Thoughts on College Hoops: NIT Tip-off at the Garden

I'm in New York for Thanksgiving break, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch some College Hoops at Madison Square Garden. The Games were Syracuse vs. Ohio State and Texas A&M vs. Washington.

Thoughts on SU vs. OSU: (79-65 OSU)

* Despite being both very young squads, Ohio State was much more composed. They looked like a well-oiled machine in mid-season form while Syracuse looked like a bunch of reality-TV ballers playing together for the first time. Ohio State's ball movement was terrific, they made few mental mistakes, ran simple sets and played sound defense, especially on the inside. Syracuse played flashy, but made a bunch of bonehead plays (Flynn's botched behind-the-back pass comes to mind), forced shots and looked like they panicked once they went down.

* And once they went down, the offense became forced. When Koufos, Hunter and co. weren't letting anything go inside, Syracuse went for outside shots. When those wouldn't drop, the game was over.

* Compare Kosta Koufos and Jonny Flynn. They play completely different positions, have different playing styles, and look as different as two people could possibly look, but one thing they have in common is that they're both Freshmen. Koufos looked like a Senior out there. Flynn looked like he had just put on the Orange uniform for the first time.

* I thought Flynn had an awful game. The type of game that really helps a young PG improve as a player. He did everything possibly wrong. From not rotating on defense, to charging fouls, to first-pass turnovers. If he's a smart player he'll learn and improve.

* Eric Devendorf is clearly the veteran on this Syracuse team. He cannot be blamed for this lost. Made some nice layups in traffic, hit some big shots, but just wasn't enough. He just looked like an entirely different player than the rest of that team.

* Paul Harris hustles and sees the floor amazingly. He hit Devendorf, Greene and Onuaku with some absurd passes. Also had 11 rebounds. Say what you want about Paul Harris, but the effort is there.

* Donte Greene started off with 12 points - dunks, putbacks, three pointers... he was doing it all. He then disappeared for a good hour before coming back to life late when the game was virtually over. Disappearing when the Orange were starting to slip allowed the game to get out of hand. Greene finished with 21 points, there's a lot of talent in the Freshman. He needs to step up and take some of the scoring responsibility when his team needs him.

* One thing that bothered me was Arinze Onuaku not running the court. This probably wasn't visible on TV, but on numerous transition plays - offense and defense - Onuaku simply remained at the basket. I thought that type of play characterized the lack of discipline that I saw on the court tonight.

On the other side:

* Kosta Koufos is a guy that really isn't ever named among the nation's top freshmen, but he was very impressive in this game. Koufos showed a nice inside game, a pretty baby-hook, a nice touch from deep that I didn't expect and an intimidating force on defense inside. He looked really seasoned and I expect him to get more attention in the future.

* On one play late in the 2nd half, after Devendorf had hit a Three to bring Syracuse back to life, the Buckeyes ran a beautiful play which concluded with David Lighty feeding Jon Diebler baseline in the corner who just snap-passed the ball to Jamar Butler without hesitation who hit the crushing Three. Being a Penn State man I dislike the Buckeyes, but I had to appreciate the perfect execution of that set.

* A lot of Ohio State's success was because the wings got penetration on their man. Syracuse rotated slowly all game and Othello Hunter had a field day with what I like to call Amare Stoudamire points: dunks, layups and easy putbacks. Syracuse got beaten on-the-ball on the perimeter all day and I though a switch to a zone as a primary defense would have been a better choice.

* Ohio State brought a micro-band, a small cheerleading squad and a mascot. Syracuse didn't, but had largely a supportive crowd in the Garden. Yet, I still think that the band playing and the Ohio State cheers going around during timeouts helped take the crowd out of the game.

Thoughts on A&M vs. Washington (77-63 A&M):

* I didn't find this game as interesting as the SU-OSU contest. A&M went down early, but it was mostly due to not hitting easy shots. Washington was giving the Aggies easy looks, and I figured it was only a matter of time before A&M started hitting them and would take control of the game. The Aggies are simply too good to let that porous Washington defense remain unpunished.

* Joseph Jones and DeAndre Jordan are tough to contain on the boards...real tough. I can't think of any frontcourt duo in the nation who's as tenacious on the boards as these two. One one occassion, Jones had missed a free throw, but 4 consecutive offensive rebounds by the Aggies allowed Jones to put the ball in anyway. Jones and Jordan combined for 20 rebounds.

* I was excited to watch Josh Carter in person. I thought he was a guy that really went under the radar last year and was finally getting his due as the Big 12's best shooter. I was disappointed. He just had a cold night, which commonly happens to shooters like Carter. He went 2 for 11, but what impressed me was that the team still managed to win comfortably without his scoring presence.

* Donald Sloan, normally relied on as a defensive stopper, will be asked this year to be more of a scorer. I didn't know if he could do it. He scored 18u points and shut down the Huskies' Super Soph Justin Dentmon.

on the other side:

* Where was Quincy Pondexter? 2 points in 10 minutes? I'd like to know why.

* Jon Brockman is making people remember who the real star of that Husky Frontcourt was last season. Spencer who? Brockman had 21 points and 15 rebounds. Mind you, he was battling Jones and Jordan all night.

* When Washington started to trail midway through the second half the man they relied on was Sophomore backup Center Joe Wolfinger. I'm not joking. Wolfinger actually hit a couple of shots when he came off the bench, so you could say he had the hot hand, but reality hit the Huskies hard when Wolfinger came back down to earth, finishing the night 4 for 12 in 20 minutes.

* The only Husky Guard who impressed me at all was Freshman PG Venoy Overton. 5 rebounds, 6 assissts and 4 points are enormous numbers, but Overton possesses a nice crossover move, is able to keep defenders off-balance and is a very good passer. The Huskies were unimpressive in this game, so a good season from Overton could make or break this season for them.

* I thought this game was basically a case of the better team taking care of business and just plainly beating a team they should beat. I look forward to watching them the Aggies face the Buckeyes on Friday.

It was a good time, saw some good basketball, saw some bad basketball, but enjoyed myself. But if I have to hear one more O-H-I-O chant I'm going to hurt myself.

Mideseason Report: Contender/Pretender

Midseason Report: Contenders and Pretenders

NFC:
Detroit Lions: 29th Rushing Attack in the league. Kitna has been sacked 37 times. Their pass defense ranks 30th in the NFL. Corey Redding and Shaun Rogers have done a nice job defending the run, but the lack of pressure on the opposing QB and the porous O-Line play keeps me from being a believer. - PRETENDER

New York Giants: I was wrong about this team. They are a good bunch. 32 sacks are a huge number. Justin Tuck has broken out, after already having earned the bust label. He has 7 sacks. Added to that, the rushing attack, whether it's been Derrick Ward or Brandon Jacobs, has driven it to 6th in the league. Also, Manning has been sacked only 1 times. That O-Line has been stellar. Their biggest weakness, the secondary, has been masked successfully because of the pressure forced on opposing QBs. - CONTENDER

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The NFC South is weak. The Bucs defense is back to where it has been this decade after an uncharacteristically bad 2006 season. They are 3rd in scoring defense. Barrett Ruud has broken out in a big way. And while everyone thought that the team wouldn't be able to run after Cadillac Williams' injury, Earnest Graham has come in and produced consistently and productively. I credit it mostly to that young line which has played exceptional. Luke Petigout-Arron Sears-John Wade-Davin Joseph-Jeremy Trueblood. That's a talented unit right there that should be in place for a while. - CONTENDER

Washington Redskins: My gut feeling here was good, but reviewing the facts they haven't been as good as you would think. I normally don't like to use the "they haven't beaten anyone" argument, but this team's resume is too telling to ignore. They've beaten Miami, Philadelphia, Detroit, Arizona and the Jets. They've been given their chance against the better teams in the league and have lost them all. They lost to New York, Dallas and badly (52-7) against New England. Add to that, their collapse against Philadelphia this last week on defense and their inability to get any kind of drive going on two possessions was really a bad testimony to the character of this team. On a side note, Andre Carter is having the best season of a Redskins DL since Cornelius Griffin in '05. - PRETENDER

Philadelphia Eagles: Statistically they should be right there in contention with the big boys. The run defense has improved thanks to the improved play from Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley and Omar Gaither. Andy Reid's playcalling has been better than in past times of frustration. Brian Westrbook has 1,219 total yards and 9 TDs. Why hasn't all this produced wins? Everything is in place, this team just needs to put it all together. Donovan McNabb's health progression could have this team looking very different in a couple of weeks. The biggest problem right now is a relatively tough schedule down the stretch and considerable ground to make up. - CONTENDER

Chicago Bears: The Chicago Bears' defense ranks 22nd in the league. The rushing offense is awful without Thomas Jones. Cedric Benson is not getting it done, averaging a mere 3.0 yards per carry. Now you add the continuous problem at the QB position and you have a team that will need an off-season to get back on track. I believe they will be back on track next year. Super Bowl losers always struggle. At least Tommie Harris and Adewale Ogunleye are playing up to par. - PRETENDER

New Orleans Saints: The streakiest team in the NFL. Starts off 0-4, then rallies back to .500 with a 4-game winning streak, before losing 37-7 to a previously winless team. The defense that overachieved last season has come back down to earth. Drew Brees still isn't getting sacked in Sean Payton's short-pass timing offense, but has thrown 12 interceptions for some reason. Reggie Bush is in dyer need of a power back to compliment his running style, and McAllister's injury is proving to have the negative effect we all expected it to on the Saints' offense. Really, this team could turn it around, but they overachieved last year and I predicted somewhat of a setback this season. Still, in the weak South with a roster that has gone 13-3 just a year ago, this team is always a threat of gaining steam and making a playoff run. - CONTENDER

Arizona Cardinals: Darnell Dockett is quietly having a Pro-Bowl Season. Their young Linebackers are making plays. I don't think they're quite there yet, but they are finally moving (quite quickly) in the right direction and could be a team to watch in the next few seasons. But no yet this year. - PRETENDER.

AFC:
Jacksonville Jaguars: Their defense is mysteriously a bit down this year, and the temporary loss of Marcus Stroud won't help that, but Jacksonville has quietly become an offensive team. Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor have combined for 1055 yards on the ground, good for the 3rd best rushing attack in the league. Now David Garrard returns to the lineup. Garrard had a QB rating over 100, wasn't making mistakes and was quietly, but effectively, running this Jaguars offense. Added to that, their schedule features several very winnable games coming up. - CONTENDER

Tennessee Titans: I was right and wrong about them. I said Vince Young couldn't lead this team to victory. He hasn't, but their defense has. Albert Haynesworth is a dark horse for defensive player of the year. He was out vs. Jacksonville, and the #1 ranked run defense suddenly looked very ordinary. Haynesworth comes back this week and that defense should be stout all season. It's not Vince Young people. His QB rating is 62.2 and has 10 interceptions compared to only 4 Interceptions. I think they're a good team, but they're not quite there yet. Get some better play from the O-Line and maybe some (gulp) receivers and this has the look of a nice looking team for years to come. - CONTENDER

San Diego Chargers: Before this season, most considered this to be the 2nd most talented team in the league (behind New England). They've been wildly inconsistent and it's tough to tell why. But I think last week's game was a critical step to this team refinding their groove and winning the division. A weak AFC West and an easy stretch run help as well here. - CONTENDER

Buffalo Bills: 5-4 record. 31st ranked offense. 28th ranked defense. They have a total of 4 passing TDs, one of which was thrown by RB Marshawn Lynch. They're not a contender yet, but are a nice young team with potential for the future. One of my preseason breakout candidates, Angelo Crowell, has done just that this year. - PRETENDER

Cleveland Browns: They have become a bit of a darling this season. Highly profiled draft picks Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow are looking like the real deal, combining for 1455 yards and 14 TDs this season. They played very tough against a good Steelers team last week.Derek Anderson has 20 TDs and a solid QB rating and is also looking like a legit NFL QB who wins games. But the resume of games won really shouldn't impress anyone. They've beaten Cincinnati, Baltimore, Miami, St. Louis and Seattle. They've had the chance to play some legit teams and lost in two games to Pittsburgh and one to New England. Their loss to Oakland doesn't make much sense either right now. Oh, and we forget that their defense is the worst in the entire NFL statistically. - PRETENDER

Denver Broncos: They can't stop the run. They are 31st in the league in that department. Their DTs are old, the preseason loss of Warrick Holdman hurts right now, the team is looking at Jay Cutler to carry them on offense and he just hasn't reached that level yet. - PRETENDER

Kansas Cty Chiefs: They have a good defense. It starts up front and Jared Allen, Tamba Hali and Alfons Boone have been rock solid. Unfortunately, the offense hasn't been a very good follow-up act, ranking 31st in the league running the ball. Then you lose Larry Johnson and take the ball out of your veteran QBs hands and give it to a younger project QB and you have a team that isn't yet ready to contend in the AFC. Although it is nice to see Kansas City turn it around on defense. The former first rounders, Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali, are working out very nicely. - PRETENDER

Evaluating Donovan McNabb; Body vs. Mind

I have been a McNabb supporter ever since he's been an Eagle. I have consistently supported him as our QB, hated the large amount of unfair criticism geared towards him over the years and have always believed that he is our franchise's best ever QB.

Yet this season, I have found myself growing more and more frustrated with his play. To the point that I even muttered the regrettable sentence "we need a new QB". Looking at the numbers, it would appear that McNabb's season has been like any other. His completion percentage is at it's second highest rate of his career. His TD total is on pace towards being the 3rd highest of his career and he's on pace to have his lowest interception total in a full 16 game season in his career and he's scheduled to go over 4,000 yards for the first time in his career. Then why am I more frustrated with him this year? Why have even his biggest backers in the past suddenly started questioning him? Why is Kevin Kolb's career suddenly looking like it will start earlier than we had thought?

One Argument is that McNabb is the Quarterback of a team that is underachieving. When a team struggles, and there it little explanation as to why, the Head Coach and the Quarterback will inevitably get the blame. In the past we could blame our struggles on Playcalling, a bad run defense, poor receivers, injuries... there have always been lots of excuses. This season the team has played the run fairly well, Andy Reid in my opinion has had one of his better playcalling seasons, the receivers in general have been able to hold on to McNabb's passes and the team has been very healthy so far. So why are we struggling?

For many, that question is answered when the QB of this team takes the first snap after the defense came up with a huge fumble recovery in their own red zone, and fumbles the ball right back to the other team. For many, that question is answered when the QB of this team rolls out of the pocket and misses his wide open X-Receiver on a deep crossing route which would have been a big play momentum-wise in the early stages of the game. For many, it's moments like these by which a Quarterback of an underachieving team is measured.

The problem with McNabb this season is obvious. He had a bad knee injury last season which required surgery and he hasn't made a full recovery yet. That isn't even a debate. We the fans know this, the coaches know this, and above all: McNabb knows this. He himself realizes that he isn't 100% yet. He realizes that he is physically crippled in his ability to make plays for this team. Which is why his play hasn't necessarily decreased, but has most certainly changed. McNabb, physically, is a shell of his former self. Mentally, however, McNabb is smarter and more experienced than ever. Which is why the offense has changed. He realizes that deep passes are no longer as easy to throw when he's less able to plant his back foot. He realizes that trying to elude the rush and make the sorts of plays that have made him a great QB in the past are no longer as likely to be successful.

So, what have we seen? We've seen a QB that has become much more conservative. This is why his completion percentage is relatively high. Westbrook had 14 receptions against Dallas. Only 3 of those were actually designed plays for #36. Checkdowns have become the staple of this team. McNabb no longer trusts his own ability as much, so that he's less likely than ever to try to squeeze the ball into a difficult spot. This is also why his interception total is low. But, it also is a big reason why this offense has stalled in the red zone, when the QB has to be aggressive. It is also a reason why converting 3rd and long has been almost non-existent. It is also a reason why McNabb is on pace to be sacked a career-high 53 times.

Sacks, Field Goals, Punts frustrate fans. This is why we've been tough on him this year. The problem with staying as conservative as McNabb has been is that, on plays like the one described earlier, in which he missed Curtis on a rollout, and the plays like the missed Corner route to Celek last week, happen. McNabb isn't going down the field, missing often on timing routes because he hasn't been throwing them enough. Another problem with this team has been the lack of your "Big Play". Plays in which the entire team steps up and decides to take the result of the game into their own hands. Plays like Dallas' blocked kick and TD run by Pat Watkin, plays like Westbrook's 57-yard screen pass for a TD last week are what I'm talking about.

When your QB does not trust his abilities, you become vanilla. This team's offense struggles because there's no spark. McNabb is still a very intelligent QB, illustrated by his audible to shovel pass near the goal line last week. Unfortunately, until he begins to believe in his own ability, he will continue to struggle when the team needs him most, which is why a good NFL QB is the scapegoat of this team.

NBA Atlantic Division Preview

The NBA's Atlantic Division went through a big time face lift this off-season. That's no secret. New York added some extra spice to Isaiah Thomas' recipe and the Raptors and Nets made a fair number of little moves to try to improve their teams. But the biggest difference in the division will prove to be the added star power now in Boston. The Celtics, in acquiring All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, have now shifted from a young rebuilding team to a veteran squad with their eyes on an NBA championship.
I predict the division to finish in the following order


1. Toronto Raptors

What I like: This team surprised a lot of people last year when they won the division and clinched the #3 seed, but I had seen them play several times back in November and that's all I needed to see. This team is fun to watch. They're very deep, they run the floor, have great shooters, brilliant team chemistry and an unquestioned leader in Chris Bosh. They added Carlos Delfino in the off-season to provide more athleticism and Jason Kapono to add yet another shooter. Bryan Colangelo has done a great job putting this roster together.

What I don't like: They're still not athletic enough. Delfino adds some to the equation, but overall this team looks a lot like a Euroleague squad. So they can run and shoot, but they're a little soft. Chris Bosh is the only guy who can really crash the boards. Added to that, they're still very young. Few guys on the team have any playoff experience besides last year, and frankly last year's first round exit really wasn't surprising.

Key Question: Will the team keep the hunger that they had last year? They were a young team looking to prove everybody wrong and surprised everybody. Now, will we see a continued rise or will this team look like the NFL's New Orleans Saints? I think the fact that all the attention has gone to the Celtics in the Atlantic Divisions keeps this team from really getting the respect that they deserve.

Dark Horse: Andrea Bargnani. He came on very strong at the end of last year, and should he continue to develop, could be a star by the time the season's over.

What I expect: I would expect the same thing we saw this team do in the second half of last year. Remember, they didn't really jell until midseason. Now, I would expect this team to roll from the start. They are more experienced, they'll be better in sync and since they are a young team they should be on the rise in every area of the game. I truly think they are the best team in the division.


2. New Jersey Nets

What I like: The Big Three in New Jersey all return ready to go, plus now you get Nenad Krstic back, a guy who was having a breakout season before getting hurt last year. Also, you bring in Jamaal Magloire, a former All-Star who could potentially refind his form, and in any case boosts frontcourt depth, a longtime team problem. But most of all I like the young guys on that bench that the team has drafted over the last few years. Josh Boone, Marcus Williams and Antonie Wright are three guys that are serious breakout candidates, and a strong contributer off the bench would do wonders for the brittle Richard Jefferson.

What I don't like: The Frontcourt, as always, looks weak. Krstic is being looked at as the savior here. He played well last year, but not that well. Alongside him is Jason Collins, who is a strong interior defender, but provides nothing offensively. Finally, we have to ask ourselves whether the Big Three can stay healthy?

Key Question: Did Nenad Krstic actually break out last year? It's tough to tell since he only played in 26 games. And if he did, how well is going to be able to comeback from tearing his ACL? The Nets entire frontcourt depends on his play this year.

Dark Horse: Jamaal Magloire. He is now in a position to win considerable playing time, since his only competition is incumbent Jason Collins. The former All-Star is actually still relatively young and is in a position to salvage his career.

What I expect: I expect the team to be good again. They'll make the playoffs, and a lot of it will be because of the young guys coming off the bench. I truly expect Boone, Williams and Wright to really start contributing to the team. A breakout season for one of them would do wonders, keeping the big three fresh. Jason Kidd is starting to realize that time is running out for him, and he'll make sure he gets the most out of this bunch. They're my #7 seed.

3. Boston Celtics

What I like: They're the most improved team in the NBA, no debate. By acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen they instantly vaulted themselves into contention. Kevin Garnett's inside presence should allow Allen and Paul Pierce to operate on the perimeter. Also, Pierce not having to shoulder the entire scoring load anymore should help him be a more productive player, as he no longer is forced to create for his entire team.

What I don't like: The Point Guard position scares me. Rajon Rondo wasn't even very highly touted coming out of Kentucky, and now is expected to completely handle point guard duties. He's a good defender, but his inability to shoot the ball, which could really hurt opposing teams focusing on Allen and Pierce, cripples the offense. Also, by trading away five guys, who gave them big minutes last year, for Garnett, they have become possibly the shallowest team in the league, with James Posey and Tony Allen being the only really experienced backups. Should one of the 'Royal Three' go down, the team will be in trouble. The Frontcourt is especially porous besides Garnett.

Key Question: Can Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett play together? Pierce and Allen play a very similar game and it will be especially interesting to see whether Ray Allen will actually ever get integrated into the offense. It's looking very much like Allen will overtake departed Wally Szczerbiak's role.

Dark Horse: Tony Allen. The other Allen, a combo guard who actually had a pretty solid year last year. If Rondo struggles, the team might be desperate enough to start Allen, who has played the point in the past, over backup Eddie House.

What I expect: I'm not a believer in the Big Three. I don't think they're styles fit and I really don't like what I see at the Point Guard position. I think having a dominating Big Man and a strong Point Guard are the foundation to a good team and this one lacks the latter. Their frontcourt depth is horrible. Kendrick Perkins does not compliment Garnett very well. You'll see a lot of young rookies get playing time before they're ready out of necessity and I believe it will frustrate the veterans on this team. I still think they'll make the playoffs, but won't make any noise this year. A full off-season with the Big Three should allow the front office to acquire some necessary pieces to make this team a contender.


4. New York Knicks

What I like: The addition of Zach Randolph adds a second inside scoring threat next to Eddy Curry, and could provide serious matchup problems for opposing big men. There is still a lot a of talent in the backcourt, and there's a lot of young talent on that bench. David Lee, Mardy Collins and Renaldo Balkman are all guys who come with the right attitude and do a lot of dirty work work for this team. Jamal Crawford keeps proving why he deserves to start for this team.

What I don't like: Stephon Marbury. He still believes himself to be one of the elite Point Guards in the league. Unfortunately, he's become no more than a score-first Point Guard who doesn't score very well anymore. Quentin Richardson is a pure shooter who has lost his shooting touch, yet the coaches are convinced enough of him to keep him around. Eddy Curry still doesn't play defense, rebound or hustle in any way. Finally, the New York City nightlife will provide Zach Randolph with a perfect place to get into trouble.

Key Question: With all this talent, will the Knicks finally figure out a way to make it work? Since Isaiah Thomas arrived in New York, it's been a case of acquiring all the talent possible and just putting it on the court, hoping that the puzzle pieces would fit. There are a lot of young guys on this roster that are great role players. The Front Office needs to give up on some of the veterans and build around those hungry guys currently coming off the bench.

Dark Horse: Fred Jones, buried in depth charts in Toronto and Portland, returns to the role he filled in Indiana and could be a good scorer off the bench. Jones provides excellent athleticism, and could be asked to provide that spark that the Knicks are looking for.

What I expect: I expect the same old same old. The Knicks look like they always do, and Zach Randolph isn't changing anything. I firmly believe that Marbury, Richardson and Curry just don't fit into what this team should be doing, and that's building forward towards the future. When you have a lot of young, high character guys, and you cripple their production with lazy, underachieving veterans, you hurt your present and your future. I've been calling for an overhaul for years, yet for some reason it never happens.


5. Philadelphia 76ers

What I like: The two Andres - Miller and Iguodala - are now the guys in Philadelphia. In a move to build towards the future, the team traded Allen Iverson and released Chris Webber, only to finish a game above .500 in games played after the trade. The secret is Iguodala's strong ability off the ball and ability to get open, paired with Miller's supreme passing ability. Miller is one of the game's very best passer's and makes the whole team better.

What I don't like: There just isn't much talent on this roster, and none was added in the off-season. Andre Iguodala is a phenomenal basketball player, but I'm not a believer in him as a #1 scoring option. And scoring will be a problem for this team. The frontcourt is very ugly. Samuel Dalembert and Reggie Evans can play defense and rebound, but are offensively challenged. Backing up those guys are Shavlik Randolph and rookie Jason Smith, who both can shoot but are as soft as mattress king and not starting options. Kyle Korver is a decent offensive threat due to his shooting ability, but is of better value to his team when coming off the bench. Unless Coach Cheeks decides to give Willie Green a starting opportunity, or one of the young guys - Rodney Carney, Thaddeus Young or Derrick Byars emerges from the pack, it's looking like another year of Korver and his defensive liabilities starting on the perimeter.

Key Question: Does the Sixers' success after the Iverson trade mean anything? They were hoping to have a bad season and get a good draft pick, but ended up sneaking up on a lot of teams and actually finished the season on a high note. The players were hungry to do whatever they could without Iverson in town and overachieved to a respectable record. Will the team play with that same hunger again this year? I personally doubt it.

Dark Horse: Rodney Carney. A relatively raw prospect when drafted in the first round last year out of Memphis, Carney slowly got integrated into the offense and by year's end was putting up respectable numbers. Carney brings tremendous athleticism to the game and is a lockdown defender. Should he emerge as the starter on the wing opposite Iguodala, you could be watching an exciting team this season.

What I expect: This team will finish at the bottom of the division. They simply are the least talented team in the division. I think they rallied around the two Andres last season after Iverson was traded and caught people off guard. I would be surprised to see that again this season. The biggest problem is the frontcourt, where there's plenty of athleticism and strength, but no real legitimate inside scoring threat. Because of the athleticism on this team, they'll be running a lot, and the personnel on this roster is made for a pick and roll offense, so they could be very fun to watch, despite probably finishing among the worst teams in the league.

Thoughts on College Football: Iowa @ Penn State

good game. I thought Morelli actually played well today, besides I'd say 3 bonehead plays.

but then again I'm one of the very few that still believes in #14.

I will say this though, I was embarrassed to be a fellow student with the thousands who yelled 'we want Clark' this afternoon.

People seem to forget that Darryl 'Messiah' Clark was barely a three star recruit who wasn't even on the team at the start of last year. I guess you just look at a guy who has the potential to somewhat resemble Michael Robinson in that he can run, while completely forgetting the fact that he has shown nothing that says he's in any way a decent passer.

If anything, call for Devlin, but as I said before, I believe Morelli's the QB for this team this year. No matter what.

other randoms:

* Didn't Chris Baker seem abnormally pumped for the game? Seemed like he was pumping up the crowd and fist pumping more than any player I've seen all year.

* On one play, Tony Davis lined up as the Nickel Corner, in press coverage on a receiver, Scirotto played FS and Lydell Sargeant was at SS before dropping into a flat zone. Complicated defense that managed to successfully confuse the Iowa offense who ended up throwing the ball into coverage.

* My boy Knowledge Timmons made a great play on Special Teams by pinning Iowa down on their own 1. The ball was headed into the endzone and he just hustled and batted the ball into AJ Wallace's hands. Doesn't happen much, but once a game Knowledge will get me excited about something on Special Teams!

* I saw a lot less Odrick and Ogbu, and a lot more Taylor and Baker. The middle was clogged all game.

* Again, the opposing team stayed away from the middle of the field. It has become obvious that opposing offenses will not go near Connor and Lee. I believe Illinois was the only team to actually test the middle consistently.

* The Rolls Royster bandwagon got even more crowded today, but people keep overlooking how good Kinlaw is. I've said all along that the secret to getting a running game is simply more Kinlaw and less Scott. Guess we can stop worrying about Scott.

* And speaking of Scott: (!!!!) My take on the situation is that Austin gave a girl a bad case of fumblitis one night, word got around and suddenly the man wasn't getting quite the lady love he was used to.

* And finally, if you hate Austin Scott as a player, he is supposedly the cockiest d-bag in everyday life. Based on people who've been at parties here with him, he wouldn't even be allowed to approach the door if he wasn't on the team. So I'd say Austin probably won't look back on his final year at Penn State with much of a smile.

Expanding Hank Baskett's Role?

Usually I'm not one to bring up random suggestions, (I usually write longer commentaries) but I haven't really seen many people bring this up.

Hank Baskett is a big physical receiver who runs good routes, but his role has been diminished this year. I had expected him to be used more in certain packages that call for bigger receivers, but it seems he's only seen the field when we spread out the offense.

One big reason our offense has struggled is our WRs inability to get off the line when pressed, and this has been reiterated numerous times. I'm thinking Baskett, because of his size would do better against that kind of coverage and be a valuable player if given more opportunities.

I think it's safe to say that besides one game, Jason Avant has been our best WR, and he is incidentally the biggest of our 3 top WRs.

So wouldn't Baskett, who's 3 inches taller and 8 pounds heavier, be even better?


Just a thought. You can go where you want with this.

Eagles Fans Calm Down

Ok, we're 0-2. The first two games haven't quite gone as hoped, but I get the feeling that people are already giving up on this team.

I'm seeing classic threads like:
"Play Tony Hunt!"
"Sign Tank Johnson!"
"Why doesn't our Front Office spend any money?"

people, calm down.

It is Week 2. Yes, we're 0-2, but you really can't start evaluating this team quite yet. Remember, after the first few games of the season last year we looked unstoppable. That changed. Things change.

To be honest, I was more mad after the first loss than last night.

Think about it, before the year we all said the offense would be fine, while the defense would be a huge question mark.
Well look what's happened so far:

*Our Defense is #6 ranked in the league, playing stout against the run and well against the pass. Bunkley has had two consecutive good games and Takeo has been disruptive. We couldn't make a firm conclusion after last week, considering Green Bay's apparent weaknesses at the skill positions. But Washington has a good offense, especially running the ball. Both Portis and Betts had very subpar games running the ball and there were only two plays through the air that went for more than 20 yards. I would say that our D is improved, which was the big question mark when sizing up this team's Super Bowl potential.


It's been the offense that has struggled, but we have the talent on that side of the ball so that we'll be okay. Westbrook has been great whenever he's touched the ball, and I can't see him getting less that 25 touches next week. The Receivers have been bumped at the line by both GB and WAS, and the coaching staff should be able to conjure up a way of beating the press coverage, especially given that Detroit's Corners aren't nearly the players that our two previous opponents had matched up against us.



So basically, you have a team that was supposed to have so much talent on offense that that side of the ball wasn't even going to be an issue, while a defensive unit that was supposed to struggle has been very good.

The offense has the talent, and they will be fine. Can you actually see an Andy Reid offense with #5 not being among the league's best? and how nasty will this team be if the defense holds up?!


So people, stop panicking. I'm not saying we'll be fine, but I am encouraged by the fact that our supposed weakness has turned into a strength.

We don't need any drastic changes, just little tweaks (like running the damn ball!) and we'll be fine. The personnel we have IS good enough to contend with.

But I will say this, I'll be with all of you if we lose to Detroit.

Thoughts on College Football: Buffalo @ Penn State

* I've disliked Austin Scott since the first drive of the FIU game, and I'm glad he was finally benched today. Rodney Kinlaw is just a better player.

* Justin King didn't have a great game, let's hope he does better vs. Manningham.

* Anthony Scirrotto had a very good game today. Had two turnovers and defended the run well all game.

* Having Quarless back is big. He showed his value today with 2 TDs in the red zone.

* AJ Wallace is a highly underrated Kick Returner

* I'm liking Jerome Hayes more and more every game. The man seems to play every position there is.

* By calling a lot of short passes (flats, screens...), the coaches tried to get Morelli into a groove. I liked seeing that. When Morelli gets hot, he's dangerous. Unfortunately, for some reason he struggles when throwing the easy ones...I have no idea why. He ended up having a great game despite struggling early.

* Andrew Maybin and Navarro Bowman took a lot of snaps away from Gaines and Sales. Was nice to see these highly recruited sophomores getting a lot of PT

* Where was my boy Knowledge Timmons? Must have gotten dinged up on that block in the back...

NFC Season Projections

Ok, I wrote this on August 30th, 2007. Again, interesting to look back on some things I thought would happen this season.

*************

Well, after reading up extensively this summer about just about every team in multiple magazines, online and having watched old games, I've reached a conclusion with my picks. Some of these picks are out there, and I am prepared to get blasted. This is a bit different than my normal topics, in that it is much more opinionated than my usual work. I tried to stay unbiased, although Giants fans will disagree. So with no further ado: This is how the 2007 Season will play out in the NFC!

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys 11-5

Eagles Fans won't like this, but there really isn't much to dislike about this year's Cowboys. Wade Phillips will attack more which I believe will improve the front seven. I believe Marcus Spears is a breakout candidate, playing a new role for Phillips as opposed to his more conservative role under Parcells. The addition of Hamlin was possibly the most underrated move of the off-season, because it allows Roy Williams to be the force against the run that he is. He now won't have to help out in coverage as much with a legit Center Fielder next to him. The O-Line is strong, the receivers are top notch and the Barber/Jones duo in the backfield is very effective. The injury to Newman, if serious, could change the complexion of this defense; he is a borderline elite NFL corner, but I'm going to assumer he'll lay the majority of the season for now. The thing with Romo is that his struggles last year were in my opinion mostly due to inferior blocking. When he played well, he was sacked around 1 time per game. When he struggled, he was getting dropped about 3 times per game. Leonard Davis was added to help this area and I believe experience will help Romo. Really, Romo's biggest problem is facing pressure. If it becomes clear that he can't play in the face of pressure, this team will be mediocre. However, if he overcomes this, as I believe he will, Dallas will be a legit contender in the NFC.


2. Philadelphia Eagles 11-5*

This was a toss up between these two and I gave the edge to Dallas for because they WILL be decent, even if their problems aren't solved. My Birds are odd this year in that they might be the only team that I really can't say that I have a strong opinion of them. There are just so many question marks: McNabb's health, Young starters on defense being tested for the first time, the play of the DEs, in particular Jevon Kearse...Basically, this team could go anywhere from 6-10 to a Super Bowl title. I'm going to be realistic and say McNabb stays healthy, but the defense remains a bit suspect, better, but still suspect. Thus I think 11-5 is a reasonable record based on that.

3. Washington Redskins 7-9

I think Washington has a talented team, but they just can't stay healthy. People point at their DL, but really the same group of guys played on that line in '05 when the defense was great and actually had similar sack numbers as in '06. The key is Marcus Washington. He is a menace off the edge and could almost single handedly provide the pass rush needed. He was hurt last year and it really hurt the 'skins. I believe Jason Campbell will be a good NFL QB, and I'm basing that primarily on his play at the end of last year, in which he really made surprisingly few mistakes, considering it was his first NFL action. That knee injury looked awful but he is supposedly ready to play again. The Line is very good and the Betts/Portis combo could be lethal. The receivers have their issues, but I'm saying this offense will be great, but it will be okay. I think the defense will bounce back. It won't be at that elite level it once was, but it will be better. London Fletcher provides a stable force in the middle of the defense and Rocky McIntosh has looked good in preseason as far as I've heard. The secondary is a bit suspect, but I'm not saying this team will be great defensively. I just think Washington is a decent team, but if their injuries keep piling up or develop more seriously, we could be looking at a team with a top 5 pick. Let's just hope they stay healthy so I don't look like an idiot here.

4. New York Giants 5-11

Some of you might remember when I wrote a detailed season preview for the entire NFC East back in June. Well it was very well received by Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins fans but I received the worst internet bashing I've ever gotten on the Giants board. And basically I think it's because Giants fans don't realize that this team is not as good as they think. The Sporting News put it perfectly in my opinion: "the team has so many holes that any other organization would consider this a rebuilding year". Frankly, when a team struggles to an 8-8 record by basically one player on his own, and that player retires, you can't expect a good follow up season. Now the Strahan situation adds an extra problem to this team. Their line, outside of Diehl, who moves to LT (gulp), is solid and their receivers are solid - I think Steve Smith was an excellent pick. Eli loses a great checkdown option in Tiki and an insecure QB like Eli needs his checkdown guys; neither Droughns nor Jacobs are close to being as good as Tiki out of the backfield. I think the running game will be decent, not amazing, but pretty good. The offense really isn't the problem; it will be fine. The defense is a mess. Can Osi produce without Strahan? Who will replace Strahan at DE? Is Barry Cofield the answer at DT? What in the world are they going to do with Kiwanuka? I don't like Mitchell at WLB, and neither Wilkerson nor Torber appear to be anything more than holdovers...And finally, the secondary, which is abismal. Gibril Wilson is a pretty good player, but he is on his own. Madison is not anywhere where he once was. Webster never has been anywhere near where was supposed to be. Will Demps had an awful year. A lot is riding on rookie Aaron Ross, but how much can he really help this year? I just see a team that will be decent on offense, but just not enough defensively to be anything better than a 7-9 team.

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers 10-6

MY SLEEPER! I am on this team's jock right now and I will tell you why. This team has done a great job of quietly just rebuilding the team to the point that it's looking quite formidable, especially on defense. There really isn't a glaring hole on this team. If they stay healthy, the defense will be stout, even dominant at times. I love KGB as a 3rd down rusher and Cullen Jenkins' move to full time starter. The DT spot is deeper and even more talented now with rookie Justin Harrell in the mix. The linebacker are young, talented and have more experience now playing with each other. Brady Poppinga will be to AJ Hawk as Hunter Hillenmeyer is to Brian Urlacher. The secondary has two top notch corners and in Nick Collins a young FS who I believe will bounce back after he hit the wall a bit as a sophomore and return to being the rising star he was as a rookie. On offense, stout bookends Clifton and Tauscher now have solid players between them. Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz were pretty good as rookies and will continue to improve an OL which I believe will be among the league's best this year. Now, a lot of the reason why I'm so high on Green Bay is also because I see a lot of breakout guys for them. Greg Jennings I think will play like he did at the start of his rookie year and really be a solid compliment to Driver, whose injury luckily appears to be less severe than originally thought. I also think Brandon Jackson will be the Rookie of the year. He enters a great situation: A team that plays in cold conditions, with a good line and few backs to take carries away from him. Really, oddly enough, the biggest retrain on this team is #4. Can Favre cut down on mistakes? In any case, this team went 8-8 last year and with added experience at every spot, two more wins seems completely reasonable. I reviewed their schedule, and if they turn out as good as think they will, the all important home game against Chicago early in the year could be the crossroads for them. I know will get blasted for this pick, but well, it's just my honest opinion and I think I made enough points to validate it.

2. Chicago Bears 8-8

This team just has the classic look of a Super Bowl loser, who FYI have not exactly bounced back too well in years past. You look at all the off-season distractions, you look at some of the pieces they lost and you look at absolutely nothing added really to improve this team and you just see a team that looks to go the same way as many SB losers past. This is Grossman's contract year, and I believe he will force the Bears to go another direction. Frankly, there isn't really THAT much to dislike about this team, but how much was there to dislike about the '05 Eagles? or the '04 Panthers, or even the '06 Steelers? (although they won the SB they still faced many of the same sort of issues that Chicago has this year). It's a shallow projection, I know, but at the end of the year this will have been a mediocre Bears team.

3. Minnesota Vikings 5-11

Awesome Defense. They are so good against the run that teams abandon the run and just throw so much that the secondary begins to look bad on paper, when it is in fact one of the better units in the league. The problem is offense, plain and simple. I am not a believer in Tavaris Jackson, and I can't imagine he's a believer in his receivers. Bobby Wade, Billy McMullen, Troy Williamson...ouch! Visanthe Shiancoe...hardly an improvement at the TE spot. Chester Taylor could very well lead the team in catches in a new role. The line is pretty good, as will be the running game, and maybe 5-11 is a bit low come to think of it, I just can't see them ever coming back in a game with those guys leading the passing attack.

4. Detroit Lions 5-11

Don't you just hate it how every year, the talking heads utter that infamous line: "what out for those Lions in the NFC North!". I'm sure the addition of a flashy wideout helped that little bandwagon this year. Don't buy into that crap. They will be bad again this year, and will be bad every year until the build an O-Line that resembles somewhat of a cohesive unit. They have no RG. Their best OL, Jeff Backus, was very average in '06. Added to that, the injuries to Kevin Jones and Tatum Bell hurt a running game that already wasn't going to be very good. Kevin Jones is a guy who works very well with a lead blocker; put him on the Steelers and he's going to light the league up. Their secondary is bad, their Linebackers, outside of Ernie Sims, are mediocre. Their defensive ends are DeWayne White, a Tampa Bay 3rd down rusher who's being thrown into a starting role, and Kalimba Edwards, who provides very little pressure and is much better versus the run. I question whether Corey Redding will be as hungry as he was in '06. On the bright side, the run defense will be pretty good and the passing game will be awesome in Martz's second year, although Calvin Johnson will have his problems adjusting to the nuances of the Martz offense and come on too late to win the ROY award. They're not terrible, but they're a long way from being good, since they're not really a very young team either. Now with Daniel Bullocks out, you lose another young player who's in an important developmental stage in his career. The offense will rack up yards, but they did last year as well. Basically, you can expect 2006 all over again, which makes me wonder why I'm picking them to win 2 more games this year...hmmm...

NFC South

1. Carolina Panthers 9-7

This team fluctuates, and I think this year they go up again. If the OL stays healthy it's a decent group and Delhomme has plenty of weapons to work with, and DeAngelo Williams will finally start getting the credit he deserves. Delhomme erratic play holds this offense back considerably, which is why they won't be a factor really in the playoffs. Still the defense appears to be pretty good. Mike Rucker seems to be healthy and the DT spot is deep, not to mention Julius Peppers is still around last time I heard. The team hopes Morgan stays healthy this year and I think he will. Thomas Davis will complete the move to LB and Beason will take over for the incumbent Diggs by midseason and be productive. The corners should bounce back from a mediocre '06 campaign. Really, there are a lot of question marks on this team as well, but there have been for several, and the mixed answers to those questions over the past few years explain their roller coaster record quite logically. I think the biggest problem is at Safety, where the retirement of Mike Minter really hurts a Safety position that was already dangerously thin. I can't say I even know who the starters are for the team. In any case, I think the defense will be solid, barring several big plays that this group will give up, and the offense will be decent as well. This is a .500 team that will sneak into the playoffs.

2. New Orleans Saints 9-7*

I have no reason to be picking the Saints to go 9-7 and only slip in as the wildcard. But for some reason I just feel they will feel the slump that a lot of younger teams feel after an initial high. They added some players on defense and lost virtually nobody, but this team, especially the defense, overachieved mightily last season. Sean Payton is a great offensive mind and Reggie Bush will be even better as a sophomore. The offense will stay very potent. They problem is I see many of the overachievers, especially on defense, not repeating what for many were career years. The LB corps is still patchwork and the interior line is suspect which makes me think this team's run defense could stunt it's success this year. I know the argument against this team is vague, but like teh Bears this just seems to be a team that won't repeat its '06 success. Still, you'll still see I pick the team to advance to the Divisional Playoff Round, so they're still a legit contender.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-8

This team stumbled in '06 after making the playoffs the year before. People seem to forget that the playoffs were really not very long ago for this team. A lot of that was due to injuries, specifically to the QB position and I think there will be better play from the QBs this year as the team will bounce back to respectability. The LBs are great Cover 2 guys and the line should be pretty good, while the secondary remains relatively solid. Also, the additions of Petitgout and Arron Sears along with the maturity of Davin Joseph and Jeremy Trueblood on offense will allow the OL to be much better this year. Cadillac will bounce back, I see no reason why that wouldn't happen. This team made a lot of changes in the off-season, and I think they will pay off.

4. Atlanta Falcons 2-14

Oh boy. Where do I start? I thought this team would be terrible before they lost Michael Vick, now without him they should be pretty much the worst team in the league. The O-Line does not fit the new power running scheme Petrino is trying to implement, and neither do the RBs. I expect Warrick Dunn will finally hit the wall this year and we learn that Norwood is nothing more than a spark plug as opposed to a workhorse. The vertical passing scheme will feature Joe Horn and Micheal Jenkins, not exactly burners right there. The DT situation is a mess, with Coleman possibly missing considerable time. They lose leadership in Kerney and will be forced to replace him with with a guy in Jamaal Anderson who is not yet ready for the NFL physically. The Secondary, aside from DeAngelo Hall, is a joke. Chris Houston will likely start as a rookie because frankly there is nobody else who even has the potential to develop into even a decent starting NFL CB. Lawyer Milloy is no longer what he once was and neither Chris Crocker nor Jimmy Williams, who is trying to switch to Safety, is much help either. Oh, and Joey Harrington is the QB. On the bright side, Keith Brooking should head a relatively stout group of LBs, but that's about it for the positives on this team. The Falcons are a mess.

NFC West

1. Seattle Seahawks 10-6

There's really no reason why the Seahawks shouldn't be back to their usual selves this year. Shaun Alexander had a down '06, but he's healthy and spelling him more with Maurice Morris should help stay fresh. Hasselbeck should bounce back after struggling in '06, with a deep group of receivers, an above average O-Line and a healthy Alexander. The defense was pretty good in '06 and returns the same core of players, but now has Donovin Darius, Deon Grant and Brian Russell to limit big plays which hurt the team last year. This should look a lot more like the Seahawks we had gotten used to befor '06, unfortunately for them, the NFC West is not quite as lonely anymore, so a clean sweep of the division would be a pretty strong achievement.

2. St. Louis 9-7

Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Drew Bennett, Randy McMichael, Joe Klopfenstein, Stephen Jackson, Brian Leonard. That is a very nice group of receivers right there. A very good group indeed. Now you add a guy in Marc Bulger who has really quietly developed into one of the NFLs very best QBs and you have a very potent offense. The OL is nothing special, but as long as Orlando Pace is there, there isn't too much to worry about. The defense will remain a relatively poor unit. Leonard Little really flies under the radar despite being one of the NFL's premiere ends. James Hall on the other side is adequate and La'Roy Glover is a good mentor to Adam Carriker who is thrown in at DT full time for the first time in his career. Will Witherspoon played well last year, but unfortunately was on his own a lot last year and will find himself in that same situation a lot this year as well. The secondary lacks playmakers and should struggle again as always. But this team isn't about defense, and with all the new weapons, I believe St. Louis' offense will outscore opponents more often this year, and the team should contend in the NFC if all goes to plan.

3. San Fransisco 49ers 8-8

An overly popular pick. I read The Sporting News projecting them to win the West with a 10-6 record. Hold on there. This team is young and talented and if all continues, will be a good team in '08. But this team is still a ways away from making serious noise in the NFC. They added some receivers to help out Alex Smith, who improved last year beyond what most analysts had ever thought and RB Frank Gore broke out in a huge way. The problem is the defense still isn't quite where it needs to be. Are they finally going to commit to the 3-4? The addition of Aubreyo Franklin from Baltimore and Tully Banta-Cain would suggest it. Manny Lawson is a good young talent and if Patrick Willis wins considerable PT this year, he is my pick for defensive ROY. Still, the D-Line is suspect, with 14-year veteran Bryant Young being relied on to anchor it. Is another season like he had in '06 realistic to project for Walt Harris? Hardly, although the addition of Nate Clements will shore op the pass defense considerably, especially if Michael Lewis refinds his form and plays like the Pro Bowler he once was. There really isn't much negative about this team, but they are very young, and will fall short this year. But watch out '08, this team will be dangerous.

4. Arizona Cardinals 6-10

This seems to be the first time that I don't see the Cardinals being picked to be the sleeper of the NFC in a long time. And for some reason it makes me a bit mad. They're actually finally moving in the right division and people are hopping off the bandwagon? What's up with that? Having Lutui and Levi Brown on the OL pushes this franchise into the realm of competently managed teams. The offense should still be great, and Leinart is lucky as hell to have Fitzgerald, Boldin (who for some reason always gets second billing to Fitzgerald despite putting up better numbers EVERY year...weird) and unsung Bryant Johnson. Not to mention the breakout potential of Leonard Pope. The Line isn't quite built to play to Edge James' strengths, so he won't be putting up Indy numbers but he'll be better than he was in '06. The defense has a lot of talented individuals. The key is to fit them together and take advantage of that talent. I heard rumblings of a switch to a 3-4 on occasion. All I can say to that is: Chike Okeafor and Bertrand Berry dropping into coverage sounds uglier than Lindsay Lohan's latest mug shot. In any case, eventually they will figure out how they can get Adrian Wilson, Karlos Dansby, Chike Okeafor, Darnell Dockett and they hope to light a fire under guys like Gabe Watson, Alan Branch and Antrel Rolle. The defense will be a mess this year, but it seems like the coaching staff is aware of that, so they're going the way of trial and error to fit the puzzle together. The franchise is moving in the right direction, but the fundamentals of a winning team: OL play and a stout defense, aren't quite there yet, although they have been addressed, which is saying a lot for the Cardinals.


Playoffs:


Wild Card Round:

*Eagles over Panthers

This is just a case where the better team will come out on top

*Saints over Packers

Playoff experience in New Orleans will trump the young Packers, in what hopefully will finally be Favre's last hurrah.


Divisional Playoff Round:

*Eagles over Seahawks

This is just a terribly difficult game to pick but the idea is that if we went 11-5 and beat Carolina, we should be rolling on all cylinders and should win here

*Cowboys over Saints

This was really tough as well. I picked Dallas, for no other reason than, because if the season turns out as well as I project for them, they will be the better team in this game.


Conference Championship:

*Eagles @ Cowboys

I think we all know how this one would turn out . in any case this would be a simply awesome NFCCG right here.




Well there's a pretty long post for ya. Took a while to write.

I would do the AFC as well right now but it's really late and I'm tired so that'll come later.

Sorry for all the millions of errors I made in writing this.

Preseason: Eagles vs. Ravens Amateur Game Review

August 14th, so excited for the preseason opener I wrote a detailed game review. Thought it might be interesting to look back on some things I saw in that first game.

***************************


Been away working all summer so I haven’t posted in a while but now that I’m back I’m excited to bring you my notes from tonight’s preseason opener!

First of all I didn’t tape the game or rewatch it so this won’t be GE99 quality, it’s just basically what I (and everyone else) noticed on TV. (Hence, the 'amateur' in the title)

Ok, so Donovan sat out, a decision I support 100%. I think he’s ready to play, but there have been a number of veterans elsewhere sitting out the early preseason games, so holding him out as well makes sense. LJ hurt himself again so he was out, as was Andrews (and they missed him).

On defense, Dawkins sat out with that Achilles injury, but ran sprints before the game and Lito was a no-show as well, despite having practiced with the team.

Feeley, Scott Young, Schobel, William James and Mikell started in place of the injured guys.

Also, Ike Reese was the color analyst and I thought he did a great job. He was one of my favorite Eagles in the AR era and hearing him call the cheap shot on Rocca "bush league” made me laugh out loud.

Offense:

The unit looked okay. Donovan didn’t play, but all three QBs did good jobs. The main receivers caught what was thrown to them and ran their routes. The running game was non-existant due mostly to the line that played terribly. Baltimore had 5 sacks and probably a similar amount of TFLs. Andrews’ absence seemed to really hurt the inside running game.

QB:

A.J. Feeley: 5/7 56 yards. Looked pretty good. Played two series. Went out and completed the first pass to Curtis. Seemed confident, didn’t really ever go deep but was accurate on short throws. Completed a nice 3rd down pass to Schobel on an out route. Checked down to Westbrook on one play that went for a spectacular 23 yard play. Had a nice scramble and avoided a Ray Lewis Sack but failed to get the first down.

Kelly Holcomb: 7/9 75 yards. Performance very similar to Feeley’s. It’s too bad one of these two will be cut. Had a good connection with Brent Celek and went 7 for 9 overall. Hit Greg Lewis as well with some clutch throws.

Kevin Kolb: 11/20 77 yards. I was impressed by his composure. Would never have guessed he was a rookie breaking in a completely new system. Never looked flustered when pressured, and he faced a lot of it. He had good zip on his short throws and was very accurate on crossing patterns. Was a bit off the few times he threw deep. Would have had better numbers had his receivers had more focus. Had a terrible miscommunication with Ilaoa and handed the ball off to Ilaoa as the latter set up in pass protection for the play action.

RB:

Brian Westbrook: 3 carries for 4 yards. 1 catch for 23 yards. Flashed why he’s considered one of the best on the 23 yard completion, eluding tackles and shifting around defenders. Was ineffective as a runner on 3 carries largely due to poor blocking.

Corell Buckhalter: 1 carry for -1 yard. Was really stuffed on his only carry and didn’t play much.

Tony Hunt: 5 carries for 0 yards. 2 catches for 11 yards. Had a very rough game. Was stuffed on virtually every run and was beaten badly several times as a blocker. Also was unable to break away from a big defender (who made a nice play) on a possibly big play screen play.

Ryan Moats: 2 carries for 2 yards. 1 catch for 0 yards. Nasty Ankle Injury. Glad his Achilles is fine but that ankle was crushed. He could be done for the year. It all resulted from him doing his usual mistake of going East-West rather than North-South. Returned a kick and tried to bounce it outside as usual and may have lost yards. The Ryan Moats story is looking more and more like a tragedy.

Nate Ilaoa: 3 carries for 3 yards. 2 catches for 6 yards. All the running backs had their problems running due to bad blocking and Nasti shared their problems. Had one nice 5 yard run and showed his power. Moats’ injury opens up a big opportunity for him.

FB:

Thomas Tapeh: Didn’t see much of him, not sure he even played. The Eagles used a lot of TE Celek in 2-TE sets.

Jason Davis: 1 carry for 3 yards. Had one hard run up the middle and played almost the whole game. Did a decent job but clearly isn’t as powerful as Tapeh.

Jeremy Cain: 1 catch for 13 yards. Had one decent catch late in the game and dropped another. Played both TE and FB.

WR:

Reggie Brown: 1 catch for 6 yards. Had a solid catch on his typical comeback route.

Kevin Curtis: 1 catch for 9 yards. The announcers talked a lot about getting him involved early and caught the first pass of the game. His value will be mostly as a field stretch and we didn’t really get to see that tonight.

Hank Baskett: 1 catch for 9 yards. Don’t remember his catch. He didn’t play much but was in the slot when he did.

Greg Lewis: 2 catches for 16 yards. GLew was GLew. Never the prime target but a reliable target both times when thrown to. Both catches were first downs if I remember right.

Jason Avant: 1 catch for 12 yards. Had a nice catch over the middle but didn’t get a lot of action. Didn’t look as antsy as he did last year.

Jeremy Bloom: 2 catches for 16 yards. Great game. Had two tough receptions, one despite an interference call on the defender. Was impressed by his toughness catching passes while covered. Returned well, notes later on.

J.J. Outlaw: Had a bad drop.

Michael Gasperson: Also dropped a pass. Would have had a good first down catch in the 3rd quarter on a crossing drag route if the pressure hadn’t forced Kolb to underthrow it. Stood up for Rocca on the cheap hit and got penalized for it but I was impressed by Gasperson standing up for his teammate.

Jermaine Jameson: 1 catch for 12 yards. Fumbled away his only catch trying to fight for extra yards.

Zac Collie: 1 catch for 1 yard. Had a bad drop that Ike commented on, needs to take better advantage of late game playing time.

Dereck Faulkner: 1 catch for 5 yards. Faulkner is a big guy and he settled in nicely in a hole in the zone on his one catch.

TE:

Matt Schobel: 1 catch for 10 yards. Had one big catch on an out route on third down. Ran well after the catch for the first down. Not the best blocking on his part.

Brent Celek: Very Very impressive. Stood strong in the zone on his one long 30 yard catch and shook Jaret Johnson’s tackle before running strong for a nice gain afterwards. Had one drop but found a way to get open all game and really helped out the QBs. Celek was probably the offensive player of the game for us.

Lee Vickers: Was looked for once over the middle but the pass was out of his reach.

Kyle Hunt: Did not remember anything from him.

OL:

Because these are just observations it was tough to evaluate every OL individually but I did my best. The line struggled badly, both starters and backups, and it worried me a little how bad they looked with Andrews out. Strangely, a number of passes were batted, which was largely due to O-Linemen not keeping their opponents’ hands down.

William Thomas: Bad game. Was beaten badly twice and gave up the first sack of the game. Ngata and Suggs seemed to dominate him for both series he played.

Todd Herremans: Seemed to have a decent game but was part of a line that just played terribly. Got zero push on several running plays.

Jamaal Jackson: Might have had the best game of any player on the line, but Baltimore’s NT was out with an injury. Did a very good job pulling to the next level and blocking for Westbrook, setting him loose.

Scott Young: Remember how much we missed Andrews when he went down against New Orleans? I felt some of that same feel tonight with Young stepping in again. Young had the best strength of any player at the combine when he was drafted but just doesn’t get the leverage he should. Really didn’t get the push expected from him.

Jon Runyan: Unimpressive, but he has nobody to impress at this point. Did okay in pass protection but it seemed like he didn’t want to be out there.

Winston Justice: Sadly had just as bad a game as his predecessor. Gave up sacks and was beaten all game. He still needs a lot of work if he plans to take over for Thomas in the future.

Max Jean-Gilles: Ditto for MJG. He played very badly and missed blocks all game. I want to see better play from him from this point forward.

Nick Cole: Had problems dealing with the 3-4 and was caught blocking nobody several times.

Pat McCoy: Was beaten really badly one time but was okay for most of the game.

Stefan Rodgers, Jonathan Palmer, Jacob Hobbs, Chris White, Jasper Harvey: All these guys were part of the third string unit that was actually the only unit that played decently, although Baltimore stopped applying as much pressure when they were inserted and we stopped running. None stood out to me really.

Defense:

The defense could have been better, and got torn apart on the first drive, but got better after that. The unit got 0 sacks, so pressure needs to be better. The team also got 0 takeaways, primarily because the Corners played off all game and because of the lack of pressure. The team actually tackled pretty well in the end, but the line was firmly dominated a bit too much for my liking.

DL:

Jevon Kearse: Was surprised he got the nod, but didn’t really do much. Was the only player to not bite on one misdirection play, displaying his veteran composure.

Trent Cole: Got the nod over Howard but, like Kearse, failed to get pressure. He got even less than Kearse and our lack of pressure up front was the main reason for McNair picking us apart on the TD drive.

Mike Patterson: 0.5 tackles. Tried a certain spin move a couple of times with mixed results. Was pretty quiet but did a good job occupying blockers.

Brodrick Bunkley: 1 tackle. His tackle was a TFL when he blew up a running play. Got good penetration all game and was solid when he played. He disappeared a bit after Patterson left the game, so the consistent play of Patterson could be big in helping Bunkley break out.

Ian Scott and Montae Reagor were out for the game as well, leaving a lot of snaps for Jeremy Clark, who had impressed in camp.

Jeremy Clark: Clark got a lot of playing time and had his moments. He had the chance to make a lot of big plays but always came up short. Missed a sack by failing to wrap up, although the QB just threw the ball away afterwards. Also failed to chase down Boller on a scramble although he had the angle on the play.

LaJuan Ramsey: I didn’t see much of Ramsey. Probably played a fare deal of plays but I don’t really remember any.

Maricio Lopez: 2 tackles. Interesting seeing the Mexican import play. Played surprisingly well and got penetration when he played.

Darren Howard: Howard got good pressure when he played and almost got a sack. Was used in the Trent Cole role and played very well. Could get the nod over Cole in the next game.

Juqua Thomas: 2 tackles. Dominated his blocker when he played and was our best DL. Was a hazard on the strong side all game and deserved a sack.

Victor Abiamiri: 4.5 tackles. I kept forgetting #78 wasn’t Bunkley, that’s how big Abiamiri looks out there. Very good bull rusher and had a TFL. Pushed his blocker back most of the game and played well. Hurt his forearm (wrist or elbow?) and was less effective from that point forward but should be fine.

Jerome McDougle: Invisible all game. There is pretty much no reason to still have him on the roster after preseason.

Marques Murrell: I liked what I saw from Murrell. He plays stronger than his 246 lb weight indicates. He had one pathetic missed tackle but I like his potential.

LB:

Chris Gocong: 1 tackle. Was very active on the opening drive and almost had a sack blitzing from the weakside. Had the tackle on the next play and played well. Runs well for a player his size, but was less active after his initial impact. One 16 yard McGahee run went right his way and he wasn’t to be found.

Jeremiah Trotter: 0.5 tackles. Helped out with Patterson on his only tackle and got to the ball well. He plugged the hole and made the play. Worked well with TKO but wasn’t tested much in the running game.

Takeo Spikes: 1 tackle. Had one badly missed tackle but looked good in coverage. Made one tackle in which he looked a little hesitant. I’m looking forward to seeing more to judge him on in the future.

Matt McCoy: 4 tackles. McCoy had a very nice game. Blew up a checkdown throw as he often does and got a good lick on Boller as he just barely missed the sack. I liked what I saw from McCoy and he looked confident. We definitely saw the pre-shoulder injury McCoy today who was active and very aggressive.

Omar Gaither. 2 tackles. I liked his COD skills in the middle and looked comfortable playing the MIKE position. Wasn’t overly active and was off the field by halftime.

Stewart Bradley: 6 tackles. The definition of up-and-down. Had a lot of tackles, had some penalties as well. Was around the ball a lot, but also looked so bad in coverage on one play he fooled the announcers into thinking he was a college end. Played at MIKE as well late in the game. Bradley showed promise, but he won’t be a starter this year.

Tank Daniels: 1 tackle. Tank showed off his great speed and athleticism when he caught up on a play despite biting on the misdirection, but then had a pathetic tackle attempt that he was obviously frustrated about afterwards. Smashed right into a fair catch on Special Teams but the refs saw it was inadvertent and didn’t throw the flag. It’s obvious to see why the coaching staff is intrigued by his potential but he still is a bit out of control right now.

Akeem Jordan: 4.5 tackles. 1 sack. 1 FF. Forced a fumble that Clark and Murrell failed to recover. Was very active and was disruptive especially as a blitzer. He really is undersized and that, along with him wearing #41, had me fooled into thinking he was a Safety until I checked my roster sheet. He showed promise and is a PS candidate.

Craig Kobel: Don’t remember much of Kobel except thinking that he looked a lot like Jason Short on one play where he looked lost and out of position.

Dedrick Roper did not play

DB:

Sheldon Brown: Didn’t get much his way as McNair picked on James on both possessions,

William James: 2 tackles. Did not back up his talk in his first chance as a starter in Lito’s absence. Was picked on by McNair and was beaten several times giving his opponent too big a cushion. Made an ugly tackle on Clayton but at least he made the play. James should maybe talk more about beating out Hanson for the Nickel job.

Joselio Hanson: 3 tackles. Played very well IMO. Broke up two passes and stayed with his opponents in man coverage. Had some good tackles and looked like a veteran leader when young guys were subbed in around him.

Sean Considine: 4 tackles. Had all 4 tackles on the first drive and was around the ball a lot. Was good in run support but none of his tackles were very close to the line of scrimmage, which sends signals to the Front Seven to step up. Considine looks a lot more confident tackling and impressed me.

Quintin Mikell: 0.5 tackles. He’s a backup and looked like one on one bootleg play where for some reason he was nowhere to be found despite the play going right to the FS spot. But I absolutely love Q and he reminded me why when he made a beautiful athletic play to bat down a McNair pass to force 4th down on the second Baltimore possession. Mikell is just one of those guys who will always keep reminding you that he’s there and you can’t neglect him.

Rashad Barksdale: 6 tackles. Was picked on a lot but was never really beaten. Had one beautiful open field tackle on a WR quick out that saved a big play. He gave his receivers a bit of a cushion, maybe a little lack of confidence, so his opponents got their catches, but he always got to the receiver immediately and made solid, fundamental tackles. He had one really good PD on a play where the receiver got away with pushing off. I really liked seeing what I saw from him tonight and on one running play had me actually saying: "Barksdale shouldn’t be making tackles on runs up the 3-gap.”

Nick Graham: 5 tackles. Looked very good in coverage and Ike was very high on him. He tackled pretty well, especially on one slant route where the receiver had a good step on him after the catch. It will be hard not to hold onto 10 DBs this year. I’ve had a feeling since we signed him and Paschal that the FO was looking to fill a roster spot with an UFA DB and Graham could be that guy. His impressive TC definitely carried over into the game.

C.J. Gaddis: 1 tackle. Gaddis played at Safety and showed good range. He showed why he could play CB. On two separate passes over towards Barksdale, Gaddis was very quick to react and help out in coverage. I want to see more of him, especially in run support.

Marcus Paschal: 1 tackle. Looked pretty good coming up in support and had a good tackle.

Erick Harris: 0.5 tackles. Don’t really remember much from him, played with the reserve units.

Special Teams:

K:

David Akers: 1 for 2. Had a chip shot and one miss, that was mostly due to a bad snap. The kick looked to be so far off it looked like it was blocked before it took a circus curve back to the post and barely missed. He has very good distance on his kickoffs.

E.J. Cochrane: The offense failed to give him any opportunities to really kick. I’m not sure he even played.

P:

Dirk Johnson: Dirk was impressive. He had one punt that landed on the 4 yard line and was downed at the 6 and several others that were high and deep and kept opponent return men out of the game.

Sav Rocca: Sav was inconsistent and outbooted coverage units a bit. But his two punts from his own end zone, especially the second one which traveled 65 yards, were extraordinarily impressive. He has an absolute boot. Was jacked up on a cheap hit by a Ravens ST LB but got up without a grimace and didn’t seem to realize how hard he got hit.

LS:

Jon Dorenbos: Terrible snap on the Akers’ miss. 3 points at his expense. God I miss Bartrum… Dorenbos is decent but we’ve been a bit spoiled by Bartum’s near perfection as a LS

Jeremy Cain may have snapped later in the game but I wasn’t able to tell. If he did there weren’t really any bad snaps, but then again no FG attempts in the second half either.

RS:

Jeremy Bloom: Bloom looked really good. He showed good patience and looked like a veteran out there before exploding through the seam. Was great as a PR as well and had a 19 yard return. Was out of the game for a short stretch but returned later; he played tough after he returned and was a constant threat.

Tony Hunt and Ryan Moats also returned punts but were unspectacular. Moats went E-W of course and Hunt just plainly pounded it into the opposing coverage unit.


Overall I wasn’t very impressed by our guys out there, as were none of you. I’m no expert and we can all see there’s a lot of work to be done. I believe Ryan Moats was the only injury and, although he’s probably done for a while, it’s a good thing no key player got hurt. I think our draft picks, especially Celek, Barksdale and Abiamiri, were encouraging but some of the veterans looked a bit lazy out there. The line needs to be a lot better, both in the run and the pass, but that shouldn’t be a problem area. The defense could have been better, but wasn’t sound-the-alarms terrible. I liked the ST units: Bloom was great as a returner, and both Rocca and Dirk made it tough to have to cut one of them. The coverage units also did fairly well. I’m going to wait for the next game to start forming opinions however on this team as a whole.

3 Good 3 Bad: Detroit Lions

Good:

* Detroit's receiving corps is impressive. Roy Williams is expected to be more concentrated in his second year in Mike Martz' system, while it seems like injuries would be the only thing that could keep Calvin Johnson from being a perennial Pro Bowler. Added to that, Mike Furrey, who led the NFC in catches last year, moves inside to the slot where his skills are even better suited. To provide even further depth, Shaun McDonald was added from St. Louis. McDonald is a veteran of Martz' system and should help the other receivers on the roster. Even RB Kevin Jones flashed signs that he could be a dangerous weapon as a receiver last year. Basically, when a journeyman QB like Jon Kitna throws for 4,000 yards, you know there are some big time receivers on the roster.

* The return of Shaun Rogers to a line which actually was pretty decent against the run should help immensely. The Lions actually didn't rank terribly well against the run, but actually were 15th in the league on average yards per carry against - a respectable ranking considering Rogers missed most of the season. Rogers played well when he did, and teamed up with Corey Redding, who broke out big time in Rogers' absense, should help form one of the league's very best DT combinations. Especially if Teddy Lehman finally plays a full season, the Lions could actually wind up with a solid rush defense.

* Ernie Sims is an ideal fit for the Tampa 2 defense. His speed and agility, paired with his nose for the ball and sure tackling could make him a Pro Bowler in '07 following up his tremendous rookie campaign. Especially if newly acquired DE Dewayne White, a veteran of the Cover 2, can help Kalimba Edwards reach his potential, Sims could run wild wrecking havoc on opposing offenses.

Bad:

* The Offensive Line is neither young nor talented. Only one projected starter, newly added OT George Foster, is under the age of 30, and even Foster has little upside left. Damien Woody has had weight problems the last few years, but there doesn't appear to be many options behind him. Dominic Raiola would be a great fit in a zone blocking scheme but will never be a dominating force in Detroit's current system. Jeff Backus, ordinarily the stable force on the Lions' line, had a bad 2006...basically, the Lions can add all the receivers and backs they want, but the Offensive Line will continue to hold them back. Especially an RB like Kevin Jones, whose power running style demands overpowering blocking, might never truely break out until be gets out of Detroit.

* The secondary has big time issues that were not even remotely solved in the off-season. Dre' Bly, the team's best DB was traded away, leaving imcumbent Fernando Bryant as the #1 CB. Travis Fisher was added to have a physical presence in Detroit's Cover 2, but he has never been a great option as a starter either, nor has he ever wowed teams with his physical style. The only young talent at CB is Stanley Wilson, who has yet to record an NFL takeaway. In fact, outside Kenoy Kennedy not a single DB on the Lions' roster recorded an Interception in '06. Also, just like the Offensive Line, the Defensive BAckfield is not young. Daniel Bullocks and rookie Gerald Alexander appear to be the only young DBs on the roster expected to start in the near future.

* The pass rush needs to be better. White was added from Tampa Bay to provide more pass rush, but has been primarily a situational rusher and could struggle when thrown into a full time starting job. Furthermore, the departure of James Hall and the question of whether Redding will still have the hunger that drove him in '06 after receiving his new contract this off-season, could mean a long year for Detroit's DBs who already are not exactly the best coverage unit in the league. Second Round rookie Alama-Francis has tremendous upside, but will not provide much help this year.

Overall:

The Lions have the skill players to have an explosive offense, but like the Cardinals of last year will have problems getting enough time to be able to use them. Martz' system should be better embroidled in players' minds and I would expect to see Kevin Jones used in the slot more frequently. Still, Jones and Bell are players who need a Line in front of them to succeed and Detroit just doesn't have that. In this day and age in the NFL, you build your running game by acquiring the best blockers you can, not by picking up more RBs. Defensively I would see an improvement against the run barring injuries, but the pass defense should be just as porous as it was in '06, particularly if the Front four can't provide a better pass rush.

3 Good 3 Bad: Atlanta Falcons

wow been a while since I've last posted
been working at a camp the last several weeks and had nothing else to do so here goes:

I will talk about several teams in the future, stating 3 positives and 3 negatives about the team heading into the season. I will start with the Atlanta Falcons.

3 Good:

*Bobby Petrino's vertical offense should take better advantage of Michael Vick's powerful arm. Vick's accuracy throughout his career has been very mediocre, and under Coach Mora he was thrown into a system where timing and precision were vital. Needless to say, Vick had his share of struggles and moving away from that system to a more vertical offense could be Vick's last hope to prove himself to be a good NFL passer, as his exceptional arm strength has always been the reason why Vick hasn't yet been given up on.

*Jerious Norwood had a very solid rookie season, averaging over 6 yards per carry and showcasing himself to be arguably the fastest RB in the NFL. With aging Warrick Dunn nearing the end of his career, Falcons fans could see a Taylor/Jones-Drew - like RB tandem in Atlanta. Norwood should see increased carries and could even emerge as Atlanta's feature back of the future if he can prove he can carry the load.

*The offense gains two receivers in Joe Horn and Brian Finneran. Horn was signed as a Free Agent and Finneran should finally be healthy again. Both veteran wideouts will offer the much needed mentoring to young WRs Michael Jenkins and Roddy White. Furthermore, Petrino likes the depth he has at receiver and will look to use numerous 3- and 4-WR sets in 2007. Vick should have more options lined up in the passing game and in Horn finally has a receiver that will hold on to his passes.

edit: this is a bit of a moot point as the poster below me has stated

3 Bad:

*Atlanta's stellar rushing attack could take a severe step back by abandoning the successful zone blocking schemes utilized by Mora. Dunn's career flourished after turning 30 in this blocking system for two reasons: it enabled him to use his excellent cutback ability and the Linemen in Atlanta fit the zone-blocker's profile (small, agile and athletic). Moving away from the zone blocking system towards a more power running game doesn't seem to make much sense, given that both Dunn and Norwood are smallish backs that are much better outside the Tackles. Furthermore, Tackle Todd Weiner and Center Todd McClure are undersized and could severely struggle in more of a power scheme.

*The secondary is a mess. DeAngelo Hall is on his own back there. Lawyer Milloy's gas tank has very few miles left in it and is probably the most reliable DB besides Hall. Second round Rookie Chris Houston is a fairly raw player who came out after his Junior season at Arkansas and will most likely be asked to assume a prominant role in the Falcons' secondary. Houston struggles especially with zones and could be picked on all season, especially given that Hall is across the field. And the FS picture is no better: Chris Crocker is a decent depth man but really shouldn't be Atlanta's long term answer at Safety, which is why Jimmy Williams will be tried there. Williams struggled as a rookie CB, and hasn't shown he has the physicality to play FS either. In any case Atlanta will likely be matching up some very raw talent against the NFC South's many playmaking receivers.

*The Defensive Line is made of question marks. Rod Coleman could potentially miss the early part of the season after an off-season boating accident. Grady Jackson has been winded for the last 3 years and is no longer an every down Tackle. Jonathan Babineaux is facing a felony charge and could be suspended by the league is found guilty. John Abraham is a constant injury concern while Jamaal Anderson will be forced into a starting role despite his lack of lower body strength coming out of college. Overall it's going to have to be the Linebackers Brooking, Boley and Williams who will need to step up if these question marks remain.


OVERALL:
I am not a Michael Vick fan, but he could have a decent bounce back year under Petrino. Unfortunately it seems that every other element to the Falcons team has holes. The defense could be an absolute mess this season, especially if Brooking is less effective moving to MLB. Depth pretty much everywhere is frightening, especially considering how injury prone many of Atlanta's players have been. To sum up: any NFL team will have its struggles when 3 rookies are favorites to start at their respective positions.