It’s time for part two of our NFL record predictions. Today we will finish up the non-playoff teams. As we described in our last post, the teams are being listed in the order that they will be drafting next April. Just to recap, picks 1-10 look like this:
1 – Atlanta Falcons
2 – St. Louis Rams
3 – Cincinnati Bengals *
4 – Miami Dolphins *
5 – Kansas City Chiefs *
6 – Chicago Bears *
7 – Arizona Cardinals *
8 – San Francisco 49ers *
9 – Cleveland Browns **
10 – Tennessee Titans **
* Subject to tie breakers (4-12 teams)
** Subject to tie breakers (6-10 teams)
And now without further ado:
11 – Oakland Raiders (projected record 6-10)
I hope I am wrong on this one, in the past I have found myself to be way to optimistic when putting these projections together and picking Oakland to win all the close ones, hopefully I have swung too far in the other direction this year. Oakland has three glaring weaknesses, the WR’s, the pass blocking, and the ability to stop the run, in that order. Those weaknesses combined with a rookie QB make anything more than 6-8 wins a real long shot, but the rest of the team is solid enough that anything less would be a real letdown.
12 – Detroit Lions (projected record 6-10)
Here is the thing; I like the kind of team that Rod Marinelli is putting together (no I do not give Millen much credit, these are Marinelli players coming in). The Lions are becoming a team of blue collar, lunch pail bringing mutherfuckers. But I still believe they are one more year from truly being able to contend for the playoffs. Unfortunately if they do not contend this year it could mean Marinelli’s head, as Millen will be feeling the heat and need a scapegoat.
13 – Buffalo Bills (projected record 7-9)
There were a couple Bills games that I came real close to picking them on, but ended up going the other way. Including the week 1 match-up against Seattle. And that sums up my feelings on this team pretty well, so close, but not there yet. The problem I have with this team starts at HC, where Dick Jauron does just enough not to win. I just don’t think Jauron will nut up when the game is on the line, and say punt on 4th and 2 down by 6 with 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter on the opponent’s 48. That is the kind of chicken shit play calling I have come to expect from Jauron, and while his chart may say it is the right choice, to the offense it say “I have no confidence in you”.
14 – Houston Texans (projected record 7-9)
I know 7-9 is a step back from last year’s record for this team, but I actually think they are better than last year, but the schedule is tougher. I expect this team to flirt with 500 all season, but a brutal stretch in November into December will dash their playoff hopes. However if this young offensive line can gel, and the defensive line keeps improving at their current pace, this team will contend for the AFC South crown next season.
15 – Denver Broncos (projected record 7-9)
God this one pained me, I so wanted to put the Raiders a game ahead of the Broncos in the final rankings, but in the end it came out this way. The difference to me is the experience of Jay Cutler vs. the inexperience of Russell. Other than that these teams are very similar, can’t stop the run, huge question marks at WR, great defensive backfields. But at least Broncos fans will be down about yet another non-playoff year.
16 – NY Jets (projected record 8-8)
Guess what, this has nothing to do with everyone’s favorite attention whore, in fact I would have given them another early win with Pennington at the helm thanks to his experience in the system. The O-line is nowhere near as good as advertised. The defense is still in transition and I don’t like some of the personnel moves. This team is better than last year’s version, but that is largely due to playing the NFC West.
17 – NY Giants (projected record 9-7)
The Giants are still a good team, but the loss of Osi, Strahan, and Wilson on the D will be too much to overcome. The secondary is going to get exposed on a weekly basis, and while I don’t like Shockey, he is a better overall TE than Boss and Boss’s limitations will slow the offense. This team will still be in playoff contention until the final week, but comes up just short.
18 – Carolina Panthers (projected record 9-7)
Here is how I see Carolina’s season. They struggle early without Steve Smith and due to a tough 1st 3 weeks. Turn it on mid season before falling apart in November. A big part of the problem here is there is no one across from Peterson to draw the offense’s attention, and with no other pass rush this team will struggle. They will still be in the hunt deep into December, but there just isn’t enough there to say playoffs.
19 – Washington Redskins (projected Record 10-6)
I really have no Idea why I like the Redskins this much. Their offensive line looks putrid in the preseason, Clinton Portis is due to breakdown, Campbell is still making rookie mistakes due to being in his 5th offense in 5 years and the defense has already had the injury bug hit. But for some reason I expect this team to win a few shockers and contend deep into December, getting bounced from the playoffs due to tiebreakers.
20 – Green Bay Packers (projected record 10-6)
The last of our non-playoff teams is the 3rd that I have missing out due to tiebreakers. There are two key reasons why I do not see this team making the playoffs this year. One being that I do not see Aaron Rogers remaining upright all season, and two being the moves on the defensive line. This is still a young team that is set up well for the future, but there will be a season of growing pains for Green Bay as they make the transition from Favre to Rogers.
Twenty teams down, twelve to go. When Brickinthebox returns with part 3, we will give you our playoff teams along with the predictions for how they will fair come playoff time. That’s right, the 1st annual Brickinthebox put it on the board lock for Super Bowl winner will be announced next week. Try not to bankrupt Vegas, I don’t need them coming to break my fingers.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
2008 - NFL Season Preview - Part 1
The NFL regular season is upon us. So it is time for Brickinthebox to do what every other site that talks NFL does, make some worthless predictions about how teams will fair this season.
Here at Brickinthebox we are going to break this thing up into parts. There are only so many hours a day I can waste at work without forcing myself to stay late to take care of actual work. The goal being to have all the predictions for team records out by Thursday, and maybe a closer look at each division as well.
So here is how we came up with this mess. I went through the NFL schedule and assigned each team a win or loss for each game. Then I told my spreadsheet to tally up the record, and I was surprised by some of the results.
Then I had to decide how to present this wealth of misinformation. Some sites present it by division, some by record. I’m going to do things a little differently; I am going by draft order in next year’s draft. So with all the BS out of the way, the 1st team on the clock is:
1 - Atlanta Falcons (projected record 2-14)
What a freaking mess, their two best players going into last season are now in prison and on the Oakland Raiders (no that is not the same thing wise ass). They are starting a rookie QB, Matt Ryan, whom I believe is incredibly overrated (go look in the archives for why). They have two sample size superstars (TM footballoutsiders.com) in the backfield. They are starting a rookie at LT, who I believe should have been moved to guard, or even better center. Then you look at their defense. There is just nothing to like about this team this season. Next…
2 - St. Louis Rams (projected record 3-13)
Look, this team has the potential to do much better than this I admit that. But they also have the potential to beat out Atlanta for the 1st pick. Their offensive line is in shambles, Pace is already injured. Bulger looks shell shocked, and Trent Green and his vacant stare is backing him up. Steven Jackson is the lone bright spot on offense, and he just got paid, the carrot has been taken out from in front of the horse. The defense has some young talent, but way too many holes. This is going to be a long year for St. Louis.
3 – Cincinnati Bengals (projected record 4-12)
I am not going into the tiebreakers, and I have a ridicules number of teams at 4-12, so I am just going with the order that the spreadsheet sorted them. So Cincinnati gets the #3 pick. I would like to pick the Bengals to perform better, I have Carson Palmer on two of my fantasy teams, but I just kept giving the edge to the opponent for two reasons. One being that the Bengals defense sucks, and two being the offense looks to be falling apart due to injury. I will say that of all the teams I have picked to go 4-12, the Bengals are the one in my mind most likely to go 8-8, whoopee.
4 – Miami Dolphins (projected record 4-12)
After last year’s debacle, this is a great turn around for this team. I like allot of what the Dolphins have been doing. The O-line has some of the best young talent in the league; the running backs look good if they can stay healthy. Pennington is a gamer, say what you will about his arm, and Henne is a great Parcells type QB. But it is going to take at least one more season for the Dolphins to get the personnel they need on defense, and there is no one to catch the ball. The Dolphins will play allot of teams tough, but fall short most of the year.
5 – Kansas City Chiefs (projected record 4-12)
I kept asking myself as I picked Chiefs games, are they really this bad, or is it just my anti-Chief bias? The answer, they really are this bad, and I could have just as easily picked them to go 1-15. Croyle sucks, Herm sucks, the defense sucks, the receivers other than Bowe suck and LJ has the curse of 370 (TM footballoutsiders.com) hanging over his head. Other teams are going to run and pass at will against this team, and the offense will face 8 and 9 in the box all day. But remember Chiefs fans, this is a rebuilding season, as will be next year, and the year after, and the year after…
6 – Chicago Bears (projected record 4-12)
There were plenty of games where I could have gone either way with the Bears. I kept saying to myself, “the defense should keep them in this, but can the offense score?” unfortunately I could only see the defense pulling out 4 wins. When you QB choice is Orton or Grossman, you really don’t have a choice. The receiving core is abysmal. I do like the young backs, but the O-line will struggle to open any holes. Four wins sounds about right for this team.
7 – Arizona Cardinals (projected record 4-12)
Wait a minute, isn’t this the year the Cardinals finally turn it around and compete for a playoff berth? Well if you have believed this the last 10 years, you probably believe it again. I like coach Wiz, Boldin and Fitz are an incredible WR pairing. But I don’t trust Edge to hold up, I don’t trust the line to give them enough time and the defense is Swiss cheese. If Arizona can work out there differences with Boldin and keep Wiz around I expect them to improve, next year.
8 – San Francisco 49’ers (projected record 4-12)
I will say this upfront, hiring Mike Martz was a huge mistake. His schemes do not fit the personnel. His personality will clash with Nolan’s, and this team will be a mess by midseason as fingers get pointed at everyone. There are good young players to build around on defense, but the Vets that have been brought in don’t make sense. The offense is Frank Gore, and Gore cannot carry a team this bad alone. And in case you haven’t been paying attention, San Fran makes three of the NFC West teams drafting in the top 8. What a pathetic division.
9 – Cleveland Browns (projected record 6-10)
If anyone in Cleveland read this blog, I would be getting allot of heat right now. Fortunately I have 3 readers, so there will be no backlash. For Cleveland I kept thinking “can the offense score enough to keep up” and the answer time and time again was no. Derrick Anderson is the big question mark here. Will he recover from his concussion and prove that last season wasn’t a fluke? I believe that the answer is no, last season was a fluke, his WR’s & TE’s will return to earth, and the Dog Pound will be calling for Quinn by midseason. But the real problem is on D. Shaun Rogers will break down early after looking unblockable the 1st few weeks. And there is just nobody in the secondary that can cover. This is a great team for fantasy production, both for and against.
10 – Tennessee Titans (projected record 6-10)
BrickintheBox’s favorite idiot, Adam Schein, went off on a caller the other day for referring to the QB situation in Tennessee as the “Vince Young Experiment”, but what should it be called. Everyone loves to point out that Vince was a probowler as a rookie (just proves how worthless the probowl is for accessing talent) and the Titans winning percentage under Vince. Well the record is more due to a tough defense getting by despite Vince. This year some of that D starts to show its age, and Vince will be forced to carry more of the load. Vince cannot handle the load, and when the Titans are forced to go away from their run heavy ways they will lose, and lose often.
There you have it, the top 10 picks in the 2009 NFL draft will look something like this, if not I will give you your money back (as this site is free you are looking at $0, spend it wisely). Keep checking back for the next segment where we will go into the rest of the non-playoff teams.
Here at Brickinthebox we are going to break this thing up into parts. There are only so many hours a day I can waste at work without forcing myself to stay late to take care of actual work. The goal being to have all the predictions for team records out by Thursday, and maybe a closer look at each division as well.
So here is how we came up with this mess. I went through the NFL schedule and assigned each team a win or loss for each game. Then I told my spreadsheet to tally up the record, and I was surprised by some of the results.
Then I had to decide how to present this wealth of misinformation. Some sites present it by division, some by record. I’m going to do things a little differently; I am going by draft order in next year’s draft. So with all the BS out of the way, the 1st team on the clock is:
1 - Atlanta Falcons (projected record 2-14)
What a freaking mess, their two best players going into last season are now in prison and on the Oakland Raiders (no that is not the same thing wise ass). They are starting a rookie QB, Matt Ryan, whom I believe is incredibly overrated (go look in the archives for why). They have two sample size superstars (TM footballoutsiders.com) in the backfield. They are starting a rookie at LT, who I believe should have been moved to guard, or even better center. Then you look at their defense. There is just nothing to like about this team this season. Next…
2 - St. Louis Rams (projected record 3-13)
Look, this team has the potential to do much better than this I admit that. But they also have the potential to beat out Atlanta for the 1st pick. Their offensive line is in shambles, Pace is already injured. Bulger looks shell shocked, and Trent Green and his vacant stare is backing him up. Steven Jackson is the lone bright spot on offense, and he just got paid, the carrot has been taken out from in front of the horse. The defense has some young talent, but way too many holes. This is going to be a long year for St. Louis.
3 – Cincinnati Bengals (projected record 4-12)
I am not going into the tiebreakers, and I have a ridicules number of teams at 4-12, so I am just going with the order that the spreadsheet sorted them. So Cincinnati gets the #3 pick. I would like to pick the Bengals to perform better, I have Carson Palmer on two of my fantasy teams, but I just kept giving the edge to the opponent for two reasons. One being that the Bengals defense sucks, and two being the offense looks to be falling apart due to injury. I will say that of all the teams I have picked to go 4-12, the Bengals are the one in my mind most likely to go 8-8, whoopee.
4 – Miami Dolphins (projected record 4-12)
After last year’s debacle, this is a great turn around for this team. I like allot of what the Dolphins have been doing. The O-line has some of the best young talent in the league; the running backs look good if they can stay healthy. Pennington is a gamer, say what you will about his arm, and Henne is a great Parcells type QB. But it is going to take at least one more season for the Dolphins to get the personnel they need on defense, and there is no one to catch the ball. The Dolphins will play allot of teams tough, but fall short most of the year.
5 – Kansas City Chiefs (projected record 4-12)
I kept asking myself as I picked Chiefs games, are they really this bad, or is it just my anti-Chief bias? The answer, they really are this bad, and I could have just as easily picked them to go 1-15. Croyle sucks, Herm sucks, the defense sucks, the receivers other than Bowe suck and LJ has the curse of 370 (TM footballoutsiders.com) hanging over his head. Other teams are going to run and pass at will against this team, and the offense will face 8 and 9 in the box all day. But remember Chiefs fans, this is a rebuilding season, as will be next year, and the year after, and the year after…
6 – Chicago Bears (projected record 4-12)
There were plenty of games where I could have gone either way with the Bears. I kept saying to myself, “the defense should keep them in this, but can the offense score?” unfortunately I could only see the defense pulling out 4 wins. When you QB choice is Orton or Grossman, you really don’t have a choice. The receiving core is abysmal. I do like the young backs, but the O-line will struggle to open any holes. Four wins sounds about right for this team.
7 – Arizona Cardinals (projected record 4-12)
Wait a minute, isn’t this the year the Cardinals finally turn it around and compete for a playoff berth? Well if you have believed this the last 10 years, you probably believe it again. I like coach Wiz, Boldin and Fitz are an incredible WR pairing. But I don’t trust Edge to hold up, I don’t trust the line to give them enough time and the defense is Swiss cheese. If Arizona can work out there differences with Boldin and keep Wiz around I expect them to improve, next year.
8 – San Francisco 49’ers (projected record 4-12)
I will say this upfront, hiring Mike Martz was a huge mistake. His schemes do not fit the personnel. His personality will clash with Nolan’s, and this team will be a mess by midseason as fingers get pointed at everyone. There are good young players to build around on defense, but the Vets that have been brought in don’t make sense. The offense is Frank Gore, and Gore cannot carry a team this bad alone. And in case you haven’t been paying attention, San Fran makes three of the NFC West teams drafting in the top 8. What a pathetic division.
9 – Cleveland Browns (projected record 6-10)
If anyone in Cleveland read this blog, I would be getting allot of heat right now. Fortunately I have 3 readers, so there will be no backlash. For Cleveland I kept thinking “can the offense score enough to keep up” and the answer time and time again was no. Derrick Anderson is the big question mark here. Will he recover from his concussion and prove that last season wasn’t a fluke? I believe that the answer is no, last season was a fluke, his WR’s & TE’s will return to earth, and the Dog Pound will be calling for Quinn by midseason. But the real problem is on D. Shaun Rogers will break down early after looking unblockable the 1st few weeks. And there is just nobody in the secondary that can cover. This is a great team for fantasy production, both for and against.
10 – Tennessee Titans (projected record 6-10)
BrickintheBox’s favorite idiot, Adam Schein, went off on a caller the other day for referring to the QB situation in Tennessee as the “Vince Young Experiment”, but what should it be called. Everyone loves to point out that Vince was a probowler as a rookie (just proves how worthless the probowl is for accessing talent) and the Titans winning percentage under Vince. Well the record is more due to a tough defense getting by despite Vince. This year some of that D starts to show its age, and Vince will be forced to carry more of the load. Vince cannot handle the load, and when the Titans are forced to go away from their run heavy ways they will lose, and lose often.
There you have it, the top 10 picks in the 2009 NFL draft will look something like this, if not I will give you your money back (as this site is free you are looking at $0, spend it wisely). Keep checking back for the next segment where we will go into the rest of the non-playoff teams.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Myth of the 3rd Preseason Game
Every season we as fans get geared up for the 3rd preseason game. We have been lead to believe that the 3rd game is a dress rehearsal for the regular season. The 3rd game is when the coaches gameplan like this is a regular season game and we as fans get a true feel for how our team will stack up come the regular season.
It’s time that this myth gets debunked.
Do the majority of the starters get more time in the 3rd preseason game get more time than in any other preseason game, sure. Do teams actually set up a scout team to mimic some of the things the other team does, probably. Do the coaches put in specific packages to attack the other teams weaknesses and hide their own, most of the time, no.
Dan Reeves was on Sirius NFL radio this afternoon discussing this very same topic. He brought up specific examples of what they would do going into a 3rd preseason game. Was his team going up against another team that ran a 3-4 front, then they would look at that in practice. But that sort of thing was the extent of the extra preparation that was made.
His co-host, Jim Miller, brought up a couple examples of how during his playing days that they would call certain protections based on the other teams tendencies as they came into the 3rd game. But that was as far as they went. They didn’t plan to attack a corner who was week, or had a specific tendency.
This is a basic truth of the NFL that has been overlooked for years. Why is hard to say. Personally I feel that it is due to the fans desire to actually get some feedback on their team, it has been since December or January since most of us have seen a meaningful snap for our team. Finally our starters will be on the field for the majority of the game, we want them to succeed, and we want some sort of insight into how our team will perform in September.
Oh, and the rantings of Dennis Green and his “They are who we thought they were” breakdown. Lets not dwell too long on the rantings of a man who had clearly lost it in assigning our value on one game.
Keep these truths in mind when you watch your team play a preseason game:
- The defense is vanilla; few teams show their more exotic schemes in the preseason. If they do show an exotic blitz, front or coverage, there is as good a chance that they are trying to put something on film that future opponents have to plan for, as they are actually planning to make that a regular part of their offense.
- The offense is basic. The team is not looking at the tendencies of a DE who takes himself out of a play by getting to far up field, and exploiting it. That double reverse they ran, well there is a good chance that is a red herring for a future opposing DC to spend time game planning against.
- The coaches talk before the game about things they want to see, and would like the other team to try. You don’t play preseason games against other teams in you division, chances are if you want to work on your 2-minute drill, the other team wants to work on its prevent D. Everyone has lots to work on, there is no rule against working together to make both teams better.
- What game planning that is done is more geared towards what a team needs to work on, rather than finding holes in the other teams game. When you hear that the Raiders put in a specific package for the Arizona game, chances are that package was set up as a generic package with little or no regard put into the Cardinals team. It is more of a walkthrough for the players on the Raiders letting them know, this is how many plays, packages and protections we put in during a typical week.
Now I do know that there occasions and teams that do put more stock into the 3rd preseason game. There have been instances of teams putting together an opponent specific game plan for the 3rd preseason game. But this is the exception rather than the rule. Teams with 1st year head coaches sometimes due this in an attempt to get the players to buy into a system. With success they can go to the team and let them know, if you buy in this in the kind of result you can expect.
But as I said when the preseason started, nothing can be gained by looking at the wins and losses in the preseason. What you can do is look at individual players and their fundamentals, Johnny Free Agent RB who is ripping up the league for over 100 yards rushing per game right now, will probably find himself on the bench in two weeks. Steve Spurrier’s fun and gun offense looked like it was going to take the league by storm after 4 preseason games. 16 regular season games later Spurrier went back to college with his tail between his legs.
Enjoy the preseason for what it is, glorifies practice. Putting more stock in it than that is foolish, just ask the Colts, their record is something like 3-13 since Dungy took over as HC, I think they have been doing alright once the real bullets start flying.
It’s time that this myth gets debunked.
Do the majority of the starters get more time in the 3rd preseason game get more time than in any other preseason game, sure. Do teams actually set up a scout team to mimic some of the things the other team does, probably. Do the coaches put in specific packages to attack the other teams weaknesses and hide their own, most of the time, no.
Dan Reeves was on Sirius NFL radio this afternoon discussing this very same topic. He brought up specific examples of what they would do going into a 3rd preseason game. Was his team going up against another team that ran a 3-4 front, then they would look at that in practice. But that sort of thing was the extent of the extra preparation that was made.
His co-host, Jim Miller, brought up a couple examples of how during his playing days that they would call certain protections based on the other teams tendencies as they came into the 3rd game. But that was as far as they went. They didn’t plan to attack a corner who was week, or had a specific tendency.
This is a basic truth of the NFL that has been overlooked for years. Why is hard to say. Personally I feel that it is due to the fans desire to actually get some feedback on their team, it has been since December or January since most of us have seen a meaningful snap for our team. Finally our starters will be on the field for the majority of the game, we want them to succeed, and we want some sort of insight into how our team will perform in September.
Oh, and the rantings of Dennis Green and his “They are who we thought they were” breakdown. Lets not dwell too long on the rantings of a man who had clearly lost it in assigning our value on one game.
Keep these truths in mind when you watch your team play a preseason game:
- The defense is vanilla; few teams show their more exotic schemes in the preseason. If they do show an exotic blitz, front or coverage, there is as good a chance that they are trying to put something on film that future opponents have to plan for, as they are actually planning to make that a regular part of their offense.
- The offense is basic. The team is not looking at the tendencies of a DE who takes himself out of a play by getting to far up field, and exploiting it. That double reverse they ran, well there is a good chance that is a red herring for a future opposing DC to spend time game planning against.
- The coaches talk before the game about things they want to see, and would like the other team to try. You don’t play preseason games against other teams in you division, chances are if you want to work on your 2-minute drill, the other team wants to work on its prevent D. Everyone has lots to work on, there is no rule against working together to make both teams better.
- What game planning that is done is more geared towards what a team needs to work on, rather than finding holes in the other teams game. When you hear that the Raiders put in a specific package for the Arizona game, chances are that package was set up as a generic package with little or no regard put into the Cardinals team. It is more of a walkthrough for the players on the Raiders letting them know, this is how many plays, packages and protections we put in during a typical week.
Now I do know that there occasions and teams that do put more stock into the 3rd preseason game. There have been instances of teams putting together an opponent specific game plan for the 3rd preseason game. But this is the exception rather than the rule. Teams with 1st year head coaches sometimes due this in an attempt to get the players to buy into a system. With success they can go to the team and let them know, if you buy in this in the kind of result you can expect.
But as I said when the preseason started, nothing can be gained by looking at the wins and losses in the preseason. What you can do is look at individual players and their fundamentals, Johnny Free Agent RB who is ripping up the league for over 100 yards rushing per game right now, will probably find himself on the bench in two weeks. Steve Spurrier’s fun and gun offense looked like it was going to take the league by storm after 4 preseason games. 16 regular season games later Spurrier went back to college with his tail between his legs.
Enjoy the preseason for what it is, glorifies practice. Putting more stock in it than that is foolish, just ask the Colts, their record is something like 3-13 since Dungy took over as HC, I think they have been doing alright once the real bullets start flying.
If you only watch one game this weekend - 2008 CFB week 1
With my focus being on the Raiders preseason the last couple weeks, the College Football Season has snuck up on me. That’s right, the College game gets started Thursday night. Hallelfuckinujah, the long wait is over, real football is back.
So with that, the return of a regular column (well as regular as any column here) is warranted. That’s right, it’s “If you only watch one game this weekend”.
As always, I may not pick the best match-up, I watch College football to root for my favorite teams, and to look at guys with NFL potential. So if you read this column I hope to give you an Idea of what players to keep an eye on so that you can bring more to your NFL draft discussion in April than rehashing whatever Mel Kiper has told you.
There is an easy choice this week for everyone to watch, as Tennessee travels to UCLA to take on the Bruins. But that is Monday night, what else are you going to be doing as you digest that big BarBQ meal. Honestly, if you aren’t planning to watch that game, just leave my site. That’s right, go click somewhere else you damn commie.
Ok, if you are still here, it is safe to assume you are watching that game anyway. So lets look at another match up that you should be spending your valuable long weekend watching. If you already have Saturday night plans, well set the TiVo and watch Sunday morning as you nurse your hangover. Because Alabama vs. Clemson bears watching.
Alabama
I won’t lie to you, there isn’t allot of talent held over here from the pre Saban regime. But there are a couple Jr’s and Sr’s worth watching.
Andre Smith, OT (6-4, 340)
A first team All-SEC selection as a sophomore, Smith should only build on that success in his Jr year. Smith is already projected as a potential 1st round prospect. Keep an eye on the Match-up between Smith and fellow Jr Ricky Sapp, as it will give you a feel for how both of them stack up vs. top competition.
Antoine Caldwell, C (6-3, 305)
Caldwell had an excellent sophomore year, but injuries all over the line cause him to be shuffled around last year. That movement along the line may actually increase his draft stock as NFL scouts now have film on him at both guard positions as well as center. Nasty player, and a team leader, Caldwell should here his name called in the 1st 3 rounds if he continues to build on the last 2 seasons.
Like I said, this is a little thin, but there will be plenty of freshman and Sophomores to peek your interest. I could tell you about Leigh Tiffen (K) but he is a kicker, who cares.
Clemson
Now here is something to get excited about, when Clemson has the ball the talent is all over the field, and should give you plenty to watch.
Cullen Harper, QB (6-3, 220)
Harper is listed just under the NFL’s desired size for a QB, but his play on the field last year has garnered some 1st round buzz. If you read the football outsiders (and why wouldn’t you, go to their site and buy a ProFootball Prospectus) you know that the best predictor of future success for QB’s is games started and completion percentage. For his 1st season as a starter, Harper was 2nd in the SEC in terms of completion percentage. If he can stay healthy this year, he will be looking at 26 career starts. A repeat of last season’s success will have him high on many boards.
James Davis, RB (5-11, 210)
A two time First Team All-ACC selection, Davis suffered a setback in spring practices with a separated shoulder that required surgery. He is expected to return to form this season, and should be looked at as a potential 1st – 2nd round pick if he does.
C.J. Spiller, RB (5-11, 193)
If Davis isn’t ready to go, Spiller is more than capable of picking up the slack. He is already a dangerous kick returner, and should get more looks coming out of the backfield this season, as he is a better receiver than Davis. Don’t be surprised to see this junior enter the NFL after this season, as he could immediately start many places as a 3rd down back.
Aaron Kelly, WR (6-5, 190) & Jacoby Ford, WR (5-10, 188)
Clemson brings a formidable pair out as their starters at WR, Kelly has been rated as the top WR in the ACC by CollegeFootballNews. He may lack the ideal speed for the NFL, but his size will garner him some long looks. Ford may not have Kelly’s ideal size, but he more than makes up for that with his explosion. His season was ended early due to injury last year, but he should be able to come back from that broken ankle and cause headaches for opposing DC’s. Both currently carry 2nd-3rd round grades.
When ‘Bama has the ball:
Michael Hamlin, SS (6-3, 206)
The Tigers leader on Defense, Hamlin has the size, speed and ball hawking ability that will get the attention of NFL scouts. His speed will be called into question, but even with that concern he should go on the 1st day if he continues to play as he has in the past.
Ricky Sapp, DE (6-4, 242)
Sapp bears some close watching, as the back-up to Gains Adams in 2006 he still was 2nd in sacks on the team. He seemed to take a step back in the 2007 season as a starter at the Tiger’s “bandit” DE position. His numbers were good, but you would expect better based on what he showed in flashes the previous season. If he wants to go pro after this, his junior, season he needs to take his game to the next level. If he does, you are looking at a 1st day pick, with 1st round potential.
There you go, you want to impress your friends with you knowledge of the college game when NFL draft season commences, watch this game and keep an eye on the players listed above. Its not that hard, sit on your couch, turn on the TV, open your beer. Life is good again, football is back.
So with that, the return of a regular column (well as regular as any column here) is warranted. That’s right, it’s “If you only watch one game this weekend”.
As always, I may not pick the best match-up, I watch College football to root for my favorite teams, and to look at guys with NFL potential. So if you read this column I hope to give you an Idea of what players to keep an eye on so that you can bring more to your NFL draft discussion in April than rehashing whatever Mel Kiper has told you.
There is an easy choice this week for everyone to watch, as Tennessee travels to UCLA to take on the Bruins. But that is Monday night, what else are you going to be doing as you digest that big BarBQ meal. Honestly, if you aren’t planning to watch that game, just leave my site. That’s right, go click somewhere else you damn commie.
Ok, if you are still here, it is safe to assume you are watching that game anyway. So lets look at another match up that you should be spending your valuable long weekend watching. If you already have Saturday night plans, well set the TiVo and watch Sunday morning as you nurse your hangover. Because Alabama vs. Clemson bears watching.
Alabama
I won’t lie to you, there isn’t allot of talent held over here from the pre Saban regime. But there are a couple Jr’s and Sr’s worth watching.
Andre Smith, OT (6-4, 340)
A first team All-SEC selection as a sophomore, Smith should only build on that success in his Jr year. Smith is already projected as a potential 1st round prospect. Keep an eye on the Match-up between Smith and fellow Jr Ricky Sapp, as it will give you a feel for how both of them stack up vs. top competition.
Antoine Caldwell, C (6-3, 305)
Caldwell had an excellent sophomore year, but injuries all over the line cause him to be shuffled around last year. That movement along the line may actually increase his draft stock as NFL scouts now have film on him at both guard positions as well as center. Nasty player, and a team leader, Caldwell should here his name called in the 1st 3 rounds if he continues to build on the last 2 seasons.
Like I said, this is a little thin, but there will be plenty of freshman and Sophomores to peek your interest. I could tell you about Leigh Tiffen (K) but he is a kicker, who cares.
Clemson
Now here is something to get excited about, when Clemson has the ball the talent is all over the field, and should give you plenty to watch.
Cullen Harper, QB (6-3, 220)
Harper is listed just under the NFL’s desired size for a QB, but his play on the field last year has garnered some 1st round buzz. If you read the football outsiders (and why wouldn’t you, go to their site and buy a ProFootball Prospectus) you know that the best predictor of future success for QB’s is games started and completion percentage. For his 1st season as a starter, Harper was 2nd in the SEC in terms of completion percentage. If he can stay healthy this year, he will be looking at 26 career starts. A repeat of last season’s success will have him high on many boards.
James Davis, RB (5-11, 210)
A two time First Team All-ACC selection, Davis suffered a setback in spring practices with a separated shoulder that required surgery. He is expected to return to form this season, and should be looked at as a potential 1st – 2nd round pick if he does.
C.J. Spiller, RB (5-11, 193)
If Davis isn’t ready to go, Spiller is more than capable of picking up the slack. He is already a dangerous kick returner, and should get more looks coming out of the backfield this season, as he is a better receiver than Davis. Don’t be surprised to see this junior enter the NFL after this season, as he could immediately start many places as a 3rd down back.
Aaron Kelly, WR (6-5, 190) & Jacoby Ford, WR (5-10, 188)
Clemson brings a formidable pair out as their starters at WR, Kelly has been rated as the top WR in the ACC by CollegeFootballNews. He may lack the ideal speed for the NFL, but his size will garner him some long looks. Ford may not have Kelly’s ideal size, but he more than makes up for that with his explosion. His season was ended early due to injury last year, but he should be able to come back from that broken ankle and cause headaches for opposing DC’s. Both currently carry 2nd-3rd round grades.
When ‘Bama has the ball:
Michael Hamlin, SS (6-3, 206)
The Tigers leader on Defense, Hamlin has the size, speed and ball hawking ability that will get the attention of NFL scouts. His speed will be called into question, but even with that concern he should go on the 1st day if he continues to play as he has in the past.
Ricky Sapp, DE (6-4, 242)
Sapp bears some close watching, as the back-up to Gains Adams in 2006 he still was 2nd in sacks on the team. He seemed to take a step back in the 2007 season as a starter at the Tiger’s “bandit” DE position. His numbers were good, but you would expect better based on what he showed in flashes the previous season. If he wants to go pro after this, his junior, season he needs to take his game to the next level. If he does, you are looking at a 1st day pick, with 1st round potential.
There you go, you want to impress your friends with you knowledge of the college game when NFL draft season commences, watch this game and keep an eye on the players listed above. Its not that hard, sit on your couch, turn on the TV, open your beer. Life is good again, football is back.
2008 - Fantasy Football Draft review
As I previously mentioned in the last two 7 things are better than 10 columns, I attended fantasy football drafts the last two Saturday nights. I’m not going to bore you with the details of the drafts, no round by round analysis, but hey, I’m bored at work and feel like wasting my time banging out a column. On with the show:
- Is it just me, or has the NFL’s emphasis on Parody lead to more teams who you just don’t want to touch?
This was actually a topic of conversation I had with a fellow drafter as we drove the last hour together to the first draft site, and was brought up after the 2nd draft. It seems that every year there are more and more teams that I have so many questions about that I don’t even want one of their players on my squad. Think about it, do you feel that any of these teams will be competitive enough on offense to take any of their players before the last couple rounds:
Miami
NY Jets
Kansas City
Oakland (sorry Nation)
Tennessee
San Francisco
Atlanta
Chicago
Carolina
Sure most of the teams listed above have a player or two highly ranked on most draft boards, but truthfully do you think Larry Johnson will A. Stay Healthy, and B. Face less than 8 in the box at any time? That didn’t stop players from these teams from getting selected early and often. Vince Young was a keeper in one league, are you kidding me, has he gotten moved to RB? Darren McFadden was selected 1st round in the same, maybe Adrian Peterson syndrome, because he looks like Reggie Bush part 2 to me.
I remember having two or three teams that I wanted nothing to do with in the past, but this season is the worst I can remember. This year about a quarter of the teams in the NFL as so pathetic, or experiencing so much upheaval that I have no desire to have any of their players on my team. In other words, this has become like baseball, where a good portion of the teams are out of it before the season starts, and that sucks.
- The top of the draft is more of a crapshoot this year than any other year I can remember.
My thoughts on this may be clouded due to our league rules, But in our keeper league top 4 available players looked like this:
L. Tomlinson
T. Brady
P. Manning
S. Jackson
I’ve written here about how I believe that the wheels are about to fall off of Tomlinson. Brady has not played in a preseason game yet, and there are injury rumors. As for Pey-Pey, he just went under the knife, and the team is being very tight lipped about his availability. Steven Jackson went through a protracted hold out, and as a former owner of Jackson, I know full well how he performed last year after missing the preseason.
But it goes further than that. Of the other players ranked in the top 10 most places do you really feel good about Randy Moss (tied to Brady’s health, injury history and his head problems), Adrian Peterson (huge injury red flag), T.O. (Dallas is about to implode, IMO)? Of the top 10, I am down to 3 guys I feel confidant will live up to that billing. I am sure that I am wrong about 3-4 of these guys, but which ones?
- Don’t show up to the draft at your own risk
We only have 10 teams in the 1st league to draft. Its cool since most of us have known each other for years, it makes the hazing all the more fun. But the most brutal hazing may have been done by those selected by the 2 absent owner to pick their team for them. When your QB’s look like this (we start 2, yeah we are wild and crazy) E. Manning, Leinart and Edwards, or Anderson (keeper) Hasselbeck and Matt Ryan, you have just been royally fucked over by your “friend”. The best part of it, those who were there selecting made no secret that they didn’t give a fuck. (Although one claimed that the absent owner was going to be happy with Matt Ryan, (Boston sports homerism knows no bounds).
We also had two no-shows for the 2nd draft, but these guys were much more civil about it. You know what I blame it on, the Mid-west mentality. These guys just aren’t as cutthroat around here. I guess Pittsburgh is just a nicer place than Boston.
- The draft 2 RB’s 1st strategy may be dead (at least for this year)
I have 10 RB’s listed in my top 20 players, I have already expressed my concerns with a number of them, and while most of those I haven’t mentioned I feel pretty good about, Frank Gore and the San Fran mess is on that list. After that you are seriously reaching to draft any of these guys in the 1st two rounds. Maroney, went down that road last season, Larry Johnson, not with a 10 foot pole, Ronnie Brown, will he even start in Miami? But all of these guys will go in the 1st two rounds in most drafts, just not to me. When I drafted RB’s in the 1st two rounds I got Lynch and Jones-Drew, I was drafting 11th, don’t you wish you were as smart as me.
- If your keepers include Crumpler and Nick Folk (he is a kicker, wouldn’t want you to have to look it up).
Thanks for your donation.
- Parody has struck the TE position
This may be more due to Gates and Gonzalez falling back to the pack, but in my 1st draft 11 TE’s were selected, and there are still 5 out there that I would feel good about starting on my squad. To the point that now I regret taking one as early as I did, since I could have grabbed one in the last couple rounds, when you should be selecting other positions where there is little to no drop off, like Kicker and Defense.
I took this advise to heart in the 2nd draft, and was the last person to select a TE, getting Zach Miller in the 12th round, I’m willing to put money on Miller being a top 10 TE this season, and there are still two players out there I think will put up better numbers than 7 of the TE’s selected in that league.
- If you draft Houshmandzadeh and Jerome Harrison as the 12th & 13th Pick
Thanks for the donation. I mean…WOW, were you trying to hide the fact that you made a poor pick in Housh, by making an unfathomable pick in Harrison, I had to look up who the hell he was, and this was the 1st pick of the 2nd round. Usually I go 15 rounds without having to ask who someone is, or what team they play for.
Unfortunately that is it for live drafts for me this year, I have a couple online drafts to take part in, but those just aren’t as much fun, and I honestly have much less interest in those leagues as there is no money on the line. I’d give you a list of players that I think should have been drafted, and I am considering picking up off the waiver wire, but some guys in these leagues read this, I’m not helping them out.
- Is it just me, or has the NFL’s emphasis on Parody lead to more teams who you just don’t want to touch?
This was actually a topic of conversation I had with a fellow drafter as we drove the last hour together to the first draft site, and was brought up after the 2nd draft. It seems that every year there are more and more teams that I have so many questions about that I don’t even want one of their players on my squad. Think about it, do you feel that any of these teams will be competitive enough on offense to take any of their players before the last couple rounds:
Miami
NY Jets
Kansas City
Oakland (sorry Nation)
Tennessee
San Francisco
Atlanta
Chicago
Carolina
Sure most of the teams listed above have a player or two highly ranked on most draft boards, but truthfully do you think Larry Johnson will A. Stay Healthy, and B. Face less than 8 in the box at any time? That didn’t stop players from these teams from getting selected early and often. Vince Young was a keeper in one league, are you kidding me, has he gotten moved to RB? Darren McFadden was selected 1st round in the same, maybe Adrian Peterson syndrome, because he looks like Reggie Bush part 2 to me.
I remember having two or three teams that I wanted nothing to do with in the past, but this season is the worst I can remember. This year about a quarter of the teams in the NFL as so pathetic, or experiencing so much upheaval that I have no desire to have any of their players on my team. In other words, this has become like baseball, where a good portion of the teams are out of it before the season starts, and that sucks.
- The top of the draft is more of a crapshoot this year than any other year I can remember.
My thoughts on this may be clouded due to our league rules, But in our keeper league top 4 available players looked like this:
L. Tomlinson
T. Brady
P. Manning
S. Jackson
I’ve written here about how I believe that the wheels are about to fall off of Tomlinson. Brady has not played in a preseason game yet, and there are injury rumors. As for Pey-Pey, he just went under the knife, and the team is being very tight lipped about his availability. Steven Jackson went through a protracted hold out, and as a former owner of Jackson, I know full well how he performed last year after missing the preseason.
But it goes further than that. Of the other players ranked in the top 10 most places do you really feel good about Randy Moss (tied to Brady’s health, injury history and his head problems), Adrian Peterson (huge injury red flag), T.O. (Dallas is about to implode, IMO)? Of the top 10, I am down to 3 guys I feel confidant will live up to that billing. I am sure that I am wrong about 3-4 of these guys, but which ones?
- Don’t show up to the draft at your own risk
We only have 10 teams in the 1st league to draft. Its cool since most of us have known each other for years, it makes the hazing all the more fun. But the most brutal hazing may have been done by those selected by the 2 absent owner to pick their team for them. When your QB’s look like this (we start 2, yeah we are wild and crazy) E. Manning, Leinart and Edwards, or Anderson (keeper) Hasselbeck and Matt Ryan, you have just been royally fucked over by your “friend”. The best part of it, those who were there selecting made no secret that they didn’t give a fuck. (Although one claimed that the absent owner was going to be happy with Matt Ryan, (Boston sports homerism knows no bounds).
We also had two no-shows for the 2nd draft, but these guys were much more civil about it. You know what I blame it on, the Mid-west mentality. These guys just aren’t as cutthroat around here. I guess Pittsburgh is just a nicer place than Boston.
- The draft 2 RB’s 1st strategy may be dead (at least for this year)
I have 10 RB’s listed in my top 20 players, I have already expressed my concerns with a number of them, and while most of those I haven’t mentioned I feel pretty good about, Frank Gore and the San Fran mess is on that list. After that you are seriously reaching to draft any of these guys in the 1st two rounds. Maroney, went down that road last season, Larry Johnson, not with a 10 foot pole, Ronnie Brown, will he even start in Miami? But all of these guys will go in the 1st two rounds in most drafts, just not to me. When I drafted RB’s in the 1st two rounds I got Lynch and Jones-Drew, I was drafting 11th, don’t you wish you were as smart as me.
- If your keepers include Crumpler and Nick Folk (he is a kicker, wouldn’t want you to have to look it up).
Thanks for your donation.
- Parody has struck the TE position
This may be more due to Gates and Gonzalez falling back to the pack, but in my 1st draft 11 TE’s were selected, and there are still 5 out there that I would feel good about starting on my squad. To the point that now I regret taking one as early as I did, since I could have grabbed one in the last couple rounds, when you should be selecting other positions where there is little to no drop off, like Kicker and Defense.
I took this advise to heart in the 2nd draft, and was the last person to select a TE, getting Zach Miller in the 12th round, I’m willing to put money on Miller being a top 10 TE this season, and there are still two players out there I think will put up better numbers than 7 of the TE’s selected in that league.
- If you draft Houshmandzadeh and Jerome Harrison as the 12th & 13th Pick
Thanks for the donation. I mean…WOW, were you trying to hide the fact that you made a poor pick in Housh, by making an unfathomable pick in Harrison, I had to look up who the hell he was, and this was the 1st pick of the 2nd round. Usually I go 15 rounds without having to ask who someone is, or what team they play for.
Unfortunately that is it for live drafts for me this year, I have a couple online drafts to take part in, but those just aren’t as much fun, and I honestly have much less interest in those leagues as there is no money on the line. I’d give you a list of players that I think should have been drafted, and I am considering picking up off the waiver wire, but some guys in these leagues read this, I’m not helping them out.
Monday, August 25, 2008
7 Things are better than 10 - End of August Edition
Damn, I feel like I just typed up one of these columns yesterday, that is just the way that these last couple weeks have been. It’s felt like I haven’t had the time to take a good shit. And it’s important to be able to have the time to take a good healthy dump, because sometimes that’s the only place where the wife will leave you alone. Anyway, enough preambles, lets get right into what is on my mind after this past weekend.
1- Layoff Lane
I feel like this is quickly becoming the Lane Kiffin apologist blog, but the criticism of Lane following Saturday’s game is astounding. The bulk of the critique is aimed at Lane’s decision to let the world know that the Raiders were going to come out passing against the Cardinals.
The critics have lambasted Lane, “why would you announce ahead of time of your intentions”, “this was a major tactical error”, “when it wasn’t working they should he should have gone back to the run”.
Dear Critics, you are idiots, this is the preseason, the game doesn’t count.
The point of telling the other team that you are going to come out passing is that you want them to gameplan for that. You want to see how your passing attack stacks up against a team trying to shut it down. You want to know how the team is going to perform when it has to pass, and when you have to pass the other team knows it and attacks accordingly.
Trust me, Lane is hardly the only coach who is letting the other team know what they are doing prior to a preseason game. Detroit came out and ran their two minute offense to start this past weekends game, and if you take a look, the other team ran their prevent to start the game. You think that wasn’t planned out ahead of time between the coaches? The only thing that Lane did differently was he let all of us in on the secret prior to the game.
2 – I need to get my Fantasy draft review out
Had my second live draft of the season this past weekend. Got together with a bunch of Guys here in the burgh and sat around a living room drafting. And holy shit; there were some confounding moves. I mean stuff that really hurt my brain trying to figure them out.
Needless to say, when I tell you who the last pick of the 1st round was, and the 1st pick of the 2nd round was you are going to be lining up to get into this league next season and try to win the pot, since there is at least one player just lighting Franklins on fire.
3 – Nature rocks
Lots of time spent out in nature this weekend. I needed to get out and away from the house, cell phones and computers. Saturday morning we went hiking some mountain bike and horse trails nearby, at one point we stopped for five minutes and just watched a spider spin its web. I don’t know if that qualifies as a Zen experience, but just stopping to appreciate nature is something everyone should do.
Sunday I made the trek down to WV to the family land solo. While the local park was relaxing, it just doesn’t compare to the relaxation I get from hiking out into the forest where there is no one for miles. Brought my lunch, by bow and a target. Took target practice for about an hour, then I started hiking. Stopping at a ridgeline where I could over look the valley and the mountain across the way and just soaked in the sun as I devoured a sandwich. Watched a turkey strut, and squirrels frolic. To me there is nothing better that just being alone where I can quietly watch the world without any other people around.
4 – I don’t care who you are, your shit stinks too
I have a co-worker, we will call him Frank, Frank has a reputation for being one of the best in the company at his job. Frank fully believes that he is the best at his job, Frank believes that he is infallible, and that he knows best how to get any task done.
For the last three months Frank has been droning on and on at every meeting that he wants a certain task performed his way. We have been performing the task as per his instructions. Now there is a problem. Frank has disavowed any knowledge of ever instructing us to perform in the manner resulting in the problem. This is typical Frank.
Now don’t try to tell Frank that you have been doing what he wants, according to Frank that’s just not true. Don’t try telling the Project Manager, he loves Frank, Frank can do no wrong. I hate Frank.
5 – As much as I love going there, I could never live in WV
A sad truth struck me this weekend. As much as I love going to the Family land in West Virginia, I could never set up a home and live there. And there is one simple reason for this: I can’t grow a beard.
As I drove up the dirt road to the land I pass some of the neighbors (i.e. people who live within a mile of us). All of them proudly wore full beards. When I stopped at the local general store, only three miles from my place, even the 17 year old behind the register had the scraggly start to his facial masterpiece on display.
I am well into my 3rd decade on this planet; I still need only to shave twice a week. I would never be able to fit into the mountain man culture down there, I just wouldn’t be able to fit in, and that saddens me, damn you genetics.
6 – The injury bug hits, and proves Lane right
Back to the Raiders, there were two major injuries to the Raiders this weekend as both Carter and O’Neil went down with season ending knee injuries. Of course, as luck would have it, both of them play positions where there is little to no depth behind them.
We all knew coming into this season that the Raiders were one injury away from major problems at WR, hell there were major problems there without injury. As camp progressed we were regularly informed that the receivers on the roster just weren’t getting it done, and many of them were having trouble staying on the field.
At FB, the Raiders looked damn good at both starter and back up. Griffen plays at a probowl level, and O’Neil was pushing him for playing time last season, combined with the RB’s, the Raiders had an embarrassment of wealth at the position. But looking at the depth chart the Raiders were only 2 deep at FB, sure Rankin was getting some time at H-back, but for all the wear and tear a FB receives, you should at least have a camp body there.
Now the Raiders have a major problem, cut downs are upon us, and there is nobody to step up, nobody has been brought in to get some sort of handle on the system. The Raiders are either going to have to keep a WR that should be on the street or pick up someone who has no experience in the system.
At FB, the Raiders now have to bring in another body, once again some one with no experience in the system, the Raiders are a run 1st team, and now Griffen will have to play extra time, opening him up to injury. Bad things man.
7 – For those looking for Haters
Raider Nation loves to claim that the media is full of Haters, everyone is out to cut down the Raiders at every chance they get. Well Nation, we finally have a true outlet in the media for your disdain.
Marty Schottenheimer has joined Sirius NFL radio. As I type this he and Adam Schein are discussing the Raiders potential for the upcoming season. Marty has the Raiders pegged for 3 wins. When pressed on the issue, his reasoning is…”They are the Raiders”. That’s it, no insight, no reasoning; just “they are the Raiders”.
OK, I will give you that one Nation that is a hater. Schottenheimer went on to disparage Al Davis’s contributions to the league, claiming that he never did anything for the good of the league, he only looked out for the Raiders. Go Fuck yourself Marty, Davis has arguably done as much for the league as any other Owner.
You want to know why you are no longer a coach in the league Marty, because of one thing, when it came to the playoffs you knew that your team was going to lose, for one simple reason, “(Insert Team Name) is coached by Marty”.
1- Layoff Lane
I feel like this is quickly becoming the Lane Kiffin apologist blog, but the criticism of Lane following Saturday’s game is astounding. The bulk of the critique is aimed at Lane’s decision to let the world know that the Raiders were going to come out passing against the Cardinals.
The critics have lambasted Lane, “why would you announce ahead of time of your intentions”, “this was a major tactical error”, “when it wasn’t working they should he should have gone back to the run”.
Dear Critics, you are idiots, this is the preseason, the game doesn’t count.
The point of telling the other team that you are going to come out passing is that you want them to gameplan for that. You want to see how your passing attack stacks up against a team trying to shut it down. You want to know how the team is going to perform when it has to pass, and when you have to pass the other team knows it and attacks accordingly.
Trust me, Lane is hardly the only coach who is letting the other team know what they are doing prior to a preseason game. Detroit came out and ran their two minute offense to start this past weekends game, and if you take a look, the other team ran their prevent to start the game. You think that wasn’t planned out ahead of time between the coaches? The only thing that Lane did differently was he let all of us in on the secret prior to the game.
2 – I need to get my Fantasy draft review out
Had my second live draft of the season this past weekend. Got together with a bunch of Guys here in the burgh and sat around a living room drafting. And holy shit; there were some confounding moves. I mean stuff that really hurt my brain trying to figure them out.
Needless to say, when I tell you who the last pick of the 1st round was, and the 1st pick of the 2nd round was you are going to be lining up to get into this league next season and try to win the pot, since there is at least one player just lighting Franklins on fire.
3 – Nature rocks
Lots of time spent out in nature this weekend. I needed to get out and away from the house, cell phones and computers. Saturday morning we went hiking some mountain bike and horse trails nearby, at one point we stopped for five minutes and just watched a spider spin its web. I don’t know if that qualifies as a Zen experience, but just stopping to appreciate nature is something everyone should do.
Sunday I made the trek down to WV to the family land solo. While the local park was relaxing, it just doesn’t compare to the relaxation I get from hiking out into the forest where there is no one for miles. Brought my lunch, by bow and a target. Took target practice for about an hour, then I started hiking. Stopping at a ridgeline where I could over look the valley and the mountain across the way and just soaked in the sun as I devoured a sandwich. Watched a turkey strut, and squirrels frolic. To me there is nothing better that just being alone where I can quietly watch the world without any other people around.
4 – I don’t care who you are, your shit stinks too
I have a co-worker, we will call him Frank, Frank has a reputation for being one of the best in the company at his job. Frank fully believes that he is the best at his job, Frank believes that he is infallible, and that he knows best how to get any task done.
For the last three months Frank has been droning on and on at every meeting that he wants a certain task performed his way. We have been performing the task as per his instructions. Now there is a problem. Frank has disavowed any knowledge of ever instructing us to perform in the manner resulting in the problem. This is typical Frank.
Now don’t try to tell Frank that you have been doing what he wants, according to Frank that’s just not true. Don’t try telling the Project Manager, he loves Frank, Frank can do no wrong. I hate Frank.
5 – As much as I love going there, I could never live in WV
A sad truth struck me this weekend. As much as I love going to the Family land in West Virginia, I could never set up a home and live there. And there is one simple reason for this: I can’t grow a beard.
As I drove up the dirt road to the land I pass some of the neighbors (i.e. people who live within a mile of us). All of them proudly wore full beards. When I stopped at the local general store, only three miles from my place, even the 17 year old behind the register had the scraggly start to his facial masterpiece on display.
I am well into my 3rd decade on this planet; I still need only to shave twice a week. I would never be able to fit into the mountain man culture down there, I just wouldn’t be able to fit in, and that saddens me, damn you genetics.
6 – The injury bug hits, and proves Lane right
Back to the Raiders, there were two major injuries to the Raiders this weekend as both Carter and O’Neil went down with season ending knee injuries. Of course, as luck would have it, both of them play positions where there is little to no depth behind them.
We all knew coming into this season that the Raiders were one injury away from major problems at WR, hell there were major problems there without injury. As camp progressed we were regularly informed that the receivers on the roster just weren’t getting it done, and many of them were having trouble staying on the field.
At FB, the Raiders looked damn good at both starter and back up. Griffen plays at a probowl level, and O’Neil was pushing him for playing time last season, combined with the RB’s, the Raiders had an embarrassment of wealth at the position. But looking at the depth chart the Raiders were only 2 deep at FB, sure Rankin was getting some time at H-back, but for all the wear and tear a FB receives, you should at least have a camp body there.
Now the Raiders have a major problem, cut downs are upon us, and there is nobody to step up, nobody has been brought in to get some sort of handle on the system. The Raiders are either going to have to keep a WR that should be on the street or pick up someone who has no experience in the system.
At FB, the Raiders now have to bring in another body, once again some one with no experience in the system, the Raiders are a run 1st team, and now Griffen will have to play extra time, opening him up to injury. Bad things man.
7 – For those looking for Haters
Raider Nation loves to claim that the media is full of Haters, everyone is out to cut down the Raiders at every chance they get. Well Nation, we finally have a true outlet in the media for your disdain.
Marty Schottenheimer has joined Sirius NFL radio. As I type this he and Adam Schein are discussing the Raiders potential for the upcoming season. Marty has the Raiders pegged for 3 wins. When pressed on the issue, his reasoning is…”They are the Raiders”. That’s it, no insight, no reasoning; just “they are the Raiders”.
OK, I will give you that one Nation that is a hater. Schottenheimer went on to disparage Al Davis’s contributions to the league, claiming that he never did anything for the good of the league, he only looked out for the Raiders. Go Fuck yourself Marty, Davis has arguably done as much for the league as any other Owner.
You want to know why you are no longer a coach in the league Marty, because of one thing, when it came to the playoffs you knew that your team was going to lose, for one simple reason, “(Insert Team Name) is coached by Marty”.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Steroids for the Win
I guess it pays to be an asshole. In yet another move that I cannot fathom, FSN has hired Shawne Merriman to be an analyst on their NFL preview show.
Merriman continues to prove that being a cheat will have no detrimental effect on your potential earnings in America. Somehow coming off a season where he was suspended four games for steroid abuse he managed to become the face (along with Steven Jackson) of Nike’s huge ad campaign. I guess just do it includes just injecting yourself in the ass to get ahead.
Merriman also continues to prove that the majority of the sports world cannot get past certain numbers. For baseball it is homeruns (who cares if you strike out every other time at bat), for football it is touchdowns on offense, and sacks on defense. Merriman is a hell of a pass rusher; I will give him that. But he is incredibly weak at the point of attack, and god save him if he is asked to go into pass coverage. He is a one dimensional player if there ever was one. But don’t tell that to the pundits who list him as one of the top linebackers in the game.
Now Merriman will bring his “insight” to FSN’s preview show. I have to wonder what king of knowledge he will bring to the table. I can see it now:
Glazer – Green Bay is going to have its hands full Monday night trying to contain Allen without Bryant McKinnie.
Merriman – Allen ain’t *bleep* what is that he is doing after the sack. That ain’t no sack dance, this is a sack dance (starts spastically jumping around, breaking two lights on the set). HA lights out mother*bleep*.
Merriman continues to prove that being a cheat will have no detrimental effect on your potential earnings in America. Somehow coming off a season where he was suspended four games for steroid abuse he managed to become the face (along with Steven Jackson) of Nike’s huge ad campaign. I guess just do it includes just injecting yourself in the ass to get ahead.
Merriman also continues to prove that the majority of the sports world cannot get past certain numbers. For baseball it is homeruns (who cares if you strike out every other time at bat), for football it is touchdowns on offense, and sacks on defense. Merriman is a hell of a pass rusher; I will give him that. But he is incredibly weak at the point of attack, and god save him if he is asked to go into pass coverage. He is a one dimensional player if there ever was one. But don’t tell that to the pundits who list him as one of the top linebackers in the game.
Now Merriman will bring his “insight” to FSN’s preview show. I have to wonder what king of knowledge he will bring to the table. I can see it now:
Glazer – Green Bay is going to have its hands full Monday night trying to contain Allen without Bryant McKinnie.
Merriman – Allen ain’t *bleep* what is that he is doing after the sack. That ain’t no sack dance, this is a sack dance (starts spastically jumping around, breaking two lights on the set). HA lights out mother*bleep*.
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