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Is the Season Over Yet?

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:57:34 +0000

Is it me or I have I seen all I need to see this season from the NFL? In just eleven weeks I think we have already seen who will be the four teams playing in the conference championships. Obviously this is just my opinion, but for the first time in a long time it seems pretty easy to identify who the best teams in each league are and at this point I already want the year to end. So with that said I am going to make a bold prediction. The teams that will play in the conference championships are actually match-ed up against each other in week 12.

In the NFC I think the two teams that will be battling to go to the Super Bowl will be the Giants and the Cardinals. The Giants are an easy pick to make, but many people might scratch their heads at the Cardinals. I think Arizona is going to make it for two reasons; they are actually a legitimate team that has strong offense and an underrated, opportunistic defense. Their offense is currently ranked second in scoring. Their defense is top ten against the run, they rush the passer, and force a lot of turnovers. Also, let’s face it, the other probable playoff teams don’t scare anyone. The only other threat besides the two I just mentioned is the Carolina Panthers. After them who is there? The team coming out of the North will not be a factor, as there is a three way tie for first with each team sitting at 5-5. The East will probably have one other team, whether it is Redskins or the Cowboys, neither team is complete, and the last team will be either the Falcons or the Buccaneers. One team has a rookie quarterback and the other team’s offense doesn’t scare anyone.

The AFC is the same story as the teams that will play in January will play this week. The Titans are playing the Jets in a game that could will give either team a chance to make a big statement as to what will happen when the playoffs begin. The only other team that may have a chance is the Colts, as any team with a Manning will always have a shot. The AFC West team will most likely be the Broncos and their whole team is Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. Then in the Central you have the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have a good defense, but on offense Big Ben has been sacked 32 times and has thrown more picks then touchdowns. The last team will most likely be the Dolphins or the Pats, and neither team has a good enough offense.

Well, since I’ve sorted everything out already, let’s just start the playoffs already.

Country Boys Can Play

admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:49:42 +0000

“Just two good ol’ boys, never meaning no harm…,” and you know the rest. Waylon Jennings’ Dukes of Hazard theme song couldn’t be anymore perfect for the two New York quarterbacks. Both leaders have their teams in positions to control their own destinies, and they are in position to make significant playoff runs.

Eli Manning of New Orleans, after years of being criticized and negatively compared to his brother Peyton in the media, delivered a Super Bowl championship in just his fourth year with the Giants, and only his third full season as a starter. The main issue has always seemed to be his confidence and his accuracy. Those questions however have completely gone away, as Eli in attempt to get the Giants to the promise land once again, has looked great this year. Plain and simple the guy is playing like there is no situation that is to big for him. It doesn’t get any bigger then leading your team’s game winning drive and throwing the touchdown pass to complete possibly the biggest upset in NFL history. That’s the stuff legends are made of.

Brett Favre is also on a mission this year, as his Jets are in position to take the lead in the AFC East. He started off well, then hit a rough patch, but now seems settled into the position of playing quarterback in the largest sports market in the United States. The Mississippi boy is doing quite well for himself as of late, and New York City has fallen in love with him. He has the fans believing in the Jets this year, something that hasn’t happened in a long time. Say what you want about his interceptions, but like the song says, he isn’t meaning no harm. Unlike before, the Jets can actually compete in shootout games. He doesn’t have the arm he used to have, but even diminished he still has one of the strongest in the league. Thanks to the swagger of this former Super Bowl Champion, the Jets are feeling like they can compete against anyone in the AFC.

The Giants are starting to distinguish themselves as the clear-cut favorite to win the Super Bowl again, as Eli is playing at a high level which knows no boundaries. The Jets are playing as well as they have played in years, and in a weak AFC, they are looking like a serious threat to make a Super Bowl run. The Titans are undefeated, but to my eyes I see a championship defense, not a championship team, only time will tell if they are the real deal. With that said don’t be surprised if you see a good ol’ southern reunion in the final game of the season.

Lack of Discipline Sidelines NFL Stars…AGAIN?

admin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:42:55 +0000

Since elementary school it’s been preached; for every action there is a reaction or consequence. Every year we are urged to stay out of trouble whether it is in or out of a sports season. Sure, it has probably stuck with the majority of society but that’s not the case for two of the most talented names in the NFL. Both Dallas Cowboys’ Defensive Back/Return Specialist Adam “Pacman” Jones and Kansas City Chiefs Running Back Larry Johnson found themselves in a tough spot this past week.

Let’s start with the “experienced” one. Adam Jones was involved in a confrontation that escalated into a physical quarrel with a team-appointed bodyguard on October 8th at a Dallas hotel. The incident ended with the police being called to the scene and Jones recently getting smacked with a 4-game suspension after being reinstated to the NFL by new Commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this year. When he was first drafted by the Tennesee Titans in 2005, Jones was immediately into troubled times. Having been arressted six times since his rookie season, one must begin to ask, when is it enough? Commissioner Goodell spoke on the situation and after Jones serves his suspension, he plans to re-investigate the situation and perhaps give Jones an additional punishment.

Now although it may seem extremely difficult to live up to such high standards set by the Cowboys’ Cornerback, Chiefs Running Back Larry Johnson is doing his best. Johnson, during the same week was charged with assault on a woman in a night club. While at this club, Johnson allegedly shoved the side of a woman’s face while telling her not to touch him. He is scheduled to appear in court December 3rd and faces a maximum jail term of six months and a $500 fine. This is very similar to the charge that he faced on February 24th while at a night club in downtown Kansas City. Johnson, who has now had his third encounter with the law since entering the NFL, still has work to do in order to catch the speedy Cornerback.

These athletes haven’t proven to witty off the field to say the least. Their performance this year on the field has unfortunately seemed to have gone hand in hand with their off-field antics. Besides his 198 yard, 2-score highlight reel against the Broncos, Johnson has rushed for just over 200 yards in the other 4 games; averaging about 50 yards a game and only reaching the end zone twice. As for Jones, the “shut-down” corner hasn’t picked off a pass all season. He also fumbled a punt return in the season opener against the Browns. (How bout this Cowboy?!?!) The point is guys, your professional athletes. I’m not asking to step up your sub-par performances on the field this year, but at least set an example for some young adults who look up to you.

Giants’ Back-Ups Step up

admin — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:56:59 +0000

By Alerfy Martinez

Great teams are defined by great players. But what happens when you lose those start players. The teams that are truly special find ways to win without them. Back-ups don’t necessarily have to perform at a star level, just good enough so they are not recognized as a liability. This is what makes the Giants a great team. Not only have they had guys fill in when key starters are were missing, those players have performed at a high level. From last season’s championship run to this season’s 4-0 start, this has been an essential factor to the Giants’ success.

On Sunday we saw another example of this. Eli Manning’s number one weapon on offense, Plaxico Burress, was suspended for this week’s game against the Seahawks. He was disciplined by the Giants for pulling a no show/no call during the by week like he worked at a McDonald’s restaurant. In his absence there was a question as to who was going to step up this time, and that was answered rather quickly.

Reserve wide-outs Dominic Hixon and Sinorice Moss were certainly up to the task on Sunday. Dominic Hixon alone was able to produce Plaxico like numbers, providing a deep threat on route to a 100 yard, one touchdown day. Moss who was on the verge of being cut by the team at the start of the preseason, was able to snag his first career touchdown catch against the Seahawks. On a day they needed one receiver to fill Plaxico’s shoes, two combined to produce in his absence.

Of course this is nothing new to the Giants, who last season lost starting running back Brandon Jacobs for a length of time only to have Dedrick Ward and Ruben Droughns come up big and play at a high level during his stint on the injury report. They also lost tight end Jeremy Shockey for the entire playoffs only to have Kevin Boss fill that void and make a key catch in the Super Bowl. This year they lost defensive linemen Michael Strahan to retirement and to Osi Umenyiora to an injury, and their pass rush has remained highly effective. As long as they continue to get this kind of production from their role players, the most disrespected Super Bowl Champions of all time will continue to show and prove.

Sunday NFL Action

admin — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:30:58 +0000

First things first, I love Brett Favre almost as much as John Madden, oh wait, that’s impossible. But how could I start without mentioning his incredible six touchdown pass performance. Everybody was ready to write his obituary after last monday night’s game, but consider this, after just four games this season his touchdown total is already at 12. He’s on pace to have a 48 t.d. pass season. Alright, maybe that’s looking Favre ahead, yeah I thought of that, but is it crazy to think he will surpass his last season’s total of 28, I don’t think so. Let’s see the New York media’s treatment of Brett if he does exceed that number, keeps the into’s under 20, but they still miss the playoffs. I’ll tell you what, if they don’t make it will because a lack of a running game, and inconsistent defense. Elsewhere around the league, just when you thought the St. Louis Rams couldn’t get any worse, well they did. Former Head Coach Scott Linehan is out, unfortunately most of the players on the team aren’t. So with that said, don’t expect any better from this terrible team. I know the Bills were 3-0, but they are a soft 3-0 who scored 31 after the Rams jumped out ahead early in the game. That’s not to say the Bills won’t make the playoffs, but lets be honest, the only real team they have played thus far is the Jacksonville Jaguars. The other three teams they have beaten, the Seahawks, the Rams, and the Raiders, have a combined record of 2-9.

Speaking of the Raiders they are bad, but they could easily be 3-1 right now. At least they have been competitive, unlike last year. I know its too late for Lane Kiffin now, but the defense has really let that team down in the second half of games this year. Last time I checked Kiffin ain’t the defensive coordinator. I got your back homey. On to the AFC South where I just have one question, who the hell is Chris Johnson? Apparently a pretty good rookie running back. Johnson and starter Lendale White have formed a formidable two headed monster at tailback which has lead the charge for the 4-0 Titans. With the defense playing great bolstered by the two great defensive tackles in the middle, Albert Haynesworth and Tony Brown, they look for real. Then there is the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that has not been anywhere near the team they were last year, but find themselves at 2-2, second place in their division in a weak AFC, and going against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jaguars have won about a hundred straight games against the steelers since 2001, and I expect them to pound the Steelers again when they play. Fred Taylor will rush for one hundred yards against the NFL’s weakest 3-1 team. The Steelers have been bringing a knife to a gunfight offensively for three straight weeks now, and have been lucky to play the teams they have thus far. With Willie Parker out with an injury on Sunday, Big Ben will be going down faster then a beer on St. Patrick’s day. When the Jags get going on all cylinders, starting Sunday night, the league will have to take notice.

Sunday NFL action

admin — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:29:28 +0000

By Alerfi Martinez

This past Sunday had a lot of good action and hard hitting, but it also forced a lot of teams to take a good long look in the mirror and realize what they really are. For instance the Minnesota Vikings. They were a trendy pick by a lot of so called experts to not only make the playoffs, but make it to the Super Bowl. Yeah that’s not happening. They are like that High School girl who everyone liked throughout high school, then she gets to college and has to realize, hey maybe I’m not that hot.

Green Bay is also in a similar situation, with starting QB Mr. Rodgers, already suffering a serious injury after just four games, so much for following in the footsteps of NFL’s Ironman. Luckily for them, they play in a mediocre NFC North. One of the teams in that division looks like that girl who you never paid attention to in High School, then she shows up at a party over the summer and think to yourself “Hey she’s pretty cute.” The team I’m talking about definitely isn’t the Millen-less Lions, but the Chicago Bears. They play solid defense, Orton seems to be improving, and rookie running back Matt Forte looks like the real deal. They needed him to come through as Cedric Benson made their last first round running back selection, Curtis Enis, look like Eddie George.

There’s a lot of things going on in the NFC East as well. The Cowboys after being crowned as Super Bowl Champions before the season even started, better get used to the fact they are at best going to be the second prettiest girl at the party, the Giants being the most voluptuous. They better watch their back because the Redskins are looking like a pretty good team with the very underrated Jason Campbell at quarterback, and the Eagles are sitting at 2-2, and were a couple plays away from being 4-0. This is by far the strongest division in the NFL, and I would not be surprised to see the last place team finish above 500. In the NFC south the Falcons have been overachieving, but do not expect them to be any better then 7-9 or 8-8. The Carolina Panthers reminded them of their faults on Sunday. The Panthers are looking like the division champions already in a pretty good division. The Buccaneers are playing good defense like they always do, at 3-1, and the Saints are still looking like one of the leagues better offenses, despite lack of production at running back from Reggie Bust, I mean Bush.

Then we have the great NFC west. I say that with a smile on my face. I still like the Cardinals in this division, but as the weeks go on I feel like the description that best fits this division is “Okay, first team with nine wins goes to the playoffs.”The Seahawks are 1-2 and I’ll be hard pressed to think they will beat the Giants this weekend. The 49ers quarterback is J.T. O’Sullivan, enough said, and the Rams are…the Rams. In the AFC west, the Broncos are looking like an extremely one dimensional team. They play defense as bad as the Rams in thier glory years, but they are almost as good as those Rams teams on offense. Yeah they got beat by the Chiefs and Grandmama Larry Johnson, but I still see them in the playoffs. The Chargers are looking a lot better, and they should creep up and steal the division by the 11 or 12 game point of the season. The Raiders are a team in complete dismay, but could still win about 6 games despite the sideshow that is Al Davis. Now to the bottom of the barrel where it is really starting to look like the Browns, Bengals, and the Texans may be the official punching bags of the AFC. Let’s see if they punch back. (I Doubt it.)

Role of the Backup QB

admin — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:36:44 +0000

By Gus Ornstein

I spent the majority of my professional career as a back up QB and found it to be one of the most difficult positions to be in each and every week. If you are the starter you know exactly how to prepare and you have a routine each week because you know that come kickoff you will be under center, as the back up each and every week is an unknown. Many have asked me how to prepare and what you should do as a back up and I posed that exact same question to University of Clemson QB Will Proctor. Will spent four years at Clemson as a backup before finally getting his opportunity in his fifth year and he took advantage, having a great season and then going on to play for the Montreal Alouttes of the CFL. In this interview Will discusses what he did as a backup to prepare and gives great advice to anyone that is a back up QB out there. I can’t agree more with the advice that Will gives in this interview especially when he talks about the importance of preparing as if you were the starter. This is easier said then done, but is so key because you never know when your opportunity will arise and when it does you have to be ready to take advanage of it– just ask Kurt Warner!!!

Click Here for the Entire Interview with Will

Vernon Davis Off Season Conditioning

admin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:34:21 +0000

Everyone has seen San Francisco 49er TE Vernon Davis on those Underarmour commercials looking completely jacked out of his mind, but what does it take for him to look that way? We were fortunate enough to spend some time with Vernon and he took us through what he does in the off season to maintain his size, strength and athletic ability.

click to hear the entire interview with Vernon Davis

The Player

admin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:25:41 +0000

New NFL Draft System

admin — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:51:43 +0000

The “New Draft System”

(C. McGrath/Getty Images)

By Tom Marino

scout.com Lead NFL Analyst
Posted Jun 4, 2008

Former pro scout Tom Marino believes it’s time to change the way the way collegiate players enter the NFL, beginning with the NFL Scouting Combine through the six weeks following the NFL Draft. Learn more about his “New Draft System” and why he believes it would be good for the NFL.

With another player draft now in the books, I think it is time for the powers-to-be within the NFL to bring the college football draft — the most popular sports-related, non-sporting event of all times — into the twenty-first century. Let’s see first hand which team’s scouting department, and more importantly, which General Managers possess the football savvy and know-how to make decisions that will have a direct bearing on the success of their franchise for years to come.As we all know, the current draft system in football — and for that matter, all of the other major sports leagues — reward failure both on and off the field. When a club does not perform on the field, they are rewarded by giving them a better draft position. If your GM or scouting department makes a critical draft mistake, don’t worry gang, we’ll just give you another early pick next year. Unable to re-sign a veteran player? How about some compensatory picks for all of your troubles? My answer; do your job and do it right the first time!!!

I don’t know about you, but I have never been a big proponent for the views espoused by the late Commissioner Pete Rozelle, calling for a league with parity in the area of personnel. Throughout my early years of viewing professional athletics as a fan and in later years as a professional scout, I have both studied and admired the structure of many of the great organizations in all sports (L.A. Dodgers, N.Y. Yankees, Montreal Canadians, Boston Celtics, and Dallas Cowboys) and found that aside from the many great players, all of them were light years ahead of the competition in terms of organization. Both players and coaches came and went, but these proud clubs never appeared to lose their focus.

The “New Draft System” which I propose today would not only have all of the excitement and intrigue of the current system, but would also add a dimension that has not existed since the early to mid 60s when the NFL and rival AFL competed openly for talent.

In February of 1936, the NFL conducted its first ever player draft. Up until that time, college players had been free to sign professional contracts with any of the nine member teams, but in order to insure competitive balance, the fledgling league unanimously adopted a plan devised by Eagles owner and future league Commissioner Bert Bell that called for a nine-round draft, which today is the basis of the current draft system.

Bert Bell, whose son Upton, a former GM with the Patriots, and the person most responsible for transforming the franchise from a rag-tag penny pinching outfit into a major-league organization, was himself a true visionary, and in the mind of many football historians, the league’s greatest commissioner.

In its first year alone, the system he single-handedly developed produced four players who would one day be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In round number four, the Brooklyn Dodgers selected a two-way end from the University of Alabama named Paul Bryant, who would later become possibly the greatest coach in college football history.

The 1936 draft also proved that the draft system is far from an exact science. Its first selection, and the first recipient of the Heisman Trophy, Jay Berwanger, draft by the Eagles, elected to enter private business in lieu of a career in professional football.

Seventy-two years later, with minor modifications, the draft system is not only the principle mechanism for player development within the league, but it has strangely become an event unto itself.

My new proposed system doesn’t diminish in any way the importance of the draft, but rather enhances it while bringing to bear the importance of having quality football people, and not bean-counters, (an unfortunate, fast developing trend within the league – See the Eagles recent transactions) making critical football decisions.

The proposed changes are as follows:

1) Move the NFL Scouting Combine from its current home in Indianapolis to Atlanta. Let me first say, I absolutely love the city of Indianapolis, but quite frankly Atlanta has far better medical facilities, more then triple the number the daily flights in and out of the city, far more available hotel rooms to support the growing number of participants, club personnel, agents, vendors, media and the fans. The NFL has been extremely lucky over the past two decades not to have had a major snow or ice storm disrupt the proceedings. Due to it location, Atlanta is far less likely to potentially experience these types of severe weather patterns in mid February.

2) Move the draft from the last weekend in April to the second weekend in March. True football scouts and top flight organizations are more then capable of making informed decisions based on a regular season, all-star games and an expanded combine. As you will soon realize, those six additional weeks will prove to be critical in terms of team development.

3) Expand the Combine invitees list to four hundred while setting up a limited, secondary combine for 320 additional players (ten players per team) to be held in Houston or Dallas commencing on the Wednesday following the Super Bowl. All invited participants will be required to provide a complete copy of their collegiate medical records. The secondary combine workout would essentially eliminate the need for Pro Day workouts and will allow for more uniform testing of these down the line prospects.

4) The first two rounds of the player draft will be conducted on Friday evening of draft week with ten-minute intervals for first-round selections and five-minute intervals for all second-round picks. Not change in the process.

5) The remaining five rounds, plus compensatory picks, will be replaced in the new format by an additional 28-round open draft in which an individual player can be drafted a maximum of three times.

6) Any player drafted in consecutive rounds by the same club, and not drafted by another club before their next selection, will be removed from the eligible draft list and rewarded to the drafting club. Players in this category can only be drafted on actual picks, not selected in mid-round on an acquired selection. For example, “Club A” can not select a player with their own selection in round three and draft him with an acquired pick from another club prior to their next consecutive selection.

7) Clubs losing players via free agency (UFA’s) will no longer be awarded compensatory picks by the league. Again, why is the league rewarding clubs with additional selections for not re-signing their own veteran players?

Trading second or third-day draft selections in exchange for active players will no longer be considered prudent since a club potentially now has only a one in three chance of signing a particular draft pick. This particular detail should give rise to clubs trading players for players. Again, let’s see which pro departments have the ability to make sound and consistent personnel decisions.

9) Having quality area scouts would become a top priority for every club in the league in this “New Draft System”. Aside from his role as a talent evaluator, scouts would, in effect, become recruiters, and in many cases would play a role in the negotiating and signing of the players (much like their baseball counterparts).

10) At the conclusion of the thirty-round draft, “The New Draft” would allow for all member clubs to participate in a two-round future draft, where returning fifth-year senior players would be drafted. At the conclusion of the following college season, the drafting club would have thirty days to negotiate and sign the two individual players. Players not signed by the drafting clubs would then be added to the player pool for the upcoming draft, where he would become draft eligible to all member clubs, with the exception of the club that failed to sign him as a future selection. Again, know your area; an individual scout’s eye for talent, instincts, and ability to relate to the specific player, becomes an essential quality.

Over the years, U.S. District Court Judge David Doty (Minnesota), a longtime thorn in the NFL’s side, has consistently sought to limit the scope of the NFL draft through his rulings (from seventeen to twelve, to eight, and finally seven rounds), claiming that it is restrictive by nature. In layman’s terms, the judge’s position has always been that a typical college student upon graduation has multiple professional options, but a college athlete drafted by an NFL club has no other options other than to sign with the team that selected him.

Unlike all other professional drafts, the “New Draft” system allows an individual player an opportunity to establish his own market. For example, a player drafted twice in the third and again in the fifth has, in effect, put himself into a proprietary position. Meanwhile, a player drafted singularly in rounds twenty-seven to thirty has a very limited market and or playing potential.

Since no club would have the rookie cap space in any given year to sign much more then a third of the players selected, and since unsigned multiple-drafted players would not be allowed to attend teams’ mini camps, making the right decisions and using the newly created six-week window to sign them becomes critical. Teams that decide not to actively compete or make critical mistakes will suffer the consequences.

Although the current player draft system is quite serviceable, it does have some flaws, often giving lesser clubs and scouting staffs a distinct competitive advantage. We are also looking at a distinct possibility somewhere in the immediate future, that the current draft could come under further scrutiny and ultimately become subject to the whims of an overzealous federal judge.

One final thought on the matter; teams found to be cheating or tampering either with the draft or on the field, under the current system would become subject to forfeiting one or both of their selections in the top two rounds and unlike the current system, in the “New Draft System”, the whistle-blower would be granted the draft selection. I never understood why the Jets, the victims in the 2007 Spygate incident, were not awarded the Patriots’ subsequently forfeited first-round selection.

Adopting “The New Draft System” would not only satisfy even the most far-reaching or radical court in the land, but with each announced signing would peak fan interest, and most importantly, would provide good organizations who share a well-developed plan of attack, a much-deserved edge over the rest of the competition.