The Good, the Bad and the Phins

NFL Draft 2009 - Pre-combine Mock Numero Uno

2009-02-15T15:14:00.009Z

The 2009 NFL Draft. Each team hopes to pick up a future star for their franchise especially in the first round. Everyone wants to get a Peyton Manning with their first round pick, whereas others want to draft a Tom Brady with a 6th round pick or get Romo from those that aren't drafted at all.

It all starts in April, but 2 months before is the Combine where players aim to make their mark and impress scouts, reporters and fans in the Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.

On to the Mock Draft. This has no trades, no free agency deals and presumes the obvious re-signings. Very little explanation apart from key picks.

As Roger Goodell would say "With the first pick of the 2009 Draft, the Detroit Lions will select Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia." Pretty Obvious really. They need a QB and they can get an OT lower in the draft to help him.

2. St. Louis Rams select Andre Smith, OT, Alabama. Right now, the best Tackle, if not the best player in this draft and the Rams need a Tackle.

3. Kansas City Chiefs - Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia. Sanchez is not good enough to be taken at 3, so they go Tackle here and then get a QB in the 2nd round to battle with Thigpen.

4. Seattle Seahawks select Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech. I don't like his attitude especially the huge media circus around him right now. But, the Seahawks fans are already pre-ordering their Crabtree shirts so he goes here.

5. Cleveland Browns - Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest . Best Linebacker in the draft. And the Browns need a LB.

6. Cincinnati Bengals take B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College. Had a great Senior Bowl week. Excellent player. If he has a good combine, he may go higher.

7. Oakland Raiders - Jason Smith, OT, Baylor.

8.Jacksonville Jaguars - Rey Maualuga, LB, USC. Possibly too high for Rey, but he is an awesome prospect and I loved him a few months back so I say the Jags can't pass on him.

9. Green Bay Packers - Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas.

10. San Francisco 49ers - Mark Sanchez, QB, USC. Average QB. But teams need a QB and the Niners may want Sanchez to battle for the number 1 with Hill. Should look at other options though and I don't think Sanchez is a high 1st round pick.

11. Buffalo Bills - Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss. 4th Tackle taken. Once the top-rated, but struggled with pass-blocking the entire Senior Bowl week and was schooled in the Bowl as well.

12. Denver Broncos - James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State. Decent player, but I wonder if McDaniels goes offensive with his first pick.

13. Washington Redskins - Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State. Need to improve these positions again.

14. New Orleans Saints - Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia. Deuce will be on his way out and Pierre Thomas isn't good enough to take the entire workload. Moreno is a very good back and despite my preferance for Beanie Wells, Moreno goes first.

15. Houston Texans - William Moore, S, Missouri. Like Moore a lot. Great Safety.

16. San Diego Chargers - Eben Britton, OT, Arizona.

17. New York Jets - **Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State**. Jenkins is a top 10 player, but I couldn't fit him in elsewhere as teams had bigger needs. If he falls to the Jets, a Revis/Jenkins combo is one of the top combos in the league.

18. Chicago Bears - Everette Brown, DE, Florida State. Very good player, flying up draft boards and could possibly be a OLB in the league if needed.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - **Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri**. Best player left on board and if Bryant goes they need a Receiver. RB also a possibility.

20. Detroit Lions - **Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State**. Like Maclin and Jenkins could go higher in the draft. The Lions need a Tackle, but another option for Stafford to throw to could bring players away from Calvin Johnson.

21. Philadelphia Eagles - Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State. Could go higher, could go lower. Westbrook is over 30 and they need a Back that can do a lot of the other stuff that Westbrook wont have to and can take a break. Eagles could go Receiver though.

22. Minnesota Vikings - Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State. Another non-first round QB. They should look at Free Agency/trade instead but they need a QB.

23. New England Patriots - Brian Cushing, LB, USC. Excellent player. Perfect fit for New England with ageing LBs and others that are injury-prone. Harvin is an option here, as well as a trade up or down. Cushing may not be here at 23.

24. Atlanta Falcons - Percy Harvin, WR, Florida. Can be used as a Receiver, Returner and even in Wildcat-type packages. Very good player. It's a secondary option for Ryan to throw to as well.

25. Miami Dolphins - D.J Moore, CB, Vanderbilt. Would fit well into the Miami Secondary as well as being one of the better players left on the board.

26. Baltimore Ravens - Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest. Linebacker is a strong option here, but it depends on who the Ravens can retain in Free Agency. With Ed Reed also in the secondary, Smith can learn a lot from the master.

27. Indianapolis Colts - Duke Robinson, OG, Oklahoma. They need some help on their OL. They cannot let Manning get hit as much as he has been.

28. Philadelphia Eagles - William Beatty, OT, Connecticut. Some extra protection for McNabb.

29. New York Giants - Clint Sintom, LB, Virginia. Really like Sintim, depending on how he does over the next few months, could also move up the boards.

30. Tennessee Titans - Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland. Possibly too high, but the Titans need a Receiving threat. And this is their man. Love this guy and wont be shocked if he goes ahead of some of the receivers above.

31. Arizona Cardinals - Larry English, LB, Northern Illnois. If Dansby goes, they need some help at LB. Value of English is too high to pass up on.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers - Max Unger, OG/C, Oregon. With the entire OL in Free Agency, major help is needed in the draft.

Top 15 Names left:
RB: LeSean McCoy, Shonn Greene
TE: Chase Coffman
OL: **Alex Mack**, Eric Wood
DL: Tyson Jackson, Michael Johnson, Evander Hood
LB: Brandon Spikes, **Conor Barwin**, Clay Matthews
CB: Vontae Davis
S: Rashad Johnson, Louis Delmas, Patrick Chung

And Finally:

The 2009 Draft Binky for myself is:

Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee. I reckon this guy could go in the first round. Rated 3rd round I believe.

Thats all for now :)

Effort

2009-02-15T15:14:00.003Z

Wow,

I really should have remembered to finish my reviews of each division.

Ah well, onto the draft :)

Players of the Year - Part Deux

2008-12-18T21:18:00.004Z

Now after a long delay aka Lots of college work, its onto the Worst division in the NFL.

NFC WEST -

I'll start with the one good team of the West, and thats a stretch.

Arizona Cardinals - They are one of the offensive forces of the NFL with possibly the best WR tandem in the division with Larry Fitzgerald and the resiliant Anquan Boldin who came back from a horrifying injury at the start of the year. With Kurt Warner throwing the ball hard, long and accurately in good weather, they have big Touchdown totals and with the 3rd Receiver Steve Breaston getting lots of receptions as well. Running Back Tim Hightower has had the Touchdown carries with 10, but has averaged less than 3 yards per carry.
On to their awful defense, rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie leads the team with 3 interceptions including a 99yarder which he took the house. Bertrand Berry leads the team in sacks with 5 of his 16 tackles involving hits on the quarterback, 2 of which have forced fumbles. Karlos Dansby leads the team in tackles, has 3 sacks and a forced fumble and is probably the best player on their defense. They have already wrapped their division up, but when you look at the opposition reviewed below, you wont be all that surprised why.

Pro-bowl Candidates - Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin

Team MVP - Kurt Warner

San Francisco 49ers - What an odd team the San Francisco 49ers have proved to be this year. Almost jekyll and hyde like. But ever since the appointment of Mike Singletary, they have been a different team and his attitude has been instilled in them since them.

Their quarterback situation has changed throughout the season, but they have finally settled on Shaun Hill who has proved over the last few weeks that this was the correct decision. Running Back Frank Gore is the key to their offense, but an injury him has caused him to slow recently although he has a healthy ypc and has 6 TDs. Isaac Bruce has the majority of receptions with 6 Touchdowns as well. And ever since Vernon Davis had his ass kicked by Singletary he has been a completely different player but only has 27 receptions.

The defense has some key players. The main one being Patrick Willis who is in his second year yet leads in tackles, has a 86yd INT return, a sack and is on course for 140 tackles. Takeo Spikes is 3rd in the tackles list and has 3 interceptions which is joint with Walt Harris. Parys Haralson has 7 sacks out of his 32 tackles and has been a key pass rusher on the team.

Pro-bowl Candidates - (If anyone) Patrick Willis

Team MVP - Mike Singletary

Seattle Seahawks - The Seahawks were a highly rated team coming into the season that have had a lot of injuries and dont have a strong Wide Receivers corps. The key to the season has been that Seneca Wallace and Matt Hasselbeck have had to share the reps due to Hasselbecks injuries throughout the year. Wallace has had the better season of the two, but that really isn't saying much. Tightend John Carlson has had the majority of receptions and in the second half of the season has come into his own as both Hasselbeck and Wallaces main targets throughout the season. The kicker Olindo Mare has missed 2 Field Goals all season but is one of the top performers on the ST/Offensive side of the ball.
On the Defense, Julian Peterson has 5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles and is the team leader in both. Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill are the leaders in tackles while Josh Wilson has a 75yd int return as well as a 58yarder.

Pro-bowl candidates - John Carlson

Team MVP - John Carlson

St. Louis Rams - Injury problems have restricted the two key players which has affected the Rams as a whole. Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson both have high reputations which meant that the injuries affected the Wide Receivers as a whole although it could be of benefit to some when Jackson was out. Torry Holt and rookie Donnie Avery have carried the load, but neither have huge statlines for the season, which is understandable. When Jackson has played, he has 4ypc while his replacement Pittman had 3.7ypc.
On the defensive side of the ball, Oshiomogwe Atogwe has 4 interceptions, is 2nd in tackles and has 5 Forced Fumbles. Rookie Chris Long has 4 sacks but James Hall leads the team with 6 on an average defense.

Pro-bowl Candidates - Oshiomogwe Atogwe

Team MVP - Oshiomogwe Atogwe.

The next divisions to be completed will be the North divisions beginning with the AFC North.

patrioteagle

Players of the Year - Part One

2008-12-14T11:14:00.007Z

As an exciting regular season comes towards it close, its time to look at the players who made big contributions to their teams and why they should be in the running for player of the year.

Today, I'll run through the two West Divisions from the AFC and NFC and look at their players. I'll then follow up with other teams as and when I feel like it :)

The two divisions I start with are possibly the poorest two divisions in the NFL with the lowest winning percentages outside their own division in the league.

This morning I start with the AFC West and the NFC West will be posted later.

AFC West:
Denver Broncos - Onto their 7th Running back of the season after Peyton Hillis succombed to the curse after a productive few weeks as the number one back. But they are a throwing team and have Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall picking up the majority of yards for the team. The rookie WR Eddie Royal has contributed more as the season has worn on and had a 93yd TD reception in one game. He has also returned Kicks and Punts including a 95yd return but was stopped at the 5. He is 7th/8th in Punt Return average of the consistent returners. Tony Scheffler provided another option for Cutler but his season has been affected by injuries but has been a consistent option when needed.
There isn't much to shout about on the Defensive side with 5 Interceptions all year. Jamie Winbourn leads the team in tackles, while Elvis Dumervil has 5 sacks to lead the team.

Pro-bowl Candidates - Cutler, Marshall.
Team MVP - Cutler.

San Diego Chargers - Their usual key players of Shawne Merriman and LaDainian Tomlinson have not contributed as well this year due to Merriman being on Injury Reserve and LT just having a bad season with few big games throughout. Tomlinson does lead the Chargers in Rushing yards and has 7 TDs on the ground and one receiving. But, on the floor he has averaged 3.7 YPC which is less than his rushing partner Darren Sproles, who average an extra yard with every carry. He has also provided 3 receiving Touchdowns, as well as a 103 yard KR touchdown. Philip Rivers has used all his options through the air and spread out the passes between his 3 key options. Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson and Tomlinson. Gates has been the key player for the Chargers with 46 receptions and 6 Touchdowns and is always there when the Receivers have been shut down, Jackson also has 6 Touchdowns from his 44 receptions.
On the defensive side as with the Broncos, the Chargers have a very bad defense especially on the passing side. The key point being that 4 of the top 5 tacklers on the team are in the Secondary with Eric Weddle leading, Quentin Jammer, Antonio Cromartie and rookie Antoine Cason. All of whom have at least one interception as well.
Shaun Phillips has 6 sacks and Jyles Tucker has 4 sacks, Jammer also has 3 Forced Fumbles to go with his 2 Interceptions and 2nd leading tackler.

Pro-bowl Candidates - Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates
Team MVP - Antonio Gates

Oakland Raiders - The less said about this teams offense the better really. Veteran Justin Fargas and Rookie Darren McFadden have carried the teams running load. After a bright start, McFadden had a toe injury which held him out for a few weeks and he has only just come back from that. Fargas has done well but with no threat through the air, teams are able to stop the, running relatively easily. The only Receiver with over 20 receptions is Tight-end Zach Miller who has been a popular option for JaMarcus Russell.
The only other 3 options to consider are all on the Special Teams side of the offense. Sebastian Janikowski, Shane Lechler and Johnnie Lee Higgins are all close to being the best at their positions. Janikowski has the biggest leg in football which is needed with the Raiders unable to venture a long way into opposition territory the majority of the time. Lechler gives good field position on almost every punt and he has been needed a lot as well. Higgins has returned 2 Punts to the house.
I'm not going to pretend to know a lot about the Raiders defense despite them being on the field the majority of the time. Nnamdi Asomugha is one of the best Cornerbacks and the most underrated one in the NFL. He doesn't have many Interceptions or Tackles, this being as no Quarterback will throw at him unless they have to. He doesn't have the stats of a ProBowler but probably would deserve to be one. Kalimba Edwards leads the team in Sacks and Chris Johnson leads the team with 2 Interceptions. Kirk Morrison leads the team with tackles and also has 2 Forced Fumbles.

Pro-bowl Candidates - Janikowski, Lechler, Higgins, Asomugha
Team MVP - Who knows? I'll give it to Lechler.

Kansas City Chiefs - A team that started the season with 14 rookies starting I think. They threw in the towel early and have used 4 Quarterbacks, 2 of whom went on IR. They have found a Quarterback of the future in Tyler Thigpen who has shown he is athletic and capable. He also has a Receiving Touchdown out of their version of the Wildcat. Their top receivers are Tony Gonzalez who is the top Tightend in football right now and has a big game every week and Dwayne Bowe who has almost treble the receptions of the next Wide Receiver.
Larry Johnson has had off-field problems all year but has nice but unspectacular rushing stats for the season. Average Special Teams from the Kicking, Punting and Returning means that they havent had great field position either.
Like with the Raiders I don't know a whole lot about their defense. But the one player I know about for various reasons is Bernard Pollard who leads the team in Tackles, has an Interception and two Forced Fumbles.
Derrick Johnson has 4 Forced Fumbles and is the team leader, Jarred Page has 3 Interceptions, rookie Brandon Flowers has 2 including a 91yarder for a Touchdown.

Pro-bowl Candidates - Tony Gonzalez, Dwayne Bowe

Team MVP - Tony Gonzalez.

Thats all for now anyway.

patrioteagle

My predictions NOW and THEN

2008-11-08T20:55:00.003Z

Predictions from a week before the season:

AFC Conference
1. Patriots 13-3
2. Chargers 13-3
3. Steelers 12-4
4. Colts 11-5
5. Bengals 11-5
6. Titans 9-7

NFC Conference
1. Vikings 13-3
2. Cowboys 11-5
3. Seahawks 9-7
4. Eagles 9-7
5. Redskins 9-7
6. Buccaneers 9-7

Obviously most of that is wrong:
In the AFC, The Bengals have already lost 8, the Chargers have lost 5 already, the Titans have 8 wins and the Patriots and the Colts are a shadow of their former selves. Although I am happy with my Steelers pick and can see them finishing there.

In the NFC, The Vikings are struggling, the Cowboys had lost Romo but can still get to 11-5 despite their strong division if they go on a run. The Seahawks are worse than I thought, the Eagles are on course for their prediction, the Redskins should surpass theres as should the Buccaneers so not to bad on the NFC front despite missing out both the Panthers and the Giants.

Right, now here is my new predictions for the end of the season including player awards.

AFC:
East:
Jets 8-8
Dolphins 8-8
Bills 10-6 WILDCARD
Patriots 10-6 DIV CHAMP

North:
Steelers 13-3 BYE
Bengals 4-12
Ravens 8-8
Browns 5-11

South:
Texans 4-12
Jags 8-8
Titans 14-2 BYE
Colts 10-6 WILDCARD

West:
Chiefs 2-14
Raiders 3-13
Chargers 10-6 DIV CHAMP
Broncos 8-8

NFC
East:
Redskins 11-5 WILDCARD
Cowboys 10-6
Giants 12-4 BYE
Eagles 9-7

North:
Lions 0-16
Packers 9-7 DIV CHAMP
Vikings 7-9
Bears 9-7

South:
Saints 10-6 WILDCARD
Buccaneers 10-6 DIV CHAMP
Panthers 10-6
Falcons 9-7

West:
Seahawks 3-13
Rams 4-12
Cardinals 12-4 BYE
49ers 4-12

Playoffs:

Wildcard

AFC
Bills @ Patriots
Colts @ Chargers

NFC
Redskins @ Packers
Saints @ Buccaneers

Divisional Playoffs:

AFC
Chargers @ Titans
Patriots @ Steelers

NFC
Saints @ Giants
Redskins @ Cardinals

Championship Games:
Steelers @ Titans
Redskins @ Giants

Superbowl XLIII:
Giants vs Titans

Back-to-Back Champions, the New York Giants.

Week 7 picks

2008-10-19T19:00:00.002+01:00

Chargers
Saints
Vikings
Ravens
Titans
Steelers
Giants
Rams (if Romo doesn't start)
Texans
Colts
Jets
Redskins
Buccaneers
Broncos

Week 4 Predictions

2008-09-28T17:42:00.002+01:00

Browns @ Bengals 17-20
Packers @ Buccaneers 24-20
Falcons @ Panthers 10-24
Vikings @ Titans 13-21
Texans @ Jaguars 10-17
Broncos @ Chiefs 38-13
Niners @ Saints 12-19
Cardinals @ J-E-T-S 31-20
Chargers @ Raiders 31-14
Bills @ Rams 23-13
Redskins @ Cowboys 17-23
Bears @ Eagles 13-23
Ravens @ Steelers 13-17

Week 3 Picks review

2008-09-24T19:56:00.003+01:00

Chiefs @ Atlanta - Right but bigger score
Raiders @ Bills - Right but smaller score
Bucs @ Bears - Wrong but close
Panthers @ Vikings - Right and close
Dolphins @ Patriots - WRONG, COMPLETELY.
Bengals @ Giants - Right but smaller score
Texans @ Titans - Right but close
Cards @ Skins - Wrong
Saints @ Broncos - Right and close
Lions @ Niners - Right but larger margin
Rams @ Hawks - Right but bigger scores
Browns @ Ravens - WRONG
Jags @ Colts - Wrong but close
Steelers @ Eagles - Wrong
Cowboys @ Packers - Right but larger margin of victory
Jets @ Chargers - If you double both scores I was right

10-16 from that but 12 right in picks games.

My Week 3 Picks

2008-09-21T13:04:00.006+01:00

After being reasonably close on most of last weeks picks, here is this weeks

Chiefs @ Atlanta 19-23
Raiders @ Bills 17-34
Bucs @ Bears 20-27
Panthers @ Vikings 17-20 (Panthers may spring a shock if no AP for Vikes)
Dolphins @ Patriots 9-27
Bengals @ Giants 10-31
Texans @ Titans 13-20
Cardinals @ Redskins 34-30

Saints @ Broncos 31-38
Lions @ Niners 13-16
Rams @ Seahawks 9-20
Browns @ Ravens 20-17 although I have picked Ravens to win everywhere else, Crennel needs a win.
Jaguars @ Colts 17-23
Steelers @ Eagles 30-27

Cowboys @ Packers 28-27

Jets @ Chargers 14-24

patrioteagle

Week 2 Picks

2008-09-13T19:49:00.003+01:00

Not about Ellis Hobbs intercepted Favre or Asante Samuel on Tony Romo.

Bears @ Panthers 13-17
Packers @ Lions 14-10
Bills @ Jaguars 21-14
Raiders @ Chiefs 21-24
Giants @ Rams 24-9
Colts @ Vikings 20-14
Titans @ Bengals 13-10
Saints @ Redskins 17-14
49ers @ Seahawks 6-31
Falcons @ Buccaneers 17-24
Chargers @ Broncos 17-16
Patriots @ Jets 23-20
Dolphins @ Cardinals 7-21
Steelers @ Browns 31-13
Eagles @ Cowboys 17-20
Ravens @ Texans 13-7

Injury Lists - Whats the point?

2008-09-12T23:35:00.003+01:00

In the NFL, there are 32 teams with 53 Players per team. 53*32=1696 players.

Of these 1696 players, 201 are on the injury lists for Week 2. Thats near enough 12% of players, so nearly 1 in every 8 players has some sort of niggle or injury and its only Week 1. They have played 5 matches including pre-season where they will have had limited injury time.

These figures dont include players on Injured Reserve list like Shawne Merriman or Tom Brady which makes it worse.
132 players will not take part again this season as they have been put on IR.
And another 17 will not play until at least Week 7 as they have been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

So thats 350 players that have an injury in the whole of the NFL. Enough to make up 6 new teams of 53. Hell, you can make two teams out of those on IR.

So, why is there an injury report and what is the point in it.

Tom Brady was on the Injury Report for 3 years, ever since he won the Patriots' last Lombardi Trophy. The first time he played off it, he went on Injured Reserve and wont play again. Karma? or a mere coincidence. There was never any proof that Brady had a bad shoulder, most QBs do struggle with their shoulder at one time or another, but should the fans be expected to believe that TB can break the TD record with one good arm?

Belichick knows that it isnt take it seriously. He put Moss on the Injury list to whip up a controversy about his back and how it happened. By some coincidence, there were more questions about Moss than normal and less directed to Bill about his new QB. Again, Coincidence or not?

It honestly wouldnt surprise me to see an injury report of:

Kevin Faulk RB, Questionable (Taste in Drugs)
Laurence Maroney RB, Questionable (Hairstyle)
Logan Mankins OL, Questionable (Weight)
Ellis Hobbs CB, Questionable (Ability)

When a team has 17 players on the Injury Report and 12 are questionable but likely to play, you wonder why they bother putting this down apart from to create some tension about their players and maybe create an excuse or two for a loss.

I'm tired so most of this may not make sense, but thanks for reading and tomorrow will be a new badges update, and my picks for Week 2.

For Now,
PatriotEagle

A subject closer to home.

2008-09-10T18:20:00.003+01:00

The Superbowl XLIII MVP is Matt Cassel, Quarterback, New England Patriots.

2 weeks ago this statement would sound as ludicrous as the St. Louis Rams winning the Superbowl this year.

2 weeks ago, Matt Cassel was in danger of being cut and the PFW blog said they received over 300 emails on the QB situation and every single one was for Matt Gutierrez to keep his place in the 53 rather than Mr. Interception himself.

Why has everything changed in such a short time.

3 little letters, one tackle and a scream of pain.

A tackle from KC Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard on Tom Bradys knee caused the Quarterback to fall to the floor, as TV cameras followed the ball to Randy Moss who collected the ball and then fumbled, a scream of pain brought the camera back to the future HOFer Quarterback who laid stricken on the floor having torn his left ACL. The Razor was silent as he limped off and down a tunnel with the Patriots hopes of a return to the Superbowl slamming shut with the door.

So after the Chiefs' 3-and-out a new figure returned to the field after a punt to the Patriots 2 yard line. Matt Cassel wearing Number 16, the crowd cheered him so highly onto the field that Randy Moss said he thought Brady had come running up the stairs out of the tunnel and he looked over before the play. Cassel handed the ball off to 2nd RB Sammy Morris twice in a row, first being taken back to the 1yd line and then inches away from a Safety. Now Cassel facing 3rd and 11+ a few inches, had a play to make his career. After not starting a match since highschool and barely playing in College or as a NFL player, the first meaningful snap in years went into his hands. The OL held back the blitzing defense and Cassel launched a pass perfectly into the hands of the waiting Randy Moss, who almost took it to the house but was taken down around halfway. The drive was completed for a Touchdown and the outlook of a season had dramatically changed in about 4-5 minutes.

Cassel and the Patriots completed the win and are now unbeaten in 20 regular season games.

Why do I think the Patriots can still win the Superbowl, when they are no longer favourites to win either their Conference or their Division.

In 2001, the Patriots suffered an injury to Drew Bledsoe and Belichick allowed Brady to lead the team to their first ever Superbowl. Yes, Brady was better than Cassel is now, but there is one big difference. The team then had very few quality players and relied on Defense to win games 10-3, 7-3 etc. Teams knew that they had to stop the Patriots scoring too many as it was so difficult to break the defense down.

The pressure on Brady was deflected by other players to allow him to settle into his new starters job.

Fast forward 7 years and Matt Cassel is in. The defense is definitely weaker with a secondary that is inexperienced and lacks depth. But they have All-Pro players and pro-bowlers in Rodney Harrison, Teddy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas just to name a few. They have first round draft pick Jerod Mayo who adds youth and pace to the aging linebacker corps. They have a great front 3 who stopped the run so admirably against the Chiefs.

But, this defense will not keep a team like the Colts, the Chargers or the Cowboys from scoring 21-30 points+. But, the Patriots have a relatively easy schedule this year and should get to the playoffs without having to beat the Colts or the Chargers and when you are in the play-offs they are a lottery.

The main difference between 2001 and 2008, is the Offense. There were few bigname players in the 2001 team compared to now. Randy Moss and Wes Welker the best WR combination in football. One is there for the big plays and one is there whenever you need him.

A 5 man backfield of Maroney, Morris, Jordan, Faulk and Heath Evans. All have varying parts to the Offensive game and can release the pressure on Cassel to throw and Faulk is a vital weapon on 3rd down.

And the best Offensive Line in the game. 3 probowlers and two couldbe probowlers. Even without Stephen Neal, they give enough time and space for a QB or an RB to gain yards down the pitch.

As with Brady, Cassel is having alot of the flak deflected away from him by senior players. Randy Moss is taking over alot of the media coverage in his role as one of the captains and without Brady his role is bigger on the offensive side. And with the games best head coach in charge of him, who would doubt Moss being bigger and better before and making Cassel look like a superstar

I know a lot of you will think this is all homer talk and as they are my team I would say this, but when the media write off the games best coach in Bill Belichick, the team are going to fight hard for the Lombardi Trophy and with the NY media acting the way they are with Brady, I wouldnt want to be a New York Jet this coming Saturday. I wont focus on the Pats as much anymore during this blog but there was alot for me to put so if you are still reading then thanks.

Matt Cassel will be a free agent and sailing off into the open market as a Superbowl MVP.

They are my reasons for believing that the New England Patriots and Matt Cassel will be lifting the Lombardi Trophy in Tampa on February 1st 2009.

ACL - What effect does it have?

2008-09-09T23:15:00.002+01:00

This is my first of two blogs, the second of which will be a feature on the AFC East and how one mans early decision has cost him a better job and another man whose leg may yet cost him his career.

Over the last few days, there have been a number of injuries to the ACL of some NFL players. To find out what this means, I will show what effect it has on a player and who has had it before.

But first, what is an ACL.
ACL stands for Anterior Cruciate Ligament. It is one of four ligaments in the knee that keeps the joint stable. When you bust your ACL, you have the sensation that your legs have given out from under you. When this sensation occurs, you lose more of your knee cartilage due to feeling like you are falling and forcing your leg down. The sudden high pressure contact to the knee causes extreme pain as shown by Bradys screams as he went down from Pollards tackle.

Next, what Sports Stars, particularly Gridiron players have suffered a torn ACL.
Jerry Rice (NFL hall of famer)
Willis McGahee
Carson Palmer (Current QB for the Bengals)
Jamaal Anderson
Lee Evans WR, Buffalo.
Tiger Woods. He won a major with a torn ACL, but was playing a sport with less bodily contact and requires less mobility between shots/plays.
Now, 2 other players have suffered this injury and another has suffered a lesser version after tearing their MCL (Vince Young)

Tom Brady and Nate Burleson can take some sort of comfort in the fact that the majority of players that have surgery recover from their injury within a year with little side effect.

Quote:

Data were analyzed for 31 players with 33 ACL injuries. Of the injured
players, 21 percent (7 of 33 ACL injuries) never returned to play in another
regular season NFL game. Of the 79 percent that did return, most players
returned to action 9 to 12 months after an ACL injury.
For those players who
returned to NFL action following an ACL injury, performance fell by one-third,
the researchers found. Power rating per game played decreased from 9.9
pre-injury to 6.5 post-injury. This decline in player production was
statistically significant when compared to the 146 players in the control group.
Knee pain, stiffness, loss of strength, deconditioning and reduced
proprioception (the sense of knowing where your leg is) may be factors
explaining the loss of production in players after an ACL injury, the authors
theorize. Further, ACL reconstruction does not perfectly recreate the complex
anatomy and composition of a person's ACL before injury.
Interestingly,
prior to their injury the ACL-injured players performed better than did
controls. "High-performance RBs and WRs are more likely to be injured because
they compete in more plays per game, carry the ball longer on each play, and
attract more defensive attention," the authors say. "The same qualities of RBs
and WRs that contribute to high performance -- instantaneous decelerations as
well as explosive pivoting and cutting maneuvers -- may increase the risk for
ACL injury."
The researchers cite a recent survey of all 31 NFL team
physicians who were asked to quantify "what percentage of players return to play
in the NFL after ACL reconstruction." Ninety percent of team physicians
responded "90 to 100 percent" of players (assuming not borderline talent) return
to the NFL. The current study found the number of players who return to play
after an ACL injury was actually less, at 79 percent.

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So will Brady and Burleson recover to be back to their best to score more touchdowns than ever before, or will their careers fade into obscurity as they fade from the limelight wishing that they could have one last chance.

Thats all for this time.

My 6 Rookie stars for the Season

2008-09-08T18:36:00.000+01:00

DeSean Jackson WR - Philly
Jerod Mayo LB - New England
Rashard Mendenhall RB - Pittsburgh
Felix Jones RB - Dallas
Matthew Slater WR/KR - New England
Antoine Cason CB - San Diego

Week 1 - My Thoughts

2008-09-08T18:22:00.000+01:00

Ups - Forte, Ryan, Flacco, McNabb, Romo, TO, Steelers, Favre, Delhomme, Cassel, Parker, Bears and DeSean Jackson
Downs - Brady, Croyle, Palmer, Bengals, Rams, Browns, 49ers, Anderson, Colts and the Chargers

My Player of the Week:
Joint Winner: DeSean Jackson and Donovan McNabb tie. Philadelphia Eagles.
Runner-Up: Jake Delhomme. Impressive win against the Chargers with last minute TD. Carolina Panthers

My Team of the Week: Chicago Bears
Runner-up: Pittsburgh Steelers - Highest Scoring team of week 1 along with the Eagles but combined passing and rushing effectively.

My Loser of the Week:
Winner: Tom Brady, New England. Obvious reasons
Runner-up: The Jags OL, allowing Garrard to be sacked 7 times.

Worst Team of the Week
Winner: St Louis Rams, only team not to score a touchdown.
Runner-up: Chargers, AFC 2nd favourites lose their first game in last second.

Week 2 Predictions:
The Patriots lose their first regular season game in nearly 2 years facing the archenemy Jets.
The Colts and Chargers get back on the track.
Romo and TO continue their connection to keep the Cowboys moving.
There will be more QB injuries after injuries to Brady, Croyle, Young
Brett Favre will get picked off by Terrence Wheatley.
The Phins will come close to winning their game but will just miss out against the Cards.
The Steelers will run rampant.