Post Draft Thoughts

[bigbluedefense]

As always, it's just random blabs about stuff. excuse the grammar.

-Was Alualu that bad of pick? Watch the guy play. Dude is a BEAST. I personally love the pick. In fact, if the Giants "reached" for him at 15, i'd still love the pick. The guy looks like a gamer to me. The only knock to me is that they could have easily moved back, collected picks for him and still have gotten him at a much cheaper price. But the actual pick itself...i have no problem with it at all.

Remember when Chris Johnson was "reached" for by the Titans? Go back and redo that draft, and CJ is a top 5 pick. Could Alualu be another Chris Johnson? Probably not, but I do feel he has a good chance of justifying himself.

Look at Smith's track record as GM so far...I'd say its pretty good. I trust the guy.

-The AFC East is going to be so much fun to watch. The Jets had a great draft, so did the Dolphins and Patriots. 3 very good teams who will compete for the division.

The Jets are the best on paper, but I LOVE what the Dolphins are doing. I'm a believer in Henne, I love the wildcat and no one runs it better, Marshall is a beast, Bess is solid and Fasano is solid, and their defense will improve with Davis and Smith growing, Wake getting to start, Dansby, Odrick, and Misi.

Don't sleep on Misi and Wake. I said during last year that the short undersized rushbackers are the new mismatch in the NFL bc they can speed rush, and also bullrush and get under the pads of bigger taller olinemen. Dumerville, Harrison, Woodley etc are examples of this. Even Wake shown great flashes last year when given the chance. With Nolan calling the defense, this team is gonna be nasty on D.

The Pats are looking solid. Merriweather, Chung, Butler and McCourtney make a solid secondary. Spikes and Mayo make a great ILB duo, I stand by my belief that Spikes is going to be a great player in the NFL. Cunningham was another steal by the Pats.

That defense is looking good. They have a sick dline, a great LB core with Mayo, Spikes and Cunningham, and a great young secondary.

I know there are concerns on offense, but I believe Volmer allows that oline to hold up, I believe the emergence of Brandon Tate will offset the loss of Welker, and I think Moss has a big bounce back year. Brady is now 2 years removed from the ACL too.

And Gronk is a big contributor too.

Kyle Wilson makes the Jets defense that much scarier. I'm not a fan of the Jason Taylor and LDT pickups, but they drafted well and stole Holmes.

I can honestly see the AFC East putting 3 teams in the playoffs this year.

-With Roethlisberger pretty much sabotaging the Steelers, the Browns being in a developmental stage, and the Bengals in my eyes taking a step back this year, I think the North is easily the Ravens division to lose.

I do feel however that the Bengals are going to have a sick defense. I just don't trust that offense. I think Carson isn't very good, I think Chad takes a step back, I'm not a huge Bryant fan, and I question if Benson can carry the load for 2 years in a row.

I love Gresham. Maybe I'm selling the Bengals short, but I just feel they need another year before they can be back in the hunt. Expecting 2 playoff years in a row from the Bengals is asking for a lot too.

-I love the 49ers draft. Having that said, I'm not ready to hand them the division just yet. Look the bottom line is they don't have a qb. Sure, Alex Smith is a nice feel good story, but until I see a reliable qb that SF can hang their hat on, I'm not ready to hand them the division.

The defense is improving, but still has a little ways to go. I like their weapons on the outside, LOVE their oline, but I just have no faith in their qb.

Arizona and even Seattle can give them a run for their money. I'm not on the SF bandwagon just yet.

-I stated my opinion on Houston in Shiver's thread. Not on the bandwagon.

-One of my favorite players in this draft was Daryl Washington. I absolutely loved him as a 4-3 WILL. I thought he was a lock to go to Tampa when he was falling. I'm upset that the Cardinals drafted him, bc he doesn't fit at all. I don't get when teams try to fit square pegs in round holes. It ruins the potential of some of these guys.

-How pissed is Kiper that McShay pretty much shat on his face with his qb predictions? Im not a McShay fan, but you gotta give him credit, he nailed this qb class.

-Corey Chavous is the man. He's my favorite draft analyst. The guy is amazing, he knows his stuff. I wish we saw him more on NFL network. He's a great compliment to Mayock. I hope we see more of him in the future.

-I'm not as high on Al Davis's draft as everyone else is. It's almost like we're giving the guy credit now for not doing anything colossally stupid. Having that said, I hope he brings a competitive team to the division. I'm tired of seeing SD get a free pass to the playoffs every year. It's almost unfair how easy their path to the playoffs is.

-I loved this CB class. Haden, Wilson, Jackson, McCourtney...there were some great CBs this year. It was a great year for pass rushers too. The depth at pass rusher was amazing. Hardy falling to the 6th (i think, or was it the 5th?), Griffin in the 4th, Norwood in the 5th, Selvie in the 7th and others im forgetting. Some quality pass rushers late in the draft. I'm not saying they'll all be great, but they all were definitely worth the risk at their respective draft positions.

-The qb the Eagles drafted, Kafta, intrigues me. When I look at him, I think to myself that this guy can be a gamer in 3 years. But it raises the question, how confident are the Eagles in Kolb if they drafted a qb? I know its the 5th round, but still. Makes you think a little. Not much. Just a little.

-The Steelers had 1 thing on their mind: Rushing the passer. They took a ton of pass rushers this draft. I love it. With all the quality CBs off the board early, why not? That secondary lives and dies with Troy anyway.

-Don't sleep on Mike Wallace. I have high expectations for him this year.

-Kevin Kolb reminds me of a WCO offense, more mobile version of Phillip Rivers. I'm 50/50 on him being a great qb. I know I'm taking him in FF though as a late sleeper.

-I'm not as high on Dez Bryant as others are. But he was still a great pick. You can't teach size, and he's an upgrade over that bum Roy Williams.

Im not a Sean Lee fan. But I can understand the pick.

-Draft Zach Miller in FF.

-Everyone kills JaWalrus for his weight. But why? Is losing 40 lbs going to make him a better qb? Will it give him passion? Will it make him study tape? Will it help him make reads?

That was one of the more overrated topics of convo this offseason. Like seriously, who cares. Ben Roethlisberger is just as fat and lazy, and was also accused of being a last in, first out kind of guy.

Whats the difference? Ben doesn't suck, and Russell does. Thats the ONLY reason why we talk about weight with Russell, and not with Ben.

Russell may be the biggest bust in NFL history.

-I laugh at Josh McDaniels, but I also root for him. I just think it would be so sweet if he can rub it in all our faces. But you can't help but laugh in the mean time.


-ROY predictions:

*Sean Weatherspoon
*Ryan Matthews

-Teams that won't make the playoffs who made it last year:

-Cinncy
-Jets
-New Orleans
-Philadelphia
-Dallas


I know some of you will question some of these, so I'll explain some

Dallas: Call it a hunch, but i think their lack of depth bites them in the butt this year. This team is consistently one of the healthiest teams in the league (minus 08) every year, and it just has to get you sooner or later. Plus I think its difficult for them to win the division 2 years in a row in the East.

NO: Madden Curse. Plus they don't have the makeup to come back and contend again. They're celebrating way too much.

Jets: I just love what Miami and NE did. And I'm never a fan of paper champions. I know this is a contradiction to what I said earlier. I can see 3 teams making the playoffs from the East, but it's so hard to do, that if i had to pick one of them not to make it, it would be the Jets. That's why they're on this list.

Ok, thats enough for now. I'll add more maybe later. I'm sure this is pretty long as is.

-It was once thought that Bill Parcells made a mistake going safe with Jake Long and selecting Chad Henne in the 2nd round instead of going with Matt Ryan in the 1st. Matt Ryan is proving to be a stud qb, and they landed Sam Baker so the combo of Ryan/Baker was thought to be a better combo than Long/Henne.

Right?

Maybe not. My opinion on Matt Ryan has been flip floppy. I thought he'd bust coming out (i loved Flacco and hated Ryan), then saw him play and was sold as him being a franchise qb, and now he had his sophomore slump.

What does it mean? I'm still sold on him being a franchise qb. But after seeing Henne play and the promise he shows, I don't know if we can say for sure that Parcell's MO was the wrong move. What if Henne winds up being almost as good? Ryan is not the next Peyton Manning, those comparisons were way too premature and unwarranted. But he's not a bad qb either, he's a solid franchise qb. If Henne can become a solid qb, and I beileve he can, this will be an interesting debate to come back to. I think we can all agree that Long is better than Baker. I like Baker, loved him coming out, but he's just not better than Long.

I'll be very interested in the development of Chad Henne this season. I think he's going to have a good year.

-There is this false impression that the Steelers are a team that places a premium on character and integrity. Is that really the case?

The Steelers have had plenty of issues to raise eyebrows with. The 70s teams were loaded with steroids, the current couple of teams had its fair share of bad character players. James Harrison, Peezy, Santonio Holmes, Ben, Plaxico.

Then, there was this false sense that the Steelers would do the right thing with Ben. First they have the balls to say they'll suspend him on their own, and theyll do it AFTER the draft. Oh really? How nice of you! That's when Goodell stepped in and said na uh. You don't get that privalege. I was glad he did that.

The annoying thing is they made it seem like they weren't just thinking about themselves, and were doing the right thing. Give me a break, you were just thinking about yourselves. Then they trade Holmes away to make it look like they care. No you don't. That was just to deflect negative attention away from the franchise, to keep their image clean. It's a lot easier to ship out the troubled WR than the qb. The Ben "trade talks" was just a PR stunt by the team. They had no intention of moving him.

The owner was forced to make adjustments to his gambling investments if he wanted to keep the team.

I'm not saying the Steelers are a poorly run organization, or that they're a bad organization, but let's stop painting them as this happy family run organization that puts their pride ahead of their pocketbooks. They're not. It's all a farce.

Steeler fans are arguably the best fans in the league. Nothing against Steeler fans. The image of them is accurate. Let's not forget that. Steeler fans are great. But the franchise itself isn't reflective of the fans in my eyes. I think they're a good franchise, but they're not the Brady Bunch like they're advertised as.

-Now to Ben. We all have our opinions of the guy. I'm just going to say this. At least TRY to pretend to be remorseful. I have a feeling the bafoon feels like the victim here. He read his first press conference word for word, and didn't even try looking up into the camera even once. Then the team releases a statement on his behalf (which is a load of bull, that was a team statement, not a ben statement). He doesn't even address his teammates about this. Does this sound like a guy who cares?

I get it, most athletes don't. Most press conferences are fake, it's all done up by lawyers and PR staff members, and its all an act. I get it. But can you at least try to be an actor? At least pretend to care? At least try to show some remorse? Vick did. Even if he doesn't mean it, he at least did it.

When Cowher comes on 660 sports radio and pretty much admits that his own teammates don't like him...even after winning 2 SBs?...i mean come on. Something tells me that this guy truly didn't learn his lesson. 2 years from now when he's feeling safe again, I think he does something else. I just don't think Ben will ever get it.

-I think the NFC East only puts 1 team in the playoffs this year.

-Aaron Rodgers is the best qb in the league without a ring. Dude is just a beast. If I may knock him though, he is guilty at times of holding the ball too long and also forcing some deep throws.

But still a monster.

-Vincent Jackson, you could be one of the best WRs in the league. You're uncoverable. Stop ******* up.

-The San Diego Chargers will have the best offense in the league. Very good oline, great qb, uncoverable WR and TE, and the role player WRs are all trees who will eat up single coverage.

And now they finally have a running back. They haven't had one for 2.5 years.

-The drafting of Dez Bryant brings up an interesting question for Jason Garrett. Who do you substitute in the lineup more often? Martellus Bennett or Dez Bryant? MB already is upset that he's rarely used. Now he's going to have to compete for playing time with yet another guy. I know what you're thinking, they can both be on the field at once. But will that happen? You need a slot guy who is shifty, so Crayton/Hurd is that guy. Austin will never leave the field. Roy Williams will be given every chance to prove he's not a bumb, so he's your big body WR, or Dez comes in his place, or Bennett.

I'm not sure how you're going to use all these guys at once. Roy Williams still being on the team actually hurts them this year bc he's forcing a more talented guy to sit on the sidelines every time he takes a snap.

[Hines]

I agree with you with some points about Baltimore being the early favorites, but I do believe that if Tomlin and Arians do not force Dixon/Lefty into winning the football games, we have a chance to go 3-1 going into the bye and gettting Big Ben back for Cleveland in Week 6. I say this because we improved our run game, improved our offensive line, improved our pass rush, improved our seconday with BMac and a healthy Troy, and improved our run defense with a hopefully healthy Aaron Smith. I just hope Arians doesn't make Dixon, who I think will start, throw it 30 times. If he limits it to 20 passes and we run it with Dixon, Mendenhall, Moore, and Dwyer, I think we can be successful with Big Ben out. With that also said, I can see them going 1-3 too.

[bigbluedefense]

I agree with you with some points about Baltimore being the early favorites, but I do believe that if Tomlin and Arians do not force Dixon/Lefty into winning the football games, we have a chance to go 3-1 going into the bye and gettting Big Ben back for Cleveland in Week 6. I say this because we improved our run game, improved our offensive line, improved our pass rush, improved our seconday with BMac and a healthy Troy, and improved our run defense with a hopefully healthy Aaron Smith. I just hope Arians doesn't make Dixon, who I think will start, throw it 30 times. If he limits it to 20 passes and we run it with Dixon, Mendenhall, Moore, and Dwyer, I think we can be successful with Big Ben out. With that also said, I can see them going 1-3 too.

I just think you're asking too much of Ben to just step in and start winning games.

That whole situation is just a huge distraction and will wear on the team all season. It's going to be very difficult to overcome.

[Tha Wootster]

I agree with the Pats draft. Solid draft. People seems to think the Pats are on the downfall but they seems to draft solid players every year and acquire some more picks to rejuvenate this team. I have a feeling that Spikes will be great with Mayo. The DBs are young and full of potential. The D-line is just sick. The offense can still put up ton of points with Brady, Moss, Holt, Gronk, Hernandez, Edelman, maybe Brandon Tate will be able to step in and replace Welker.

[Don Vito]

Great stuff.

The AFC East is going to be great to watch this year. The Phins and Jets added a lot of talent and look great on paper, but I am not ready to throw either of them the crown yet. Dansby might have been the best offseason addition this year, he is a perfect fit in Miami. However, Marshall is a headcase. No doubt he is one of the best receivers in the league when on the field, but he has shown he can be a cancer. Henne is a young quarterback who looked good last year, but I want to see what he does this season. Ronnie Brown has been banged up a lot too and isn't young anymore, same goes for Ricky Williams. They have a lot of talent but we'll see how it all gels.

The Jets look great on paper too, but they are another team that looks like it was just thrown together in a madden draft to me. They have lived with their running game, but this offseason they lose their top rusher and all-pro guard. Say what you want about Faneca being overrated but he has always been a force in the run game and he is getting replaced by a rookie who is nothing like him. I don't think there is too much concern over the loss of Jones, Greene looked great late last year, but I don't expect much from LT. They also lost Leon Washington and picked up Joe McKnight, we'll see how that goes. Santonio Holmes was a puzzling addition to me, he is a playmaker but I just never envisioned him in NY. It seems they are trying to throw the ball more this year, so we'll see how Sanchez handles that. I'm not sold on the offense, just saying. They have talent there are just so many new faces at key spots with a second year QB who hardly threw the ball in the league's lowest ranked passing offense. We'll see.

The Jets defense looks very good. There is a lot of age and wear on that DL, if Jenkins or Ellis go down they could be in trouble. They have some good depth on the DL but nobody they have is as good as those guys. Barts Scott and David Harris are legit inside, Calvin Pace is good outside, and Bryan Thomas is meeh. Nothing needs to be said about Revis, he has one side on lock. Cromartie could do well in this defense I guess, some people think just because he is on the Jets all of his flaws will be hidden. He is talented but he is not really a football player, I'll put it that way. Kerry Rhodes is gone, he regressed before last year but had a nice season in 2009. Kyle Wilson is a great pick, I think he could possibly start over Cromartie unless Cromartie has an epiphany or something.

A lot of people seem to be thinking this is the Jets division to lose with the Dolphins right behind them, but that doesn't really concern me in April. The Pats haven't made any sexy offseason pickups, but we are slowly but surely getting back to our roots. We focused on adding tough and physical players through the draft this year and some last year, and I think we are going to try to get back to that mentality especially on defense. Wilfork is one of the best DT's in the game, Ty Warren is super consistent, and we added Gerard Warren to fill Jarvis Green's spot with Mike Wright and Myron Pryor having depth roles along the DL. At LB, Mayo regressed after his DROY year but that was partially due to losing Seymour and Jarvis Green was not an every down player. He was keyed on a lot and we didn't have a guy who could thump next to him, which we got in Spikes. I hope Spikes can start early, just as long as it isn't Guyton. Banta-Cain had a pretty good year at OLB last year, but we need to find another starter. We got rid of Adalius today and I doubt Cunningham starts, I want to see Crable. He hasn't been healthy since we picked him but he is so talented and has added some size, I at least want him to stay healthy and get a shot. Pierre Woods is a good ST'er but not a starter.

On offense, we just need to keep Brady healthy. Moss was banged up but still played well last year, and Welker looks to be out for at least the beginning of the season. Edelman filled in well for him last year but he is not Welker. There are a bunch of other bodies right now behind them in Torry Holt, Brandon Tate, Sam Aiken, Taylor Price, and David Patten; at least 2 of them will be cut I'm guessing. Love the rookie TE's and Crumpler, I want to see them get involved. I'm hoping Vollmer starts at LT and we give Light a look at RT, Vollmer is a tough bastard with a ton of talent. Mankins is very good and Neal is solid, he is just old and oft injured. I am concerned about Koppen; he is smart, tough, and a technician but he can get pushed around.

This division could be the most competitive in football this year, not ready to give it to the Jets quite yet.

[CC.SD]

As always, it's just random blabs about stuff. excuse the grammar.

-Was Alualu that bad of pick? Watch the guy play. Dude is a BEAST. I personally love the pick. In fact, if the Giants "reached" for him at 15, i'd still love the pick. The guy looks like a gamer to me. The only knock to me is that they could have easily moved back, collected picks for him and still have gotten him at a much cheaper price. But the actual pick itself...i have no problem with it at all.


Nobody has knocked the pick itself, but the understanding of draft value is atrocious. If you're starving, would you rather have a sandwich and chips or a sandwich?


The Jets are the best on paper, but I LOVE what the Dolphins are doing. I'm a believer in Henne, I love the wildcat and no one runs it better, Marshall is a beast, Bess is solid and Fasano is solid, and their defense will improve with Davis and Smith growing, Wake getting to start, Dansby, Odrick, and Misi.

Kyle Wilson makes the Jets defense that much scarier. I'm not a fan of the Jason Taylor and LDT pickups, but they drafted well and stole Holmes.


I don't think the Jets are the best on paper, because Tom Brady is kind of a trump card. I definitely agree with the Dolphins though, they are building well and doing it the right way besides. Marshall is a coup. Just too young and dominant to have been so easily snatched up.

I can honestly see the AFC East putting 3 teams in the playoffs this year.


I don't see the Titans missing the playoffs this year so I would cap the afc east playoff teams at 2. My wildcard teams are probably Titans/Bengals, assuming Colts/Ravens win the division.


-With Roethlisberger pretty much sabotaging the Steelers, the Browns being in a developmental stage, and the Bengals in my eyes taking a step back this year, I think the North is easily the Ravens division to lose.


I think the Ravens will win it but don't see how the Bengals step back. Bryant is still an upgrade over Coles/no one. They drafted well, the D is strong, and Carson can't do any worse. Tough to bet against teams that have solid O-lines and the Bengals definitely do. That's why it's okay to be a Benson believer as well. Can't wait to see Andre Smith for the full season.



-I love the 49ers draft. Having that said, I'm not ready to hand them the division just yet. Look the bottom line is they don't have a qb. Sure, Alex Smith is a nice feel good story, but until I see a reliable qb that SF can hang their hat on, I'm not ready to hand them the division.


I liked the 9er draft, but thought it was a little developmental for a division that is painfully up for grabs. Passing on Clausen in the 2nd is a little iffy.


-I'm not as high on Al Davis's draft as everyone else is. It's almost like we're giving the guy credit now for not doing anything colossally stupid. Having that said, I hope he brings a competitive team to the division. I'm tired of seeing SD get a free pass to the playoffs every year. It's almost unfair how easy their path to the playoffs is.


SD was a 13-3 team. You could probably lop off all the division wins and they would still have made the playoffs. Making the playoffs consistently is a direct result of having a true gamer at QB much more than anything division related.


-Don't sleep on Mike Wallace. I have high expectations for him this year.

-Kevin Kolb reminds me of a WCO offense, more mobile version of Phillip Rivers. I'm 50/50 on him being a great qb. I know I'm taking him in FF though as a late sleeper.



Mike Wallace is my favorite sleeper this year outside of maybe Shady McCoy. I don't really see Rivers in Kolb but I do like his accuracy and QBs are very productive in that system.


-Everyone kills JaWalrus for his weight. But why? Is losing 40 lbs going to make him a better qb? Will it give him passion? Will it make him study tape? Will it help him make reads?

That was one of the more overrated topics of convo this offseason. Like seriously, who cares. Ben Roethlisberger is just as fat and lazy, and was also accused of being a last in, first out kind of guy.


The guy is fat. Everyone mocks and makes fun of fatties, especially when they are not around. To ask why is to question human nature itself, or to ponder the sound of one hand clapping. Accept peace and do not trouble yourself with such thoughts. Would you like a copy of The Watchtower?

[MichaelJordanEberle (sabf)]

-Everyone kills JaWalrus for his weight. But why? Is losing 40 lbs going to make him a better qb? Will it give him passion? Will it make him study tape? Will it help him make reads?

That was one of the more overrated topics of convo this offseason. Like seriously, who cares. Ben Roethlisberger is just as fat and lazy, and was also accused of being a last in, first out kind of guy.

Whats the difference? Ben doesn't suck, and Russell does. Thats the ONLY reason why we talk about weight with Russell, and not with Ben.

Russell may be the biggest bust in NFL history.

-I laugh at Josh McDaniels, but I also root for him. I just think it would be so sweet if he can rub it in all our faces. But you can't help but laugh in the mean time.


great post as usual, just thought I'd address these.

I don't think with Jamarcus that it's the weight itself that is an issue. It's just what the excess weight represents: laziness. I think the belief is that if he puts the work in to lose the weight, he'll put the work in to improve his actual play on the field. The issue with him is work ethic more than anything, and that starts with his weight.

I also root for McDaniels, but only because I have to. Really though, a lot of our fans are starting to come around on this draft, especially Tebow. We look to have gotten several guys who can be big time contributors in the future. I don't think it's another 2006 for us(Cutler, Marshall, Dumervil and Scheffler), but it should be solid. With Tebow, I and a lot of us hated it at first and kinda laughed. But the more it stews around in my head the more I think he'll find a way to contribute somewhere. Hopefully QB but not necessarily. I just know that Tebow is a guy who hates to lose, and will work harder than almost anyone in the league to avoid it. If I could fill a team with 53 guys who had his mindset, I'd win the SB every year. But will it make him a great NFL QB? I don't know. I really only see him being great or terrible, no middle ground.

[Hines]

I just think you're asking too much of Ben to just step in and start winning games.

That whole situation is just a huge distraction and will wear on the team all season. It's going to be very difficult to overcome.

No doubt, but for some reason, this team performs better when their back's are against the wall and people underrate them. If anything, we'll contend for a Wild Card. Maybe even the division if everything clicks when he gets back. We do have a tough stretch of games when he does get back, though.

[diabsoule]

I agree completely about Daryl Washington. The Saints should had drafted him at 32 than Patrick Robinson.

[zachsaints52]

I agree completely about Daryl Washington. The Saints should had drafted him at 32 than Patrick Robinson.

Even though I wasn't on the Washington bandwagon, I have to agree.

[wonderbredd24]

I agree about how the corner class shaped up... personally, I think overanalysis got to such a point with Haden that the kid actually became underrated.

I think he was put into a fantastic situation in Cleveland. They have Eric Wright and Sheldon Brown there, so he'll be able to learn from them and will be able to earn his spot on the field. I also like Jerome Henderson and Eric Mangini coaching him up. Plus, Haden knows how to blitz and Rob Ryan loves to send corners off the edge and Haden hitting Roethlisberger should be more effective than Hank Poteat.

[Go_Eagles77]

The Kafka pick has nothing to do with how the eagles feel about Kolb, they love him. They needed to get a guy to develop to be Kolb's long-term backup and I guess if he becomes good enough to start maybe he can be the next AJ Feeley/Matt Schaub and they could trade him, unless Kolb doesn't work out, which I'm sure the eagles don't anticipate.

[yourfavestoner]

I agree about how the corner class shaped up... personally, I think overanalysis got to such a point with Haden that the kid actually became underrated.

I think he was put into a fantastic situation in Cleveland. They have Eric Wright and Sheldon Brown there, so he'll be able to learn from them and will be able to earn his spot on the field. I also like Jerome Henderson and Eric Mangini coaching him up. Plus, Haden knows how to blitz and Rob Ryan loves to send corners off the edge and Haden hitting Roethlisberger should be more effective than Hank Poteat.

He'll be excellent if they want to start him off in a nickle role. His run support and blitzing ability is absolutely ******* superb.

[bigbluedefense]

So many quotes...so little time.

Just to summarize some of the stuff you guys are saying and my thoughts on it:

-I liken Kolb to Rivers in a sense that both are very accurate qbs who have good but not great arms. Great anticipation skills. Kolb is smaller and more mobile, and has better pocket presence. I think Rivers has a better deep ball. Kolb has better intermediate and short passing skills.

Both are deadly accurate. Both I can see having a little bit of trouble in windy environments. Both are perfect fits for their schemes.

Rivers is clearly better until proven otherwise. I'm not trying to sell Rivers short with the comparison.

-I don't mind the Tebow pick, the only problem is you better hope that McDaniels stays your HC for the next 4 years. Bc Tebow is going to need 3 or so years to develop, and a new HC is not going to put all his eggs in Tebow's basket. McDaniels is the one who put his faith in him, and the only way this works is if he stays HC and allows him to be who he is and is patient with him.

Having that said, I liked the draft. I'm a huge Bay Bay fan.

-I'm not sure if I'm willing to say the Patriots are still the division favorites. The Jets and Dolphins improved so much, it's hard for me to say. I honestly think the Phins are the favorites to win the division. I just love what they did. They just better hope their NT position holds up this year or else they're screwed.

-SD is a great team and went 13-3 for a reason. My main point in saying what I said is that they don't need to go 13-3 to win the division. The division is such a joke and they have no competition within the division. They can go 9-7 and still make the playoffs as a division winner. Considering how their division is a joke, its not unrealistic to see them go 6-0 within division. That just means they have to win 3 games out of the other 10 to make the playoffs.

-I'm not a Clausen fan. I understand the 49ers passing on him. I just don't like him all that much. Having that said, he's in a great situation in Carolina.

-Great points on Jawalrus and fatness being a sign of work ethic.

-Werd on Daryl Washington

[falloutboy14]

I think the Patriots are in for a rough 1st half of the season. They have Cincy, Balt, SD, Minn, and the AFC east. Since we assume Wes will miss the 1st half of the season and at best 80% the remainder, they could quickly find themselves a few games back in the AFC & even the wild-card race. We already saw what the Patriots were without Welker at the start of last season (barely escaping the bills & 0 TDs 3 FGs vs the Jets). Assuming that the defense/Holt/Aiken/rookie TEs/running game doesn't pick up the slack, 2-5 isn't out of the question.

The AFC should be very interesting this year.

[BigDawg819]

I will say one thing about Ben that scares me, if he uses this as motivation for his on field game everyone is in trouble. You can't bring him down, he gets his targets time to get open, and doesn't mind chucking the rock. Add in anger to for lack of a better term "I'll show you", teams could have even more trouble with knocking off Big Ben.

[bigbluedefense]

I will say one thing about Ben that scares me, if he uses this as motivation for his on field game everyone is in trouble. You can't bring him down, he gets his targets time to get open, and doesn't mind chucking the rock. Add in anger to for lack of a better term "I'll show you", teams could have even more trouble with knocking off Big Ben.

Just triple cover his first read and send 7 at him. Boom. Done.

Oh and don't let Hines Ward push off.

[Shiver]

-Was Alualu that bad of pick? Watch the guy play. Dude is a BEAST. I personally love the pick. In fact, if the Giants "reached" for him at 15, i'd still love the pick. The guy looks like a gamer to me. The only knock to me is that they could have easily moved back, collected picks for him and still have gotten him at a much cheaper price. But the actual pick itself...i have no problem with it at all.

Remember when Chris Johnson was "reached" for by the Titans? Go back and redo that draft, and CJ is a top 5 pick. Could Alualu be another Chris Johnson? Probably not, but I do feel he has a good chance of justifying himself.

Look at Smith's track record as GM so far...I'd say its pretty good. I trust the guy.

Exactly, you have to trust your own board. If a GM passes on his guy because of "consensus" then he should lose his job. Now could he have traded back? Maybe, but that isn't always easy and you never know if someone like Miami liked him. If all else fails, take him, take the heat and no one can say you don't have balls.

-The AFC East is going to be so much fun to watch. The Jets had a great draft, so did the Dolphins and Patriots. 3 very good teams who will compete for the division.

The Jets are the best on paper, but I LOVE what the Dolphins are doing. I'm a believer in Henne, I love the wildcat and no one runs it better, Marshall is a beast, Bess is solid and Fasano is solid, and their defense will improve with Davis and Smith growing, Wake getting to start, Dansby, Odrick, and Misi.

Don't sleep on Misi and Wake. I said during last year that the short undersized rushbackers are the new mismatch in the NFL bc they can speed rush, and also bullrush and get under the pads of bigger taller olinemen. Dumerville, Harrison, Woodley etc are examples of this. Even Wake shown great flashes last year when given the chance. With Nolan calling the defense, this team is gonna be nasty on D.

The Pats are looking solid. Merriweather, Chung, Butler and McCourtney make a solid secondary. Spikes and Mayo make a great ILB duo, I stand by my belief that Spikes is going to be a great player in the NFL. Cunningham was another steal by the Pats.

That defense is looking good. They have a sick dline, a great LB core with Mayo, Spikes and Cunningham, and a great young secondary.

I know there are concerns on offense, but I believe Volmer allows that oline to hold up, I believe the emergence of Brandon Tate will offset the loss of Welker, and I think Moss has a big bounce back year. Brady is now 2 years removed from the ACL too.

And Gronk is a big contributor too.

Kyle Wilson makes the Jets defense that much scarier. I'm not a fan of the Jason Taylor and LDT pickups, but they drafted well and stole Holmes.

I can honestly see the AFC East putting 3 teams in the playoffs this year.I have concerns with all three teams, but I agree they are all very strong. Should we be surprised considering the talent in the front offices of each respective organization? I feel bad for Buffalo. They have no LT or QB, ignore both positions and add a speed RB in a cold weather division. Not smart. Sorry Bills' fans, it may be a while before you return to relevancy.

-With Roethlisberger pretty much sabotaging the Steelers, the Browns being in a developmental stage, and the Bengals in my eyes taking a step back this year, I think the North is easily the Ravens division to lose.

I do feel however that the Bengals are going to have a sick defense. I just don't trust that offense. I think Carson isn't very good, I think Chad takes a step back, I'm not a huge Bryant fan, and I question if Benson can carry the load for 2 years in a row.

I love Gresham. Maybe I'm selling the Bengals short, but I just feel they need another year before they can be back in the hunt. Expecting 2 playoff years in a row from the Bengals is asking for a lot too.The problem with teams like the Bengals is bad character guys, when they out-number the leader types, tend to implode when things don't work out. The Bengals had things work out for them last year and they overcame their lack of talent, I don't think it is going to happen again. Now they have more talent, but I am not sold they will handle adversity well.

-I love the 49ers draft. Having that said, I'm not ready to hand them the division just yet. Look the bottom line is they don't have a qb. Sure, Alex Smith is a nice feel good story, but until I see a reliable qb that SF can hang their hat on, I'm not ready to hand them the division.

The defense is improving, but still has a little ways to go. I like their weapons on the outside, LOVE their oline, but I just have no faith in their qb.

Arizona and even Seattle can give them a run for their money. I'm not on the SF bandwagon just yet.Alex Smith has always had the game. He looked like the real deal back in '05, then he got into a feud with Nolan that destroyed his game. Now he seems to be back to his '05 form and has all the weapons any QB can ask for. I think he can at least be productive and do enough to get them to the top in that division.

-I stated my opinion on Houston in Shiver's thread. Not on the bandwagon.The '09 Texans will forever be remembered as the team that showed how important it is to have a reliable kicker and goal-line RB. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the same situation play out time and time again. Going for the win, Kris Brown misses wide. Going for the go-ahead TD, Chris Brown/Steve Slaton fumbles on the goal-line. No way they can be so unlucky a second year in a row can they?

-One of my favorite players in this draft was Daryl Washington. I absolutely loved him as a 4-3 WILL. I thought he was a lock to go to Tampa when he was falling. I'm upset that the Cardinals drafted him, bc he doesn't fit at all. I don't get when teams try to fit square pegs in round holes. It ruins the potential of some of these guys.Why the Jacksonville approach can work.

-How pissed is Kiper that McShay pretty much shat on his face with his qb predictions? Im not a McShay fan, but you gotta give him credit, he nailed this qb class.McShay is underrated; he should at least be on the draft day set with Kiper. Get rid of Steve Young please god.

-Corey Chavous is the man. He's my favorite draft analyst. The guy is amazing, he knows his stuff. I wish we saw him more on NFL network. He's a great compliment to Mayock. I hope we see more of him in the future. Eh..

-I'm not as high on Al Davis's draft as everyone else is. It's almost like we're giving the guy credit now for not doing anything colossally stupid. Having that said, I hope he brings a competitive team to the division. I'm tired of seeing SD get a free pass to the playoffs every year. It's almost unfair how easy their path to the playoffs is.I believe that this is the year for them.

-I loved this CB class. Haden, Wilson, Jackson, McCourtney...there were some great CBs this year. It was a great year for pass rushers too. The depth at pass rusher was amazing. Hardy falling to the 6th (i think, or was it the 5th?), Griffin in the 4th, Norwood in the 5th, Selvie in the 7th and others im forgetting. Some quality pass rushers late in the draft. I'm not saying they'll all be great, but they all were definitely worth the risk at their respective draft positions.I love the idea of Revis and Wilson, tight 1-1 coverage, allowed Ryan to dial every blitz imaginable. It's a tough style of defense to pull off, but when you can, it is a thing of beauty.

-The qb the Eagles drafted, Kafta, intrigues me. When I look at him, I think to myself that this guy can be a gamer in 3 years. But it raises the question, how confident are the Eagles in Kolb if they drafted a qb? I know its the 5th round, but still. Makes you think a little. Not much. Just a little.I wonder how much leeway Kolb has before the chants for Vick become loud. (not that it would be a good idea, but it is Philly after all)

-The Steelers had 1 thing on their mind: Rushing the passer. They took a ton of pass rushers this draft. I love it. With all the quality CBs off the board early, why not? That secondary lives and dies with Troy anyway.

-Don't sleep on Mike Wallace. I have high expectations for him this year.See, I disagree. You have Woodley, Timmons and Harrison. They have gaping holes in their secondary. When Bruce Gradkowski beats you with 300/3 in your house, you have issues.

-Kevin Kolb reminds me of a WCO offense, more mobile version of Phillip Rivers. I'm 50/50 on him being a great qb. I know I'm taking him in FF though as a late sleeper.I'm keeping him for a 12th round value. He will be a better fantasy QB than real QB. The stats will come in Reid's crazy offense.

-I'm not as high on Dez Bryant as others are. But he was still a great pick. You can't teach size, and he's an upgrade over that bum Roy Williams.I liked Crabtree more as a prospect, but not by a lot. Same issues too.

Im not a Sean Lee fan. But I can understand the pick.Keith Brooking 2.0 is what I am hearing, but not sure about that.

-Draft Zach Miller in FF.Be quiet, people may see this.

-Everyone kills JaWalrus for his weight. But why? Is losing 40 lbs going to make him a better qb? Will it give him passion? Will it make him study tape? Will it help him make reads?

That was one of the more overrated topics of convo this offseason. Like seriously, who cares. Ben Roethlisberger is just as fat and lazy, and was also accused of being a last in, first out kind of guy.

Whats the difference? Ben doesn't suck, and Russell does. Thats the ONLY reason why we talk about weight with Russell, and not with Ben.

Russell may be the biggest bust in NFL history.The weight is a symptom, not a cause.

-I laugh at Josh McDaniels, but I also root for him. I just think it would be so sweet if he can rub it in all our faces. But you can't help but laugh in the mean time.He will forever be remembered as the guy who had Cutler and Marshall and within three years had Tebow and Thomas. LOL

-ROY predictions:

*Sean Weatherspoon
*Ryan MatthewsThat's gotta be the odds on favorites.

-Teams that won't make the playoffs who made it last year:

-Cinncy
-Jets
-New Orleans
-Philadelphia
-Dallas


I know some of you will question some of these, so I'll explain some

Dallas: Call it a hunch, but i think their lack of depth bites them in the butt this year. This team is consistently one of the healthiest teams in the league (minus 08) every year, and it just has to get you sooner or later. Plus I think its difficult for them to win the division 2 years in a row in the East.

NO: Madden Curse. Plus they don't have the makeup to come back and contend again. They're celebrating way too much.

Jets: I just love what Miami and NE did. And I'm never a fan of paper champions. I know this is a contradiction to what I said earlier. I can see 3 teams making the playoffs from the East, but it's so hard to do, that if i had to pick one of them not to make it, it would be the Jets. That's why they're on this list.

Ok, thats enough for now. I'll add more maybe later. I'm sure this is pretty long as is.

Jets - disagree
Saints - agree (they can slip to their '08 form easily)
Bengals - agree
Eagles - agree
Cowboys - disagree

I would put Arizona over Dallas and New England over New York. (which is blasphemy I know)

[Jughead10]

-With Roethlisberger pretty much sabotaging the Steelers, the Browns being in a developmental stage, and the Bengals in my eyes taking a step back this year, I think the North is easily the Ravens division to lose.

I do feel however that the Bengals are going to have a sick defense. I just don't trust that offense. I think Carson isn't very good, I think Chad takes a step back, I'm not a huge Bryant fan, and I question if Benson can carry the load for 2 years in a row.

I love Gresham. Maybe I'm selling the Bengals short, but I just feel they need another year before they can be back in the hunt. Expecting 2 playoff years in a row from the Bengals is asking for a lot too.

While I agree that the AFC North is clearly the Ravens division to lose, I'm not in love with their draft as it seems most people are. By moving back I think they actually misread the draft. I think they thought they'd be able to still get one of the "premier" CBs. And when that run started they weren't able to move back up and get one. I guess their draft will depend a lot on the health of Kindle's knee. When CB is such a huge need for a team I think you needed to get one. And unlike LB for us, I think there were some nice CBs to get. At LB once McClain went I really don't think there was a LB worth a lick.

[wonderbredd24]

While I agree that the AFC North is clearly the Ravens division to lose, I'm not in love with their draft as it seems most people are. By moving back I think they actually misread the draft. I think they thought they'd be able to still get one of the "premier" CBs. And when that run started they weren't able to move back up and get one. I guess their draft will depend a lot on the health of Kindle's knee. When CB is such a huge need for a team I think you needed to get one. And unlike LB for us, I think there were some nice CBs to get. At LB once McClain went I really don't think there was a LB worth a lick.
If Carson Palmer returns to form and the Bengals can turn the light on for some of their boom or bust defensive players, they will be very tough to beat

[CC.SD]

While I agree that the AFC North is clearly the Ravens division to lose, I'm not in love with their draft as it seems most people are. By moving back I think they actually misread the draft. I think they thought they'd be able to still get one of the "premier" CBs. And when that run started they weren't able to move back up and get one. I guess their draft will depend a lot on the health of Kindle's knee. When CB is such a huge need for a team I think you needed to get one. And unlike LB for us, I think there were some nice CBs to get. At LB once McClain went I really don't think there was a LB worth a lick.

I know what you mean because I was thinking the Ravens were going to pick up Wilson. But I don't think you can say they misread the draft. If anything they played it like a kit, scooping Kindle and Cody.

[wonderbredd24]

I know what you mean because I was thinking the Ravens were going to pick up Wilson. But I don't think you can say they misread the draft. If anything they played it like a kit, scooping Kindle and Cody.

Substantial risk with both picks

I wouldn't be shocked in the least if both are successful or both are out of the league in 5 years

[Jughead10]

I know what you mean because I was thinking the Ravens were going to pick up Wilson. But I don't think you can say they misread the draft. If anything they played it like a kit, scooping Kindle and Cody.

What's the deal with Kindle? I missed a lot of Fridays's TV coverage and didn't see anything about him on Saturday, but on the radio Friday morning I heard a report that said his knee is a major problem. Bad enough that some teams removed him off their boards all together until the late rounds.

But you get my point. Secondary is the glaring weakness of that team. And neither a CB or safety was selected anywhere. When they traded back every CB was on the board except Haden. And none fell to them in the second or they couldn't move back up to get one.

[Thecollegedropout]

I think if there is any team to take a step back in the AFC East its New England and its because the team is just so young all over and inexperienced. We saw the growing pains that the Pats rookies had last year, specifically with Butler in the secondary. You do have your veterans in Moss, Welker, the O-Line and Brady but then that defense is filled all over with past 2nd rounders from a year ago or the TEs who were just drafted who are going to be needed big time to throws blocks with 2 mastermind defensive coaches(Ryan and Nolan) in the division. Its just tough to expect that from the Hernandez/Arizona TE duo.

I am also a believer in WRs that go to new teams needing some time to adjust. That is why I don't think Holmes or Marshall will right away "dominate". I think people are going to be dissapointed in Marshall early on since its a matter of chemistry and familiarity with the playbook. Same goes for Holmes, though with Holmes I think his acquisition was more so what he can do in the playoffs, which was proven 2 years ago.

Jets went 9-7 under a rookie head coach and a rookie QB, now with more talent you'd have to think they suddenly do not just drop off the playoff picture. Sanchez you'd imagine will not throw so many picks and will have less of a leash to be put under. Greene will also be more unleashed and could very well surpass Thomas Jones in terms of running the ball.

I'd rank it as: Jets, Dolphins, Patriots, Bills. But I can see all 3 of the teams making the playoffs. The wildcard hunt will be less hectic....all there is standing in the way I bet will be the Texans and Titans.....neither of which on paper are better than the top 3 teams of the AFC East.

[keylime_5]

agree that it's the Ravens' to lose....but I am having a hard time discounting Cincinnati.

-Cincinnati added Antonio Bryant and Jermaine Gresham - two huge and underrated weapons - to their passing game. They already had a good defense and a great running game. Antwan Odom comes back and they have Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson as x-factors at pass rusher.

-Baltimore's big addition is Anquan Boldin. He is often hurt and if he misses time what makes Baltimore's offense any better than it was last year?

-Ed Reed seems to be getting hurt a lot now too, and as guys get older they take longer to heal and sometimes never really get back to what they were before the injury. It's shaky whether they can count on him to play much this season.

-Baltimore's secondary is ripe for the picking, especially if Reed isn't in there. Foxworth and Webb both coming off injuries. Foxworth/Landry/Webb/Washington isn't that stellar even when healthy anyway.

[Jughead10]

The AFC East will come down to QB play. If Brady doesn't go back to all world form, the Jets or Phins will win that division in my opinion. Sanchez also has to play like he did in the playoffs and not the regular season. Henne was a better QB than him last year in the regular season.

[yourfavestoner]

agree that it's the Ravens' to lose....but I am having a hard time discounting Cincinnati.

-Cincinnati added Antonio Bryant and Jermaine Gresham - two huge and underrated weapons - to their passing game. They already had a good defense and a great running game. Antwan Odom comes back and they have Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson as x-factors at pass rusher.

-Baltimore's big addition is Anquan Boldin. He is often hurt and if he misses time what makes Baltimore's offense any better than it was last year?

-Ed Reed seems to be getting hurt a lot now too, and as guys get older they take longer to heal and sometimes never really get back to what they were before the injury. It's shaky whether they can count on him to play much this season.

-Baltimore's secondary is ripe for the picking, especially if Reed isn't in there. Foxworth and Webb both coming off injuries. Foxworth/Landry/Webb/Washington isn't that stellar even when healthy anyway.

Cincinnati just screams that they're the annual team that must take a small step backwards to go forward like we see every year. Last year it was the Dolphins and Falcons. We saw it happen to the Saints before they finally broke through and won the Superbowl. It happened to the Chargers, too right after their breakout season.

Other than Carson and Chad, this is a very, very young team. Growing pains are to still be expected, especially when they'll (theoretically) be playing a tougher slate of games than anybody else in the division. Does this mean that they'll necessarily be a worse team than they were last year? Not by any means, and the Dolphins and Falcons are great examples of that. They pounced during down years in their division year while going through the rebuilding process, but were still better teams last year despite not making the playoffs.

[Thumper]

I think people are too down on the Eagles, yeah they lost McNabb, Sheldon and Brian Westbrook but those aren't huge losses, last season LeSean McCoy was more effective than Westbrook when LeSean started and Kevin Kolb has a lot of upside and if he can make it through the season without any major hiccups the team could easily make the playoffs.

Also people look at the Eagles defense and see a mediocre secondary, but McDermott finally got his guys on defense. Last season he was working with Jim Johnson's guys and they're actually completely different types of coordinators. I think this is about the fact that McDermott is a coverage guy more than a blitz guy. Jim Johnson could cover up a sub-par rush with unpredictable blitzes, while McDermott seems to think he can cover up a sub-par set of corners with unpredictable coverage schemes. That is a clear trend, they have devalued corners by trading Sheldon and not drafting someone early, but they have placed a premium on a good defensive line (something Jim Johnson never did) as shown by his 4 defensive lineman (Graham, Te'o, Sapp and Owens) and he has also clearly put a premium on athletic linebackers who won't get eaten alive in space (he has added, Ernie Sims, Omar Clayton, Alex Hall and Jamar Chaney and he has offed Gocong and started Fokou instead last year). Clearly the Eagles defensive scheme has changed, the addition of Dick Jauron is also a sign of this, Jauron is a really good coverage coach who will help McDermott perfect his craft.

Let me put it simply, if Kolb can perform at an above average level, the Eagles will make the playoffs.

[bigbluedefense]

I think the Ravens are high on Webb. I know they have some issues in the secondary, but look at their division, none of the teams are really powerhouses through the air.

A good pass rush always masks a poor secondary anyway. They'll have Suggs (if he can ever stay healthy), my boy Kreuger, and Kindle.


I'm glad Thumper brought this up, bc I forgot to mention it in my first post. Is it just me, or are the Eagles switching to more of a Cover 2 defense? All their moves scream Cover 2 to me.

They now have 2 CBs that are pretty much Cover 2 CBs who gamble and need safety help. They drafted a couple of smaller fast LBs and got Simms, they invested in smaller DEs to get after the qb.

Jauron is their secondary coach. McDermot doesn't blitz as much as JJ did. It just seems like they're transitioning over to more of a Cover 2 scheme that blitzes on occasion.

[Shiver]

At this point, with corner play mediocre on so many teams, most teams run Cover-2/Cover-3. Unless you're Oakland, Green Bay or New York you almost have to.

[Go_Eagles77]

That would explain why they aren't valuing the CB position as much as they usually do, and that would mean Marlin Jackson and Macho Harris could both move back to corner. They haven't said anything about that yet, though.

[bigbluedefense]

At this point, with corner play mediocre on so many teams, most teams run Cover-2/Cover-3. Unless you're Oakland, Green Bay or New York you almost have to.

Every team plays the coverage scheme, I know that. But the Eagles have been almost exclusively a 46 style defense over the past 10 years. Running a lot of A gap pressure with man coverages on the outside. A lot of single high. A ton of zero blitzes on 3rd down. Big stoute LBs who fill the gaps downhill and plug running lanes. Hybrid OLB/DE SAMs who play Joker. A lot of zone blitz as well.

Under McDermot, it seems like they're transitioning away from that, and more towards a base Cover 2, with smaller quicker LBs who can cover underneath, zone CBs who gamble and create turnovers, and more emphasis on dline pressure up front.

It's a big transition for a team who ran the 46 for so many years.

[bigbluedefense]

That would explain why they aren't valuing the CB position as much as they usually do, and that would mean Marlin Jackson and Macho Harris could both move back to corner. They haven't said anything about that yet, though.

I personally hate the move if this is the case. I hate Cover 2, and the Eagles are perfect for the 46.

I'm not complaining as a Giants fan, but this would be a bad move in my eyes.

[diabsoule]

Every team plays the coverage scheme, I know that. But the Eagles have been almost exclusively a 46 style defense over the past 10 years. Running a lot of A gap pressure with man coverages on the outside. A lot of single high. A ton of zero blitzes on 3rd down. Big stoute LBs who fill the gaps downhill and plug running lanes. Hybrid OLB/DE SAMs who play Joker. A lot of zone blitz as well.

Under McDermot, it seems like they're transitioning away from that, and more towards a base Cover 2, with smaller quicker LBs who can cover underneath, zone CBs who gamble and create turnovers, and more emphasis on dline pressure up front.

It's a big transition for a team who ran the 46 for so many years.

It doesn't seem like a transition that will fit their team well either. JJ's blitzes and defensive schemes were fantastic and I thought McDermontt would copy a lot of what he did. That doesn't seem to be the case, as you have mentioned, and I think that will come to a detriment to the Eagles D.

[Go_Eagles77]

Aren't the giants making a similar move with Perry Fewell as the new D-Coordinator?

[bigbluedefense]

It doesn't seem like a transition that will fit their team well either. JJ's blitzes and defensive schemes were fantastic and I thought McDermontt would copy a lot of what he did. That doesn't seem to be the case, as you have mentioned, and I think that will come to a detriment to the Eagles D.

I agree. At least I hope so.

Aren't the giants making a similar move with Perry Fewell as the new D-Coordinator?

</3

Most likely. It's weird though, bc the moves we've made so far indicate that we won't run Cover 2, even though Fewell's background is mostly Cover 2. It seems like we're going to run our blitzing style based on moves we've made.

Knowing my luck though, we're gonna run that Tampa 2 crap.

fml.

[Hines]

Shiver, if Troy was in the lineup when the Raiders played Pittsburgh, I doubt any of those lame ducks that were magically caught would have been completions. Either Troy or company would have intercepted it or knocked it down. I hate how we are so dependent on Troy back there. But it is what it is, I guess.

[Thumper]

Every team plays the coverage scheme, I know that. But the Eagles have been almost exclusively a 46 style defense over the past 10 years. Running a lot of A gap pressure with man coverages on the outside. A lot of single high. A ton of zero blitzes on 3rd down. Big stoute LBs who fill the gaps downhill and plug running lanes. Hybrid OLB/DE SAMs who play Joker. A lot of zone blitz as well.

Under McDermot, it seems like they're transitioning away from that, and more towards a base Cover 2, with smaller quicker LBs who can cover underneath, zone CBs who gamble and create turnovers, and more emphasis on dline pressure up front.

It's a big transition for a team who ran the 46 for so many years.

When you go back and watch the Dallas games you'll see that the linebackers for the Eagles were TERRIBLE. They would miss coverage assignments like nobodies business. Jeremiah Trotter and Chris Gocong couldn't handle McDermott's coverage schemes and because of it the Eagles pass defense struggled. Andy Reid made it apparent in his press conference after the draft that they put a premium on linebackers who could cover. They just don't feel like being raped by tightends anymore.

But it isn't like they're changing schemes, the basic scheme is still the same. The Eagles have Stewart Bradley coming back, they traded for Alex Hall and they drafted Ricky Sapp (who will start at DE, play the joker spot and eventually get the full SLB playbook thrown at him). Sean McDermott still likes to blitz, but he isn't as smart as Jim Johnson was in regards to blocking schemes and how to attack them. McDermott was a safety in college, so naturally he understands coverages better and like I said earlier, Jim Johnson used to compensate for a weak pass rush with complex blitzing and having strong cover corners (Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, Al Harris, Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, Asante Samuel) but Sean McDermott compensates having weak corners by having a strong defensive line and coming up with complex cover schemes to hide weak corners. There are rumors that the Eagles are switching back to a 1 gap scheme (they currently use a 2-gap) which would definitely fit the current trend, if this proves to be true watch out for Brodrick Bunkley who has spent his entire career in the 2-gap scheme that Pete Jenkins brought in prior to 2006, Bunkley is an athletic marvel who blew up Florida State his final year in a one gap scheme.

I'd expect the Eagles to run something somewhat similar to what Leslie Frazier is running in Minnesota, a mix of Jim Johnson's zone blitz scheme and the Tampa-2.

[bigbluedefense]

When you go back and watch the Dallas games you'll see that the linebackers for the Eagles were TERRIBLE. They would miss coverage assignments like nobodies business. Jeremiah Trotter and Chris Gocong couldn't handle McDermott's coverage schemes and because of it the Eagles pass defense struggled. Andy Reid made it apparent in his press conference after the draft that they put a premium on linebackers who could cover. They just don't feel like being raped by tightends anymore.

But it isn't like they're changing schemes, the basic scheme is still the same. The Eagles have Stewart Bradley coming back, they traded for Alex Hall and they drafted Ricky Sapp (who will start at DE, play the joker spot and eventually get the full SLB playbook thrown at him). Sean McDermott still likes to blitz, but he isn't as smart as Jim Johnson was in regards to blocking schemes and how to attack them. McDermott was a safety in college, so naturally he understands coverages better and like I said earlier, Jim Johnson used to compensate for a weak pass rush with complex blitzing and having strong cover corners (Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, Al Harris, Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, Asante Samuel) but Sean McDermott compensates having weak corners by having a strong defensive line and coming up with complex cover schemes to hide weak corners. There are rumors that the Eagles are switching back to a 1 gap scheme (they currently use a 2-gap) which would definitely fit the current trend, if this proves to be true watch out for Brodrick Bunkley who has spent his entire career in the 2-gap scheme that Pete Jenkins brought in prior to 2006, Bunkley is an athletic marvel who blew up Florida State his final year in a one gap scheme.

I'd expect the Eagles to run something somewhat similar to what Leslie Frazier is running in Minnesota, a mix of Jim Johnson's zone blitz scheme and the Tampa-2.

I think its unfair to judge that Philly D based on Dallas. You had LBs you picked up off the street in that game.

JJ used to put a ton of owness on the secondary to cover. The SS covered the TE. Dawkins would cover the entire deep ball. CBs played press man and covered WRs.

McDermot is putting more pressure on OLBs to cover. JJ almost always blitzed them, or blitzed the MIKE.

I agree, I see a defense like Leslie Frazier's being implemented. Thats basically a blitzing defense using Cover 2 shells as the coverage scheme.

The Giants tried that under Sheridan and failed miserably. You need very good safeties to pull that off. I'm not sure if Philly has that. Nate Allen is good, but he's not THAT good. You need a stud with range like Earl Thomas, Ed Reed etc for this scheme to work.

Mikell is not a Cover 2 safety. Thats why his play fell off so much under McDermot.

I'm just not a fan of it.

[Job]

Every team plays the coverage scheme, I know that. But the Eagles have been almost exclusively a 46 style defense over the past 10 years. Running a lot of A gap pressure with man coverages on the outside. A lot of single high. A ton of zero blitzes on 3rd down. Big stoute LBs who fill the gaps downhill and plug running lanes. Hybrid OLB/DE SAMs who play Joker. A lot of zone blitz as well.

Under McDermot, it seems like they're transitioning away from that, and more towards a base Cover 2, with smaller quicker LBs who can cover underneath, zone CBs who gamble and create turnovers, and more emphasis on dline pressure up front.

It's a big transition for a team who ran the 46 for so many years.

I'm thinking they just can't run that scheme effectively anymore since Brian Dawkins is gone.

[king2am]

-I love the 49ers draft. Having that said, I'm not ready to hand them the division just yet. Look the bottom line is they don't have a qb. Sure, Alex Smith is a nice feel good story, but until I see a reliable qb that SF can hang their hat on, I'm not ready to hand them the division.

The defense is improving, but still has a little ways to go. I like their weapons on the outside, LOVE their oline, but I just have no faith in their qb.

Arizona and even Seattle can give them a run for their money. I'm not on the SF bandwagon just yet.


We'll save you a seat.

On to the rest, that whole post was a fun read. I understand the concerns about the 49ers, and quite frankly as much as I love 'em, i'd rather people not inflate them too much right now. However, the offensive line and return game arguably cost us anywhere from 2 to 4 games last year. I know the past is the past, but those two areas were greatly improved this offseason.

Anthony Davis
Mike Iupati
Ted Ginn Jr.
Kyle Williams
Leroy Vann UDFA (please, everyone watch - you will enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4NvCMMHXgg ) Hopefully he finds his place on the roster

As far as the Alex Smith he certainly isn't Manning or Brees but he can definitely out play Hasselbeck, Bradford, and Leinart if only for the fact that Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree is a serious trio of talent with an offensive line that's finally safe to stand behind. Throw in the fact that we went 5-1 last year in the division and we have the 28th hardest schedule in the league this year.

[TitanHope]

Oooooh! Ooooooh! Do the AFC South next!!! Pleeeaaase BBD! :D

[scottyboy]

bbd...you of all people...I thought you'd be better than that...

it's McCOURTY. where are people adding these extra letters and coming up with McCourtney? it's not that hard of a name!

[tjsunstein]

bbd...you of all people...I thought you'd be better than that...

it's McCOURTY. where are people adding these extra letters and coming up with McCourtney? it's not that hard of a name!

I saw this a million times leading up to the draft and it's continuing. Kind of a pet peeve.

[scottyboy]

I saw this a million times leading up to the draft and it's continuing. Kind of a pet peeve.

i know, right? try having him be your favorite player from your favorite (love of your life) school.

[LonghornsLegend]

As always, it's just random blabs about stuff. excuse the grammar.

-Was Alualu that bad of pick? Watch the guy play. Dude is a BEAST. I personally love the pick. In fact, if the Giants "reached" for him at 15, i'd still love the pick. The guy looks like a gamer to me. The only knock to me is that they could have easily moved back, collected picks for him and still have gotten him at a much cheaper price. But the actual pick itself...i have no problem with it at all.

Remember when Chris Johnson was "reached" for by the Titans? Go back and redo that draft, and CJ is a top 5 pick. Could Alualu be another Chris Johnson? Probably not, but I do feel he has a good chance of justifying himself.




If Chris Johnson was taken in the top 5 that GM probably deserved to be fired though. I'll use another example: The Browns had the #5 pick in the 2009 draft, Alex Mack was their man, and he may go on to being the best Center in the NFL very soon but they at least understood Draft value. They may have even taken less then value on some of those trades but they moved back 3 times before taking him at #21 which was still probably early.


Why not take him at #5? That's still your guy right? If you can get a guy at least 10-15 picks later I'm doing whatever I can to move back slightly, even if it's for a few late round picks that increase the chances of you finding a stud. Same goes for Jax, that was a prime top 10 pick you use for elite players, which I don't think Alualu is.




-The AFC East is going to be so much fun to watch. The Jets had a great draft, so did the Dolphins and Patriots. 3 very good teams who will compete for the division.

The Jets are the best on paper, but I LOVE what the Dolphins are doing. I'm a believer in Henne, I love the wildcat and no one runs it better, Marshall is a beast, Bess is solid and Fasano is solid, and their defense will improve with Davis and Smith growing, Wake getting to start, Dansby, Odrick, and Misi.

Don't sleep on Misi and Wake. I said during last year that the short undersized rushbackers are the new mismatch in the NFL bc they can speed rush, and also bullrush and get under the pads of bigger taller olinemen. Dumerville, Harrison, Woodley etc are examples of this. Even Wake shown great flashes last year when given the chance. With Nolan calling the defense, this team is gonna be nasty on D.

The Pats are looking solid. Merriweather, Chung, Butler and McCourtney make a solid secondary. Spikes and Mayo make a great ILB duo, I stand by my belief that Spikes is going to be a great player in the NFL. Cunningham was another steal by the Pats.

That defense is looking good. They have a sick dline, a great LB core with Mayo, Spikes and Cunningham, and a great young secondary.

I know there are concerns on offense, but I believe Volmer allows that oline to hold up, I believe the emergence of Brandon Tate will offset the loss of Welker, and I think Moss has a big bounce back year. Brady is now 2 years removed from the ACL too.

And Gronk is a big contributor too.

Kyle Wilson makes the Jets defense that much scarier. I'm not a fan of the Jason Taylor and LDT pickups, but they drafted well and stole Holmes.

I can honestly see the AFC East putting 3 teams in the playoffs this year.


The biggest thing that makes me like Miami is Nolan taking over the defense. That was a great signing and with the addition of Dansby should do wonders for them. I've always been a Wake fan and felt like he just needed a little bit of time before he turned it around. Still the Jets seem to be making all the right moves, they beat alot of teams last year without putting much on Sanchez and if he grows just a little bit he'll make that entire team better.


More then anything a healthy Kris Jenkins is going to be the biggest difference, and it was amazing that defense played so well without him in the line-up, you could hardly notice.


-With Roethlisberger pretty much sabotaging the Steelers, the Browns being in a developmental stage, and the Bengals in my eyes taking a step back this year, I think the North is easily the Ravens division to lose.

I do feel however that the Bengals are going to have a sick defense. I just don't trust that offense. I think Carson isn't very good, I think Chad takes a step back, I'm not a huge Bryant fan, and I question if Benson can carry the load for 2 years in a row.

I love Gresham. Maybe I'm selling the Bengals short, but I just feel they need another year before they can be back in the hunt. Expecting 2 playoff years in a row from the Bengals is asking for a lot too.



I've already spoken my piece on Cincy before, but they don't seem to be getting much respect. They got better on both sides of the ball, had a great draft, and even if you don't like Bryant he's a legit #1 WR and now this is the best offense he's been on. He's been a #1 WR everywhere he's gone so even if Chad does take a step back Bryant could fill in as that guy to beat double teams. Add in Gresham, and they'll be much better. It's going to be between Cincy and B-more.



-I love the 49ers draft. Having that said, I'm not ready to hand them the division just yet. Look the bottom line is they don't have a qb. Sure, Alex Smith is a nice feel good story, but until I see a reliable qb that SF can hang their hat on, I'm not ready to hand them the division.

The defense is improving, but still has a little ways to go. I like their weapons on the outside, LOVE their oline, but I just have no faith in their qb.

Arizona and even Seattle can give them a run for their money. I'm not on the SF bandwagon just yet.



I love everything SF has done, especially in the draft, but I disagree on them not having a QB. Maybe they don't have a top 10 elite QB, but Smith looked really solid last year and hard to believe this is his first year going into the same offense twice. They have constantly changed up coordinators, and when he had Norv Turner and Antonio Bryant here had they kept that going he could of been alot better much sooner. He's good enough to lead them to the playoffs with the weapons around him and defense, and I'm a believer. Vernon Davis, Crabtree, Gore, and an improved offensive line is enough for him to take them to winning 9 games.


Last year they took Favre and the Vikes down to a miracle play, and that took alot of steam out of the momentum they had built at the time.



-One of my favorite players in this draft was Daryl Washington. I absolutely loved him as a 4-3 WILL. I thought he was a lock to go to Tampa when he was falling. I'm upset that the Cardinals drafted him, bc he doesn't fit at all. I don't get when teams try to fit square pegs in round holes. It ruins the potential of some of these guys.



I couldn't agree more. I am a huge fan of his, but was surprised to see him go there. I think he CAN fit a 3-4, but definately isn't his best fit. Maybe they saw something they liked, but I was a little upset about it knowing that in a 4-3 I felt he could be a truly special player and not just solid.



-I'm not as high on Al Davis's draft as everyone else is. It's almost like we're giving the guy credit now for not doing anything colossally stupid. Having that said, I hope he brings a competitive team to the division. I'm tired of seeing SD get a free pass to the playoffs every year. It's almost unfair how easy their path to the playoffs is.



If the transition is going to a 3-4 Oakland has done a marvelous job. Got some upgrades at the LB core at 3 different spots, and some D-line help. Their draft really was good though, McClain was just a great pick and nobody would of blinked an eye had they taken Bruce Campbell in the top 10 even though he was drafted in the 4th round. That's typically what seems to happen. Trading for Campbell was smart as hell too knowing they don't have a 1st rounder to rely on.


They weren't all that bad last year with Gradkowski in at QB, a few solid moves could go a long way to improving the team.




-Don't sleep on Mike Wallace. I have high expectations for him this year.


Have been preaching his name wherever and whenever I can. Love Wallace and feel like he's going to explode onto the scene.


-I'm not as high on Dez Bryant as others are. But he was still a great pick. You can't teach size, and he's an upgrade over that bum Roy Williams.

Im not a Sean Lee fan. But I can understand the pick.


I wasn't as high on Lee initially, but the more I read the more I liked. At least 5 teams were wanting to trade up for him, and we gave him some consideration with our 1st rounder. D posted an article about how after we drafted him Singletary said we took his guy because he was going to play inside for them, and he's one hell of a player. We need an early replacement for Brooking, and honestly if he can step in and play the way Brooking has it's a great pick.


Not only that but I FULLY trust Wade in picking defensive players and finding his guys. If he liked Lee over Spikes I trust him, Wade knows defense if nothing else, and he gets the benefit of the doubt in that regard. I don't question any defensive pick while he's here, he's got our D playing at an incredible level and only gets better the more of 'his' guys we get in. Lee seems like a leader at ILB and just a great football player, high IQ, should be a great replacement for Brooking and hopefully Jason Williams can replace James in a year or 2.


On Dez, he's in a great spot being that he's not going to be relied on as a #1 WR here, or to produce immediately. He can just develop at his pace and for a player of his talent you couldn't ask for a better situation. Has all the tools to be great, but he has to earn everything here before it's handed to him, that's a great recipe for players like him.




-Teams that won't make the playoffs who made it last year:

-Cinncy
-Jets
-New Orleans
-Philadelphia
-Dallas


I know some of you will question some of these, so I'll explain some

Dallas: Call it a hunch, but i think their lack of depth bites them in the butt this year. This team is consistently one of the healthiest teams in the league (minus 08) every year, and it just has to get you sooner or later. Plus I think its difficult for them to win the division 2 years in a row in the East.

NO: Madden Curse. Plus they don't have the makeup to come back and contend again. They're celebrating way too much.

Jets: I just love what Miami and NE did. And I'm never a fan of paper champions. I know this is a contradiction to what I said earlier. I can see 3 teams making the playoffs from the East, but it's so hard to do, that if i had to pick one of them not to make it, it would be the Jets. That's why they're on this list.

Ok, thats enough for now. I'll add more maybe later. I'm sure this is pretty long as is.


Wow you've got some BOLD predictions here lol. Can't argue with you about Dallas, your exactly right. Some years we are so healthy it scares me to death to think about the year after, and if we suffer some injuries in key places we would be a disaster. Feel like it's due to come our way.


NO and Jets?? I'd be shocked if two teams who made the conference championship game didn't make the playoffs, and for no good reason.


The Madden curse is so ********. I can't wait for Brees to limp off the field and everyone go crazy on these boards talking about the Madden Curse lol. So now officially Brees isn't allowed to get nicked up at all, throw an INT in the 4th quarter, or the team can't win less then 12 games, anything less and it's the vaunted Madden Curse.


The Jets play too good of defense and run the ball way too well to miss the playoffs quite frankly. Adding in Sanchez getting better and Holmes, and a great draft, no way in hell. They may be one and done, but I can't realistically see them missing it all together. They did get a playoff appearance giftwrapped last time, but now their legit.



Responses in bold. Great read as usual.

[Shiver]

BBD, I know your skeptical of them, but I think you are underestimating how Houston had six games that they should have won had they had a RB who could punch it in the goal-line and a kicker who didn't miss 11 FGs.

Ben Tate + Neil Rackers = playoffs, barring a catastrophic injury to Williams/Schaub/Johnson

[Bengalsrocket]

I agree with most of you guys that Cincinnati could take a step backward, but for different reasons. I don't think it will have much to do with leaders or character concerns or anything like that. I believe if we do fall backwards, it will be because the division got better and our schedule got harder.

Last year wasn't a "breeze" of teams for us, we played Green Bay, Baltimore, Minnesota, San Diego & New York (Jets) which combined for 5 play off teams in 6 games (playing Baltimore twice obviously). But it certainly wasn't as difficult as this year is looking to be:

This year we play New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis, New York (Jets), New Orleans and San Diego for 6 play off teams in 7 games (Baltimore twice again).

Furthermore our division is always competitive with us, no matter what (The browns taking us to overtime last year is a good example).

I think adding another play off team (and arguably better play off teams with both Superbowl attendees on our schedule this year) will really make it tough on us.

But even so, I think we addressed our biggest flaw less season and added a bunch of talent. More importantly we kept Mike Zimmer as our defensive coordinator which should mean continued success on defense.

[Thumper]

I think its unfair to judge that Philly D based on Dallas. You had LBs you picked up off the street in that game.

I agree, I see a defense like Leslie Frazier's being implemented. Thats basically a blitzing defense using Cover 2 shells as the coverage scheme.

The Giants tried that under Sheridan and failed miserably. You need very good safeties to pull that off. I'm not sure if Philly has that. Nate Allen is good, but he's not THAT good. You need a stud with range like Earl Thomas, Ed Reed etc for this scheme to work.

Mikell is not a Cover 2 safety. Thats why his play fell off so much under McDermot.

No offense but I think that the Eagles are better suited for the Tampa-2 than the Giants are/were if the Eagles do end up running a Tampa-2. The Eagles corners are much better suited to play in a Tampa-2 than the Giants corners were, the linebackers are also better suited to do that as well. If it were to happen, I think the Eagles would have more success than the Giants did. I think the Giants tried to make the switch without getting the proper players to do it, it seemed like they tried to do that but they tried to do it with old Giants players like Webster and Pierce that didn't fit the scheme, the Eagles have the players to do it right now IMO.

Also you mentioned you need a stud safety to run the defense Minnesota runs, but if thats the case why has Minnesota been so successful without a stud safety? They haven't had an Ed Reed type player in Leslie Fraziers tenure, Darren Sharper was a bust of a signing.

Also I think Nate Allen is a pro-ready safety, he is well rounded and he actually played deep safety often at USF and his role in that defense was very similar to the role he would have if he played in a Tampa-2.

And I think Mikell's play dropped because he had all of Dawkins' responsibilities heaped upon him and he couldn't handle that. Dawkins was a one of a kind player, and Mikell just couldn't handle having to run the defense.

[Rosebud]

Aren't the giants making a similar move with Perry Fewell as the new D-Coordinator?

No we aren't and don't listen to any giants fan who says we are, they just didn't have to watch Buffalo games during his tenure to now that despite his relationships with Lovie and Jauron he's not a cover-2 coach. Then when you look at our moves it becomes a lot clearly that cover-2 will not be our base D.

[will99890]

I stopped reading this thread when I heard the second reference to nolan being a defensive genius or something along those lines. As a niner fan with plenty of experience watching Nolan I can safely say he uses extremely simplified 3 or 4 man rush packages out of a predominanly nickel base defense. On top of that he is a horrible talent evaluator and doesn't play to his teams strengths. The man started, STARTED mark roman for 2 seasons. It baffles me how the guy continues to get paid to run mediocre defenses at best.

Ok that mini rant is over, thank god the singletary era is here.

[jth1331]

First off, Mike Nolan helped transform the worst defense of this decade, into a respectable defense that held its own for a majority of the season.

Second, continue to laugh at McDaniels, but the guy has made some good moves. He beefed up the OL, took a good WR prospect, added solid depth at DB and can groom a potential franchise QB in Tebow. Not to mention adding depth to the DL in free agency. Yes, he traded away a supposed star franchise QB in Cutler who went on to throw 25 or so interceptions. I think Cutler will always be mistake prone, which will hinder him. As for Marshall, the guy absolutely hated Denver and wanted out. He made that known, it is like the whole TO and San Francisco thing over again.

[bigbluedefense]

bump.

i added some stuff in italics to the original post.

[Flyboy]

Still nothing on the NFC South. :(

[bigbluedefense]

Still nothing on the NFC South. :(

i'll add stuff as i go along. it all doesn't hit me at once.

[Flyboy]

Fair enough, bbd. Fair enough. As you were, sir.

[yourfavestoner]

bump.

i added some stuff in italics to the original post.

Remember with Matt Ryan - that selection was as much a PR move as it was a football decision.

[Flyboy]

Remember with Matt Ryan - that selection was as much a PR move as it was a football decision.

Very true, but they are looking smart for taking Matt Ryan over say Glenn Dorsey.

[yourfavestoner]

Very true, but they are looking smart for taking Matt Ryan over say Glenn Dorsey.

Oh I absolutely agree. Ryan wasn't my favorite QB prospect ever, but I never questioned that they should select him. It was both a PR and a football move, but it made sense on both of those levels too.

[Rosebud]

I think the Cowboys are quite likely to redshirt Dez for the most part, I think Roy gets one more shot to prove how bad he is and MB will see more time early. I think Dez gets a late start this year, I think he can start by the end of the year but early on he won't see much outside of the multi-receiver packages snaps. Next year I think you've got Dez and Austen Starting with Witten and Bennett covering the interior stuff.