Pinochio. In comes poor Jim Caldwell. Caldwell would go with the flow and just drive the Manning-hini. Now, when the Colts hired Caldwell I was flabbergasted. Why in the world would the Colts want Mr. Wake Forest-fail to come in and coach what was the 2nd most successful franchise in the 2000′s? Well, Mr. Polian wanted a puppet to go along with his master plan.

Let’s get back to the Twin Lone Pine Mall. Exit Bill Polian and son, enter Ryan Grigson as GM and exit Jim Caldwell. Caldwell never should have been the head coach of the Colts in the first place but there is more to the story of the epic Peyton Manning-less colapse of the 2011 Indianapolis Colts.

Now, I have never been a real big believer in conspiracy theories (although the movie is very underrated). I don’t believe the NBA is rigged to have the biggest star always win. I don’t believe that Curt Schilling used ketchup on his sock. I don’t believe the NBA fixed Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals to have the Lakers beat the Kings. I don’t believe the Home Run Kings in baseball in the late 80′s to early 00′s used steroids…oh, wait…I guess that one was true, but I digress. I have to say after watching the crash and burn that was the Colts this year it leaves one to wonder what was going on behind closed doors.

I do believe there probably was a little something extra going on behind the scenes. Did the Colts tank to get the 1st pick and be able to draft Andrew Luck? Let’s remember this is a team to get wiped out by the Saints 62-7. Would Polian have his team put it on cruise control to just get through the season guaranteed of being able to draft Luck? The better question might be would he not consider it? Maybe this is all pure speculation and the Colts just sucked that bad. But is one man, even a QB and even a QB as great as Peyton Manning, able to turn a team that was extremely lucky to not lose every game into a consistent 10+ win team and not only win a Super Bowl but to also get to another one? I do think Polian was horrible at drafting over the past 3 or so years but this bad? I also don’t believe that Peyton would be able to take a team that showed this much lack of talent to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. So this just leads me to think something fishy/dirty was going on.

We’ll probably never know a true answer. But, it does look like this franchise is in the re-making phase. With a new GM and soon a new coach, the Colts will almost likely be picking up Andrew Luck and not looking to add a bunch of extra picks to stock up for one or so last runs at a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning. If this happens, could we be seeing the reverse of the 1980′s-90′s 49ers? Remember Montana brought them 4 titles while Young brought them a 5th. Could it be Manning brings them 1 while Luck brings them 4 more? Only time will tell. Maybe, they just stick with Peyton Manning and trade out to the Washington Redskins…we all could only hope this true.

 
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Posted by on January 18, 2012 in Andrew Luck, Barry Switzer, Bill Polian, Curt Schilling, Indianapolis Colts, Jerry Jones, Jim Caldwell, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Montana, NBA, Ryan Grigson, Sacramento Kings, San Francisco 49ers, Steve Young, Tony Dungy, Wake Forest

 

Revisiting the 2007 NFL Draft, Part Deux

13 Jan

Ok, ok so Tom Brady wasn’t in the 2007 draft. But, I just couldn’t resist. I mean seriously…who would have ever looked at that and said, “Franchise QB! This is gonna be the next great one!” I mean, even Michigan was happy to see him go. But props to Brady for allowing his coach to cheat with a video camera to win 3 Super Bowls using his low pick to motivate him into becoming probably the best QB of the past decade. So with all of this inside information I am giving you here, let’s move along to the 2nd half of the 2007 NFL Draft. (If you didn’t catch the first part you can scroll down to the post before this one or click here)

  1. Denver Broncos - Jarvis Moss, DE, Florida – A lot of talent and a lot of waste of said talent. Moss has not only struggled at DE but also when Mike Nolan, then DC for the Broncos, moved him to Outside Linebacker. He has struggled so much that he himself even contemplated retiring. So who picks him up after being released…you guessed it: Oakland, the last stop for busts in the NFL. F-
  2. Cincinnati Bengals - Leon Hall, CB, Michigan – A solid pick for an unstable franchise. Leon Hall gets absolutely no press but he is a solid starting corner in this league. Is he worth the #17 pick? Probably a little high but a good pick nonetheless. B
  3. Tennessee Titans - Michael Griffin, S, Texas – I would say that this was a good pick. I think Griffin is a really good safety in this league. Some would say he’s overrated but I would disagree. The man makes plays and was a 2nd team All-Pro in 2010. There are a lot of great safeties in this league and I think Griffin qualifies to be in the discussion. A
  4. New York Giants - Aaron Ross, CB, Texas – Another Longhorn DB being picked in the 1st round. Ross at times has been good but has definitely not been good enough to qualify a 1st round pick. C-
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars - Reggie Nelson, S, Florida – This makes 4, count them 4 straight DB picks in this draft. It kind of feels like these teams were in a fantasy draft…once a position starts coming off the board, everybody’s got to jump in and take that position so they won’t be left behind. I have to say I liked this pick when the Jags made it, but boy were they wrong on this guy. Whew! D
  6. Cleveland Browns - Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame – Remember when Quinn was in free-fall? The NFL Network and ESPN were freaking out!! The Browns had already picked up OT Joe Thomas and traded up to pick the QB of their future. I thought this was a good pick. I thought Quinn falling was the best thing for him. But…all you have to know about this pick is Quinn is now sitting behind Tim Tebow. Yeah! D-
  7. Kansas City Chiefs - Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU – Absolute stud! Bowe started out his career as a talented yet lazy player. Bowe was the biggest benefactor to Todd Haley being in KC. Haley pushed Bowe into being a star WR with a great work ethic. Bowe has been one of the best WR in the league and maybe one of the most underrated. A+
  8. New England Patriots - Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami – What is it with Bill Belicheat taking problem childs and thinking he can turn them around in his system? Meriweather was nothing but trouble at “The U” and has been nothing but a waste of talent. D-
  9.  Carolina Panthers - Jon Beason, LB, Miami – The Pats should have taken Beason with this pick. Maybe their D would look a little better right now. Beason has been a great linebacker for Carolina. This is another underrated player but at least he is getting a nod in the Pro Bowl. A
  10. Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer, LB, Purdue – Spencer has been an average linebacker for the Cowboys. I don’t think he is worth a 1st round pick but it is a lower pick in the round. Spencer also plays on a D that is nothing much outside of DeMarcus Ware (who is probably the best defensive lineman in the NFL). C-
  11. New Orleans Saints - Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee – I can’t stand Meacham!!!! It never seems to fail that I get stuck with him on my fantasy team. One of these days I will have a WR group that won’t suffer injuries and I can laugh at the tool that ends up with him. Ok, I am going to put away my bias now and say Meachem is a good WR in a great passing system. He is a very up and down receiver. He’ll have 3 quiet games and then break out with 150 yds. and 2 TD’s. Not a great pick but could have been worse. C+
  12. San Francisco 49ers - Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan – Now here is a great Chippewa! Staley is finally getting some credit on a really good Niner offensive line. Staley is a very solid lineman who anchors a line that helps the 49ers running game go. A
  13. Baltimore Ravens - Ben Grubbs, G, Auburn – Grubbs is a solid pro and a pretty good pick in the 1st round. A
  14. San Diego Chargers - Craig “Buster” Douglas Davis, WR, LSU – Yeah, all you have to know is he isn’t playing in the NFL right now. F
  15. Chicago Bears - Greg Olsen, TE, Miami – I don’t know why the Bears didn’t want him and traded Olsen away to the Panthers. This was a really good pick by the Bears who never seemed to realize what they had. Hey Chicago, not every good TE is just a receiver the best of them block too. Olsen does it all…in Carolina now and that’s why the grade isn’t as high (not because of what Olsen is) C+
  16. Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Ohio St. – I’m not buying it. Gonzalez is the biggest benefactor of Peyton Manning. He is a very average #3 WR that is in the best passing system in the league…maybe ever! D-

So, that does it for the ’07 Draft. Let me know where I was right and/or right wrong. Tomorrow is ALL NFL baby! You have New Orleans @ San Fran (you can’t get a better contrast of styles than this game) and Denver @ New England (can Jesus, er…Tebow upset Brady and the Patriots?). I’ll have more coverage of these games tomorrow.

 
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Posted by on January 13, 2012 in Aaron Ross, Anthony Gonzalez, Anthony Spencer, Auburn, Baltimore Ravens, Ben Grubbs, Bill Belichick, Brady Quinn, Brandon Meriweather, Carolina Panthers, Central Michigan, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Craig "Buster" Douglas, Dallas Cowboys, DeMarcus Ware, Denver Broncos, Dwayne Bowe, ESPN, Florida, Greg Olsen, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jarvis Moss, Joe Staley, Joe Thomas, Jon Beason, Kansas City Chiefs, Leon Hall, LSU, Miami, Michael Griffin, Michigan, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFL, NFL Draft, Notre Dame, Oakland Raiders, Ohio St., Peyton Manning, Purdue, Reggie Nelson, Robert Meachem, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee, Tennessee Titans, Texas, Tim Tebow, Todd Haley, Tom Brady, Uncategorized

 

Revisiting the 2007 NFL Draft

12 Jan

Yesterday, I was perusing around some sports websites when I stumbled upon ESPN’s own Mel Kiper, Jr.’s piece re-grading every NFL team on the 2011 NFL Draft. First, let me say how absolutely stupid this is. How in the world are you going to judge any player on just 1 season? Especially, when all rookies didn’t even have a full training camp and pre-season. I know why they did this, it’s a little slow right now in the sports world…yes, it will pick up this weekend but how many times are you going to analyze the Divisional Round of the playoffs? So, I will spare you all from critiquing Kiper’s grades but it got me thinking…how about looking back 5 years and critiquing each team’s 1st round picks. So, let’s go back to the 2007 NFL Draft and look at how these players are doing after finishing their 5th season in the league. I’ll post the 1st 16 picks today and the other 1/2 of the 1st Round tomorrow. Here we go…

  1. Oakland Raiders - JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU – Wow! What can we say about Mr. Russell?!?! To think a lot of pundits raved about Russell because of one game where he carved up one of the worst defenses to play in South Bend on his way to winning the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame. Notre Dame shouldn’t have been anywhere near a BCS bowl game that year. Hey, at least the man got paid…which he has already devoured (pun intended). F-
  2. Detroit Lions - Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech – Matt Millen can thank Oakland for this one. Millen had a thing for picking WR’s in the 1st round but this one was the only one to pan out. Megatron has been a BEAST for Motown. Great pick for Millen. A+
  3. Cleveland Browns - Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin – Another great pick! Joe Thomas has been/will be the cornerstone in Cleveland for more than a decade. If he isn’t the top Offensive Tackle in the NFL he is right up there. A+
  4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson –  Really sad story. The late Adams had tons of talent that never got much of a chance to show it. He only played 2 1/2 seasons for the Bucs before being traded to the Bears in October of 2009. Unfortunately, his life was cut short in January of 2010. I can’t give out a grade on this one. N/A
  5. Arizona Cardinals - Levi Brown, OT, Penn State – While Levi Brown has not been a bad offensive lineman for the Cards, he certainly does not deserve a Top 5 pick. This was a huge reach for the Cardinals, but hey…it’s the Cardinals and they are who they are because they continue to reach. C-
  6. Washington Redskins - LaRon Landry, S, LSU – If this piece was done 2 or so years ago I would have graded this pick pretty low. Since, I am a Skins fan I have seen every game LaRon Landry has played in the pros. Landry has plenty of talent but got absolutely scorched time-after-time in his first few seasons. Since Haslett has come to town he moved Landry to SS where he belongs and Landry has been an absolute stud on the football field. The only problem is he hasn’t been on there much the past couple of seasons. C+
  7. Minnesota Vikings - Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma – I wish my Skins had made this pick. Peterson was a BEAST in college but prone to injuries (which shied me away from him in ’07). But from his first game on he has been nothing short of the Best Runningback in football! A+
  8. Atlanta Falcons - Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas – Eh. Not that good of a pick by the Falcons. Maybe they thought they we re-picking the “Dirty Birds” Jamaal Anderson??They released him before this season and he has been an integral part of the Indianapolis Colts’ 2-14 season this year….I kid, I kid. F
  9. Miami Dolphins - Ted Ginn, Jr, WR, Ohio State – What were they thinking?? At least the Fins only kept Ginn around for 3 years. I think the Dolphins look back at this pick and think “we should have taken Dwayne Bowe”. D
  10. Houston Texans - Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville – Okoye has been a pretty good Defensive Tackle but worth a 10th pick? Let’s just say this: Houston let him walk to Chicago before this season started. Nice player, a reach of a pick. C-
  11. San Francisco 49ers - Patrick Willis, LB, Ole Miss – The BEST Linebacker in the game today. Have you seen this machine play? He will end his career as one of the best Linebackers to play the game. San Fran absolutely hit it out-of-the-park with this pick. A+
  12. Buffalo Bills - Marshawn Lynch, RB, California – After shooting of the gates and posting back-to-back 1,000 yd. seasons his first 2 years. Skittles then got into various off the field problems and had a couple of injuries before being traded to Seattle. Since then he has kind of rejuvenated his career. New Orleans might be able to tell you a little more about that! B
  13. St. Louis Rams - Adam Carriker, DE/DT, Nebraska – I don’t know what St. Louis saw in Carriker by moving him to Defensive Tackle but it didn’t work. He was then traded to Washington where he was switched back to Defensive End and has been a pleasant surprise. He definitely is not a Top 15 pick though he does show flashes of that from time to time. D+ (this low because they used him as a DT)
  14. New York Jets - Darelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh – Does anyone not know about Revis Island? He is the best shutdown corner in the league. Really doesn’t need anymore explaining. A+
  15. Pittsburgh Steelers - Lawrence Timmons, LB, Florida State – Until 2011, Timmons had been getting better and better. Was it the contract or the short pre-season that resulted in a decent but not great season? Timmons has shown to be a very good Linebacker but I don’t know if a Top 15 pick is where he should have been drafted. Only time will tell which way this one goes. I think he’ll be a pretty good starter for another 5-10 years but nothing too special. C+
  16. Green Bay Packers – Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee – This is a very hard pick to evaluate. Harrell, who is a Free Agent right now, has been constantly hampered by injuries. This last one in 2010 was a major knee injury that looks like it might have ended his pro career. I have to give a low grade on this pick since he was coming off of a pretty big biceps tear at Tennessee but to be fair the Packers couldn’t have totally seen this coming. D-

So, there we have the first 1/2 of the 1st Round of the 2007 NFL Draft. A lot of reaches, a HUGE bust and a few future Hall-of-Famers. I hear JaMarcus Russell has been signed to a huge deal for a starring role in one of TV’s biggest shows. Good for him!

 
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Posted by on January 12, 2012 in Adam Carriker, Adrian Peterson, Amobi Okoye, Arizona Cardinals, Arkansas, Atlanta Falcons, BCS, Buffalo Bills, California, Calvin Johnson, Chicago Bears, Clemson, Cleveland Browns, Darelle Revis, Detroit Lions, Dwayne Bowe, Florida St., Gaines Adams, Georgia Tech, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jamaal Anderson, JaMarcus Russell, Jim Haslett, Joe Thomas, Jr., Justin Harrell, LaRon Landry, Lawrence Timmons, Levi Brown, Louisville, LSU, Marshawn Lynch, Matt Millen, Megatron, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Nebraska, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL, NFL Draft, Notre Dame, Oakland Raiders, Ohio St., Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Patrick Willis, Penn St., Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers, Revis Island, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Skittles, St. Louis Rams, Sugar Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee, Washington Redskins, Wisconsin

 

NFL Playoffs are here!!

08 Jan

Yesterday, the Texans/Bengals (some pics here) and Saints/Lions (some pics here) playoff games were played. Weird, huh? Not too long ago all four of those teams were doormats of the NFL. In fact this was the first ever playoff game (and win) for the Houston Texans franchise and the Detroit Lions were making their first trip to the playoffs since 1999! Yes, Y2K was more recent than the Lions sniffing the postseason.

Both of these Wild Card games had one thing in common: snoozefest! I contemplated watching the Republican Debate but quickly remembered that PBS was showing a special on eye gouging. I absolutely hate the route the NFL is taking. All passing, no running…all offense, no defense. Not for me! Let’s hope the Giants/Falcons game today will be a lot more pleasing to the football eye. Because we all know the Broncos/Steelers game is going to be hard to watch. Pittsburgh will be missing Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Clark and Denver missing all semblances of an offense. Look, Tebow is a great athlete and would probably be a really good TE/H-Back/Fullback/Tailback but a Quarterback? Let’s be serious now…

Did anyone see the playoff games yesterday? I have to admit I missed all of the first one waiting for FedEx to deliver my new HD DVR. My current one completely crapped out and we lost everything that was recorded on it. So when I figured FedEx was going to do their best version of the 2011 Indianapolis Colts and not show up, I decided to bring the box we have upstairs down to watch the second game. So I watched the highlights and it was good to see Adam “Pacman” Jones playing again. Like most Cincinnati Bengals fans, I didn’t see any of their games this year. And Bengals fans(and Saints fans too) it’s time to grow up and stop the Who Dey? or Who Dat? chants because we all know every team gon’ beat dem Bengals/Saints. I guess Saints fans have a little better reason for chanting that since they do have a pretty good team these days.

So, today we have Falcons/Giants at 1 on FOX and the Steelers/Tebows Broncos at 4:30 on CBS. I have to say the NFC matchup is way more intriguing to me. I wouldn’t mind seeing either of those teams taking it up to the “Frozen Tundra” of Lambeau Field and playing the Pack next week. It should be a good game and I will predict the Giants get the W at home. In the late game, I will take the Steelers too. Big Ben>Tim Tebow. Enjoy the games today and remember to check back in tomorrow for more analysis and a look at tomorrow night’s BcS National Championship Game.

 
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Posted by on January 8, 2012 in Adam "Pacman" Jones, Atlanta Falcons, Ben Roethlisberger, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Reshard Mendenhall, Ryan Clark, Tim Tebow

 
 
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