Watched the film on the Super Bowl champions. Here's the early outlook for the 2010 Saints.
Offense
The two who deserve the most credit for New Orleans’s success are the two you’d expect: Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Payton utilized a greater variety of formations than any play-caller in football, and he created a lethal passing game without compromising balance (the Saints ranked 6th in the league in rush yards and 7th in rush attempts). [...]
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After watching the film, here's the early outlook on the 2010 Carolina Panthers.
Offense
Carolina’s system was fresh in the 1980’s. But this day and age, a team that eschews the third and fourth receiver for the second tight end and fullback is a team that doesn’t trust its quarterback. When he wasn’t turning the ball over, Jake Delhomme often struggled making smart reads. His [...]
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It would be difficult to dispute that Mason Crosby had a bad year kicking field goals for the Green Bay Packers. Among kickers with at least 15 attempts, his 75% average field goal percentage (FG%) was better than only 6 other kickers in the NFL. Towards the end of the season, Crosby collected “votes of confidence” from Packers coaches like Ted Thompson collects wide receivers (more than should be necessary).
Despite his less than eventful 2009, Crosby somehow triggered incentives in his contract that has doubled his salary for 2010, from $500K to 1M. As Don King loves to say, God Bless America! And [...]
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After reviewing the film and roster, here's the early outlook for the 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Offense
The low rankings – 30th in scoring, 28th in yards, 27th on third down, etc. – can be chalked up to instability at quarterback. Byron Leftwich is not a good fit in any offense – this one included. Josh Johnson scrambled well but displayed shoddy fundamentals in the pocket. Rookie Josh Freeman’s mental struggles prevented [...]
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It's March, and everybody who has ever written two words about the NFL is doing a mock draft.
I'm part of that "everybody," but rather than take on the whole league, I'm going to focus on the good old NFC North.
What follows is a team-by-team breakdown of each team's projected 2010 needs, and how they will choose to fill them in rounds one and two (sorry, Bears fans).
Minnesota Vikings
It's no secret that the old Black and Blue Division has been looking [...]
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Atlanta Falcons film has been watched, the roster has been reviewed. Here's where they stand heading into 2010 spring.
Offense
The Falcons offense plateaud in all phases last season. Matt Ryan continued to flash superstar traits, but he also developed a tendency to rush his progressions. He’ll learn. At times, Ryan was overly dependent on new TE Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s arrival solidified a predominantly two-TE system (Justin Peelle played a significant role [...]
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I have not been avoiding the topic of Terrell Owens possibly becoming a Cincinnati Bengal. I simply have not had time to offer my thoughts on whether or not he could be a productive addition to the offense. For or against the acquisition, media members and bloggers have formed very strong opinions on the subject.
Owens' track record of being a horrible teammate is well documented. His stops in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas were all filled with drama. He has always come off as a player with outstanding ability from the neck down and nothing from the neck up. His selfish attitude has alienated teammates and fans.
I also think the Bengals should sign him.
Why, you ask?
The Bengals need a wide receiver.
Last season, it was obvious that Chad [...]
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Watched the film on the 2009 Vikings. Here's how they look, and here's where they need to go.
Offense
Brett Favre, not Adrian Peterson, was the key in 2009. Favre’s pocket brilliance covered for a line that regressed as the season wore on. LT Bryant McKinnie proved he’s as soft as he is big. The fact that he made the Pro Bowl tells you a.) Fan voters don’t know anything and b.) Jordan Gross, Jamaal Brown, Chris Samuels and Walter Jones were hurt. RG Anthony [...]
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With free agency is full effect, the 2010 NFL season is officially underway. I am not going to try and make sense of the concept that is free agency because, frankly, it just gives me a headache. Whether or not a player is a restricted or unrestricted free agent doesn't really matter to me. Personally, I am more excited to watch Chad Ochocinco on Dancing with the Stars than to discuss tender offers and compensatory draft picks.
One roster move that did catch my attention occurred yesterday when the Bengals released wide receiver Laveranues Coles. Coles had a very disappointing season, catching just 43 passes for 514 yards and five touchdowns. He was due to make $4.65 million in base salary this season.
Perhaps the most honest and accurate reaction to the Bengals [...]
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For all you Packer fans that spent the weekend glued to NFL Network (myself included), getting all worked up about who just ran the fastest 40 or bench-pressed the most reps; evidently, we could have been doing something more important…
It appears that Ted Thompson and his staff don’t give a very strong consideration to combine results. NOW, I find that out…
In an article by Greg Bedard on JSOnline.com, he wrote about getting a glimpse at the [...]
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