#NFL Battlefield of the Mind

Its finally here! Its that time of the year where cities that participate in this illustrious game get hyped and people feel a sense of pride for their current or birth city when “Game Day” begins. Superbowl XLVI will be a battle of the minds for both coaches on Superbowl Sunday. Even though I feel that the best DL, DBs, and WRs belongs to New York, the edge on game calling goes to New England. It’s going to be a example of an intellect vs barbarian type of game. The Giants have the brute force while going against the chess like mind of Bill Belichick . If Tom Coughlin wins he will be the oldest coach to win the Superbowl. If Bill Belichick wins he will be tied with the most Superbowl victories. This should be a great game. Who do you think will win ?

On the Clock: Detroit Lions

The one thing you can say about the Lions is that their draft picks in the last couple of years are starting to make an impact. While trying to keep up with the rest of the division, the Lions need to address some of the main points that plague the team. In a division that just acquired Julius Peppers, the NFC North is starting to be recognized as a DL hub. Peppers(Chi), Allen(Minn), Jolly & Jenkins(GB) will be putting intense pressure on QBs they meet. So second year QB Stafford will need protection in order to exploit the average secondary in the NFC North. The OL of the 2010 draft are skilled, quick, and sized well enough to make an impact their first year. Maryland’s OT Bruce Campbell (6’5″ 315) is very agile with powerful arms and quick feet. He ran a 4.8 in the 40 yard dash and did well in the cone drills. Campbell has the size and speed to neutralize the Peppers and Allens of the NFC North.

Do you think that Campbell will be a good fit and a logical pick for the Detroit Lions?

FREE AGENT: Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens is a very underrated misused player in the NFL. You might not like his entertainment character, but his play is respected on and off the field. Throughout his career Owens has demonstrated his skills as a WR by making it to six pro bowls and putting up good stats even if the team as a whole didn’t produce. If you look at the teams he was on you notice that on the offensive side there wasn’t a balance of personal that can smooth out the opponent’s defense. In Philadelphia, Owens was the key WR. The problem was that Philly didn’t have a key player in another position to make defenses take pressure off Owens. McNabb was no longer a big threat running the ball. Same goes in Dallas. Dallas’ offensive players at the time Terrell was there weren’t demanding the attention needed to take pressure off Owens. Then his pitstop in Buffalo was no different. Buffalo’s RB were not dependable throughout the season. Buffalo had no other key players to draw attention. Terrell Owens is an example of great talent in a team concept. By himself Owens is just a good player.
With a team like Tampa Bay that has a good running game, a great young TE in Kellen Winslow, and other wide receivers that demand attention, Terrell Owens at 6’3″ would dominate all the DBs in the NFC South when the defense is focusing on Winslow or Cadillac or Graham or even Stovall. Tampa Bay should really take a look at TO to fill the void of Bryant. With a good QB like Freeman that can get him the ball and scramble, TO will put up career stats in Tampa.

Where do you think TO will GO?

Why Run with Guns?

The playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints is likely to shoot off close to 800 yards of combined passing yards…. Usually unheard of in playoff football because the belief is that you can’t win if you can’t run…. Try telling that to Kurt Warner…. Even though he did have Marshall Faulk as tailback when he won his only superbowl, the Rams were put on Warner’s arm and he lead them to the “Greatest Show on Turf”…. Now Drew Brees is emerging as a prominent QB in the NFL and has elevated the Saints past expectation and into the NFC divisional playoffs…. The Saints have Reggie Bush which helps in the running game, but it’s the arm of Drew Brees that will make or break the Saints…. The Saints secondary is allegedly there at times but struggles with completing the task of air security thru 4 quarters of football….. We seen Tampa Bay, with a rookie QB, pick apart the Saints secondary and underneath coverage without stress…. So imagine a seasoned QB like Warner…. Only thing is that Warner and the Cardinals are missing an explosive WR in Boldin only to substitute him with raw uncooked talent…. With Breaston and Doucett still wet behind their “playoff” ears… Fitzgerald will have to take up the rest of the slack…. If Beanie Wells steps up and hits atleast 120yds rushing, then the mistakes of Warner won’t disrupted the Rhythm of the Cards…. It’s gonna be difficult though, with the bruising play of DL Grant and LB Vilma patrolling the line of scrimmage…. On the same note, the Cards will have DL Dockett and LB Dansby on the same assignment to try and stop Reggie Bush… This game should be the highlight of divisional playoff games this weekend…..
My prediction is that the New Orleans Saints will move to the next round….

One down, One more To Go

Down goes the Saints…. By the hands of the Cowboys….
Saints were on a come back as they normally have done this season…. But a late strip by Demarcus Ware, who just came off a broke neck, haulted the Saints come back with :09 left to play…
Tony Romo sweetened the tongues of the critics by not executing any points down the stretch…. Being down 24-3 with 12:35 in the 4th, the Saints scored to make it 24-10 and started a come back with conviction…. With help of the Cowboys offense who were non-productive in the fourth quarter…. The Saints were moving down the field in chunks…. 14 unanswered points by the Saints sparked the confidence of the team and they were on pursuit of another score..The Cowboys put together a good drive that moved them into field goal range to only miss it with 7:35 left.. The Saints drove down field and made the score 24-17… With another short cut drive by the Cowboys offense, the Saints gained possession of the ball again and was driving for the tie…
Cowboys defense created four sacks, an INT, & 1 fumble thus far in the game…. They bent but didn’t Break…. as the pressure was on Drew Brees under :20 left…. And as Brees dropped back to pass to a wide open Marcus Colston…. D. Ware was there….

The Breakdown of the Buccaneers

The ’09 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking into the eyes of their worst season in almost 25 years…. They have atleast won one game, which saved us from going winless( thanks Packers), so they can’t be as bad as the Lions in modern free agent era…. Still they have to overcome the fact that they are not finishing games….. Tampa Bay comes out explosive and fired up….. But by the time the fourth quarter rolls around…. The teams slowly gets fatigued and the plays aren’t being made….. Since businessmen are making athletic decisions in the organization, Tampa Bay released one of the best LB’s in Derrick Brooks…. Him alone could change the play of Tampa’s LB’s on the roster….. Tampa Bay’s trouble comes from a weak LB corps…. Nothing against the starting LB’s…. It’s just without Brooks…. They become average at best….. Tampa is open to crossing and short routes across the middle…. Which inturn pulls up the strong safety for support and it leaves Tampa open for the deep pass…. There is a reason that they have a defense named after them…. Tampa 2….. With a good player in each level of the defense, an offense has to assure good blocks are created in each level…. If not, the offense will spend 4 qts guessing where the opening is….. Very difficult for inexperience coaches…..

My ’10 prediction is if Tampa drafts a Defensive Tackle and a Linebacker in the first two rounds…. We will see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back to being the measure of a good defense and a playoff contender.

FANTASY FORECAST week 10

In this segment, i will go thru all match-ups for week 10 and break down offensive and defensive stats and rankings for each team so that you can get an idea of who can help your  fantasy team…. I broke it down into DEF Sacks… turnover ratio….touchdowns given up by the defense…offensive touchdowns…. and the teams offensive and defensive rankings according to TOTAL YARDS…..

*TRNOV= TURNOVER RATIO/ *PTD= PASSING TD/*RTD=RUSHING TD/         

                                                    (DEF)             (OFF)                  (YARDS)

               SACKS   TRNOV   (PTD - RTD)   (PTD- RTD)  OFF RANK   DEF RANK

BEARS     16             -1             (16 - 7)              (14 - 5 )                17                  14                                        

49ERS      17             -3             (9 – 8)                (11- 6)                26                  17

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

LIONS    16              -7              (19 -7 )               (6 – 6 )              25               26

VIKINGS  31            +5              (13- 2)               ( 16 - 10 )             11                19

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

BRONCOS   26       +5           ( 7-  3 )              ( 9 -  4)                20                3

REDSKINS  21       -8             ( 7-  5)               (  9-   3)                24                4

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

FALCONS   19       +4           ( 11-  6)              ( 13- 11)              19                 25

PANTHERS 18      -9            ( 10- 8)              ( 5 - 11)               18                   7

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

BUCS          17        0        ( 18- 9)            ( 11 - 3 )          28                 29

DOLPHINS   21     -1          ( 10- 9 )           ( 6- 13)          23               21

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

JAGUARS       8       -3         ( 15- 5)            ( 6 - 13)           9                22

JETS       14            0            ( 5 - 4)             ( 8- 12)          14               1

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

SAINTS  19        +8             (6 - 11)            (17  - 15)        1                 16

RAMS      14        -7             (11- 12)           ( 6 -  1)        27           24

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

BILLS    17       +3             ( 6- 12)           ( 8- 2)            29               27

TITANS   19       -4          ( 21- 8)            ( 6 -  9 )             22               31

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

BENGALS     21      +2        (10- 4)            ( 14-  7)             13              15

STEELERS   23     -2          ( 9 - 2)           (15- 6)               8             5

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

CHIEFS   10       +2        (14- 8)             (12-  0)                30               30

RAIDERS  17     -9           (8- 13)             (2- 4)                 32               28

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

COWBOYS          21          0            (13- 3)           (13- 9)           5            18

PACKERS             13        +10      (16- 3)           (16 - 7)             7           2

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

SEAHAWKS        20          0           (12- 6)        (13- 3 )      21        13

CARDINALS       21         -6           (14- 5 )        (16- 6 )      15       20

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

EAGLES                27       +11        (12- 5)       (14- 7 )          12         11

CHARGERS         22       +1       (11- 7)           (14 - 5 )          16         9

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

PATRIOTS          15          +8      (9- 2 )     (16 -8)         4          6

COLTS                    22      +7       (4- 6)        (17-8 )         6          8

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

RAVENS                17             +2    (10 -  5)     (12 -11)      10       12

BROWNS                16           -11     (10-12)       (3- 2)         31        32

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

 

Da Big Boyz

YES…. Week one of the NFL is finally in progress and now our wifes have 3 whole hours of “them” time….
There were many great games and dominating games in week 1…. What really stuck out in this weeks actions were the play of the offensive linemen For all teams….. OL recognition is on the rise…. To me, the offensive linemen are like the songwriters and screenwriters of a popular piece of art…. The team goes as far as the 5 up front….
To say the least 15 teams gave up 3 or more sacks…. 5 of those teams won( S.D, GB, SF,MINN,DEN,)….
***11 teams had over 100 yards rushing… 7 teams won….
The game play of the OL is crucial to the success of a play….. Tampa OG Davin Joseph, in my opinon, elevated the position…. Agile guards allow teams to trap and pull to create an unbalanced mismatch… Also allowing 2nd level blocking and minimize double teams….
***KC had the fewest yards rushing(29)
CAR,CLE gave up the most sacks(5)
***BUF gave up 4 sacks and had the game won

So shout out goes to all OL that have ever played the game…. Even though I am a DB in stature…. I am an OL at heart….

Power football v.s. Finesse passing

“Power running is an art and an attitude!” , says coach Pete Arnold head coach of the A.Y.I.F.C champion jr. Buccaneers of Tampa, Fl….”You can throw for 400 yards and lose, but rush for 200 yards and win every time!”…..
So I looked back at all the great runningbacks and see that all rumningbacks that rushed for more than 200 yards in a game hasn’t lost….
My research was done from ’83 to the present……”rushing for that many yards controls the clock” says coach Arnold….
Which Is true….. Ball control, a majority of the time, wins games…..unless you have multiple turnovers….. The power running game has to consist of OL that can be brutal for four quarters….. The running game wears you down physically and mentally…. Frustrations builds for a defense when the offense is gaining at least 3 yards a carry…..

To some, the passing game is just as important to the offense as the running game….. The passing game puts pressure on the defense to execute precisely…..even though the defense has no clue where the player or ball is going…. Many people say “More things happen bad than good when you pass”….. Which sounds agreeable……but in this situation to me, the good outweighs the bad…..the worst that can happen on a pass is a “pick6″….. The worst thing that can happen on a completed pass is?
My point exactly…. The good outweighs the bad….. Then an effective passing game can open up the running game…. Barry Sanders was a great RB…. So being on a team that ran the spread…..it helped him even more…..Look at Marshall Faulk and his success….. He was on a pass oriented offense the dominated most defenses thru the pass…. His abilities added to this formula allowed the Rams to win Superbowl XXXV….. Throughtout history of the NFL, a team with a strong passing game and an effective running game has gone deep into the playoffs….. Bills of the late 80′s…..Cowboys of the early 90′s…..
Rams in the millenium….

So the verdict of this discussion is left open because these offenses can only go as far as the OL

The “Wildcat” offense

Finally, kudos to all NFL Head coaches that takes advantage of all 11 players…..

When the Miami Dolphins showed off the “wild cat” offense in the 2008 season, It had opponents wondering how to defend it….. The Patriots were the first victim….. Against one of the better coaches in the league….. Now the wildcat isn’t a difficult offense….2 important things…..misdirection and a player that can run after he takes the shotgun snap…..simple….but not for a defense…. LBs are taught to read RBs
and the direction they go…..when RB Ricky Williams would go in motion towards the QB…..LBs would have to respect his off tackle and outside threat….. When RB Ronnie Brown would fake it to Williams, LBs have to initially start their first step in the same direction as Williams till they realize it’s a fake….by that time RB Ronnie Brown would hit the hole in the other direction That Is why the Patriots are pursuing Julius Peppers….If Peppers is at his best…. He is unstoppable…. With a force like Peppers, LBs can cheat a little because Peppers can hold his ground on his side…..

The Wildcat offense allows a team to use all 11 players….. With pulling guards in opposite directions will cause a lot of mismatches on the weak side….. That is why the the Dolphins scored many rushing TDs…..
That’s why if the Tennessee Titans add that offense with Vince Young as the “snap catcher” it would be successful…..
The Florida Gators used that style of offense and we all know what happened….