Tennessee off the mark: Who’d have thought 1-6 could sound so sweet?

November 2, 2009

So it’s now week 8 of the NFL season (I know, going way too fast), and last year’s best regular-season team, your author’s beloved Tennessee Titans, have finally won their first game at home to Jacksonville yesterday. After the Steelers edged the Titans in the season’s first game, the Texans, Jaguars, Colts, Jets and Patriots have all felled the T’s, and such was the chagrin of the ownership that there were questions surrounding Jeff Fisher’s job security and if Vince Young would ever get a second shot at leading the team.

He's back, baby!

He's back, and turnover-free!

Yesterday, at least, we got the answer to one of those conundrums. Young came in and started his first game since opening day 2008, finishing with an unspectacular but nonetheless efficient statline of  15 of 18 passing for 125 yards and 1 touchdown to Nate Washington. However, the main positive for many Titans fans is that VY (and indeed the team as a whole) didn’t turn the football over. Not once. This is a huge change from a squad who were tied for the league lead in giveaways going into yesterday’s game with 18 in just six games.

Now, rather than bragging about how we at PaP foresaw a second chance for Young months ago, we should not be so bold. Obviously, this is only one game in a long season, and who knows if Young will continue to be efficient, improve or take a downward spiral.

More importantly, the pass defense, which has been the worst in the NFL all year long, finally had a good day, holding David Garrard (who shredded Tennessee for 300+ yards and three scores in the first game) to just 139 pass yards and picking him off twice. The return of Pro Bowl cornerback Cortland Finnegan had a marked impact on the team, and surely rookie D-coordinator Chuck Cecil was delighted to see an improvement in what has been the team’s worst area by far this season.

Chris Johnson: can high-step faster than most people can run.

However, there are still problems to fix for Tennessee. Without Chris Johnson’s frankly obscene game on the ground – 228 yards and two TDs for those keeping score at home – this would have been a much tighter affair, and the fact that Maurice Jones-Drew gained a monstrous 177 yards on just eight carries will certainly keep Cecil up at night this week.

It was a very good thing that Johnson played so well, because it made Young’s job a lot easier and meant that he could settle back into the starting role rather than having to try and win the game on his own. But Tennessee has to prepare for the games where they can’t dominate on the ground and have to lean on Young more; only time will tell how the former Texas star will handle the likes of Indianapolis, San Diego and Arizona down the stretch.

For now though, I’m sure Titans fans worldwide (including yours truly) will simply be delighted to no longer be the worst team in the league. And who knows, maybe Tennessee won’t have a pick in the top five come the 2010 draft. We can but hope!

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Walk Before You Can Run: The Redskins Improve (A Bit) In The Air

September 16, 2009
Equalled his 2008 TD total in week 1.

Equalled his 2008 TD total in week 1.

The bad news is that Washington’s aerial attack wasn’t good enough to win their first meaningful game of 2009. While the defense bottled up the Giants run game, Eli Manning did just enough through the air and the Redskins running backs underperformed just enough that New York could hang on to win 23-17.

The good news? While it was by no means a flawless performance – mistakes included a lazy interception, a missed third down and the decisive strip-fumble-return-td from Osi Umeniyora – Washington’s passing was a lot better than last year.

Unusually for the Redskins, most of their bright spots in the game in fact came through the air. QB Jason Campbell finished 19 of 26 (73% completion), looking poised and strong armed for much of the game. Just as crucially, he didn’t spend the whole time on his back.
Read the rest of this entry »

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Intuition or idiocy? Predictions for Week One

September 12, 2009

So the NFL season has officially begun, with your author’s beloved Titans falling in OT to the reigning champ Steelers 13-10.

Obviously, each NFL season has its quirks and surprises: last year the Dolphins and Falcons shocked everyone by rebounding from a sucky ‘07 to make the playoffs, for example. Thus, predicting the results of the first week’s games would seem an impossible exercise. But not at PaP. We think ourselves savvy enough to predict an entire week’s matchups correctly.

And it is with this idea in mind that we introduce our first round of Intuition or Idiocy predictions, wherein we will try and correctly guess each game’s result. Now, NFL scoring makes exact predictions a mite tricker than, say, soccer forecasts, so we’ll simply give you the winner and a points differential to follow, plus a few tidbits of (probably hokey) information.

In addition, each week we will choose the BORE (Brain-numbingly Obvious REsult) game of the week and the YAWN (Yeah, All We Need) low-scoring matchup of the week, as well as the AWE (Amazing Weekly End-result) shock result of the week. As regular readers will know, we are masters of the acronym, so hopefully this latest batch will live up to expectations.

The Predictions

BORE game of the week, sponsored by John Beck’s Mormon Childhood: Buffalo @ New England

The first week normally offers a lot of surprises, but not here. The Bills are in disarray, without a good left tackle, a(nother) brand new O-coordinator and an anemic preseason offensive display. By contrast, New England looked fierce and have a point to prove. Brady has just sired a child – no doubt also a future Hall-of-Famer – so he’ll enjoy playing with Buffalo’s defense like a kiddie rattle.

New England by a lot 21+.

YAWN game of the week, sponsored by the Cincinnatti Police Department: St. Louis @ Seattle

Both these teams were incredibad last year, and both figure to be finding their stride. Both have new head coaches and new systems, so this will be a barometer game where the Rams and ‘Hawks start to fully grasp a new style of play. Boooooooring.

Seattle by 7+.

AWE game of the week, sponsored by Joe Flacco’s Eyebrows: San Diego @ Oakland

OK bear with me on this. We are not a blog who thinks the Raiders team-build well. Between stupid draft picks and coaches punching coaches, they’re not a team many like in ‘09. However, the Bolts are usually very slow out of the gate and the Raiders are going to run the ball like nobody’s business, so I’m going with the Silver ‘n’ Black to pull one out of the bag here and shock everyone.

Raiders by 3.

The leftovers, sponsored by The Undrafted Rookie Association:

Miami @ Atlanta: Last year’s 2 surprise teams meet in Week One. Miami will look to recreate last year’s Cinderella run, but it won’t start here. The Dirty Birds’ offensive quartet of Ryan, Turner, White and Gonzalez will be too much for any Wildcat to overcome. Atlanta by 10.

Cassel: Brown trousers not in shot.

Philadelphia @ Carolina: The Panthers inexplicably gave Jake ‘6 turnover’ Delhomme the kind of moon-on-a-stick contract usually reserved for overrated free-agents in Washington, and Philly are this year’s chic Super Bowl pick. Philly to edge it in a minor shootout. Philadelphia by 10.

Minnesota @ Cleveland: The Brett Favre inevitable failure of a season Show starts here, and chances are it’ll start well. With the Williams Wall to play at least this game, don’t expect much from the Browns; they won’t be able to run it and Brady Quinn didn’t exactly set the world on fire in preseason. Minnesota by 14.

New York Jets @ Houston: Rex Ryan’s first game in charge, but don’t expect a win. With Glass-Bones Schaub healthy enough to start, the Texans have a good defense and the unstoppable Andre Johnson. That will be enough to squeak out a W here. Houston by 3.

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis: After stinking it up last year, the Jags get the joys of playing Peyton Manning in Week One. New coaching staff or not, Manning is still Manning, and expect him to tear it up with TDs to Wayne, Clark et al. Jags will put up a fight, but it’s Indy’s to lose. Indianapolis by 10.

Detroit @ New Orleans: So obvious it almost eeked New England for the BORE game, the Saints are going to run amok against a Lions D that was horrible last year. Jim Schwartz is a defensive mastermind, but this job will take time. Expect Drew Brees to show Matt Stafford how it’s done. New Orleans by 21+.

Tony Romos calendar is just twelve Septembers.

Tony Romo's calendar is just twelve Septembers.

Dallas @ Tampa Bay: The Bucs seem to have no idea what’s going on these days, changing starting QBs and RBs at will, and the ‘Boys should win this one. Plus, it’s September so Romo will actually be good. Dallas by 14.

San Francisco @ Arizona: The Niners are in transition, and the Cards are coming off one of the best offensive years outside of New Orleans. Fitzgerald to dominate, Arizona to walk it. Arizona by 17.

Washington @ New York Giants: Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell need the ‘Skins to do well this year to keep their jobs. However, a tough Week One matchup won’t help. Even without Burress and Ward, the Giants’ steady offense and brutal defense will be too much here. New York by 10.

Chicago @ Green Bay: Big early pace-setter in the NFC North here, with Da Bears on the shoulders of Forte and Cutler against the Pack on the shoulders of a 3-4 defense and Aaron Rodgers. I like the latter here, the Pack to win it in a physical affair with a big day for Rodgers to banish any lingering Favre memories. Green Bay by 13.

We’ll be keeping track of our overall prediction record as the season progresses, so check back next week for new predictions and to see how badly we messed these ones up.

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The Five Easiest/Best Jobs in the NFL

August 12, 2009

So we all know that playing in the NFL is a privilege without compare. Boatloads of cash, worldwide fame and you’re getting paid to play in a brilliant sport. But what are the honest-to-God best jobs to have in the NFL? Sure, being Tom Brady or Adrian Peterson must be great, but surely it’s more fun to do precious little and still be an NFL employee?

We here at PaP are going to look at the best jobs in the NFL whose rewards are huge but don’t require much effort, and we’re starting in Indianapolis.

Jim Sorgi

This is perhaps the cushiest job in all of sports. Jim Sorgi, we salute you. You’re backing up a future hall-of-fame QB in Peyton Manning, you’ve got a Super Bowl ring, the coaching staff loves you and you’ve become a worldwide synonym for ‘backup’. Plus, in your (admittedly very limited) playing time, you’ve notched up a career TD-INT ratio of 6-1.

Sorgi has the greatest of all NFL jobs because he gets to hang out with P.Manning and plays for a team with a shit-hot receiving corps. When he does play, he has one of the league’s best organizations cheering him on and no pressure whatsoever. His 2007 contract extension paid him a princely $53,000 per game, and Sorgi, despite never having played a meaningful amount of time, has become a millionaire whilst in the NFL after being a college star at Wisconsin.

If he ever gets to start, his ‘best job in the NFL’ status will be lost, but Jim, we’ll still love ya for your brilliant stint as the best clipboard-holder in all of sports.

Arizona WR Coach John McNulty: lucky bastard.

Arizona WR Coach John McNulty: lucky bastard.

John McNulty

You probably won’t recognize the name John McNulty. You probably won’t even recognize his face. But he has got one of the great NFL jobs. He’s the Wide Receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals.

Oh yes. He’s the guy who gets to stand on the sideline watching Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin (and now Steve Breaston too) tear defensive backfields apart whilst saying “I taught them that”.

Obviously, the guy’s got some skills as he’s turned Breaston into a 1000-yard receiver, but coaching Fitzgerald and Boldin must be like fishing with dynamite.

“Hey Larry, keep being the best receiver in the league would you? Thanks, keep it up. And Anquan? Continue to physically punish cornerbacks and be one of the premier pass-catchers in the NFL. Got that? Good.”

You’re trying to tell me that this isn’t a sweet gig? McNulty mentors the best WR tandem in the league and enjoyed a Cinderella playoff run last year. Plus, as long as Larry and Anquan keep putting up numbers, he’s got tenure for sure.

John McNulty, many congratulations sir.

Martin Mayhew

Mayhew, seen here on the left, is the new General Manager for the Detroit Lions. Yes, the same Lions who just finished 0-16 and have one of the longest championship droughts in professional football.

So why is this one of the best jobs in the league? Because you’re following on from Matt Millen, a.k.a. perhaps the most unbelievably inept front-office guy in the history of the NFL. If you can SOMEHOW manage to be worse than a guy who drafted Charles Rogers with the second overall pick, you have to be ridiculously bad at your job.

Mayhew has inherited the worst team in the NFL, sure, but he’s got a minimum of two seasons to turn it around, during which time he can pretty much do whatever he wants, knowing that things can’t get worse.

A team where nothing more can really go wrong, the absolute support of a huge fanbase and two years’ job security? Sounds like an awesome job to me.

Al Davis

Al Davis, looking a bit corpse-y.

Al Davis, looking a bit corpse-y.

Al Davis has got a job that most could only dream of. He owns and is heavily involved with an NFL team to which he has brought four championships (one AFL, three NFL). His draft practice is the most widely criticized in all of sports, yet because he OWNS the team, he can do (and does) whatever he damn well pleases.

Davis will die before he leaves the Raiders’ front office, and despite the team’s recent suckiness, he’s still got a huge amount of fan support not to mention a heckuva lot of clout with his fellow owners and the league itself.

Still regarded as one of the league’s most powerful owners, as well as one of the most hands-on, Davis has got a team that he’ll never sell and he can treat as pretty much his personal plaything.

Davis can be as crazy as he wants and he’ll never get fired, and if he feels upset, he can go and cry into his three Lombardi trophies. Pretty sweet.

Larry Izzo

Larry Izzo has never really been a consistent starter at the linebacker position, spending most of his career as a special teamer and playing for three different NFL teams in his ten-plus seasons.

So far, not great right? But oh, did we mention he played for the Patriots from 2001-08, earning three championship rings in the process? Yeah, that was OK.

Izzo played for the dynasty of the 2000s and earned his three rings whilst only having to play a maximum of about ten plays of every game! The Pats were a dominant force and Izzo got to enjoy all their success while spending minimal time on the field.

In addition, Izzo has been to the Pro Bowl three times as a special teamer, visiting Hawaii in ‘00, ‘02 and ‘04. He was beloved by the Pats’ front office and was only let go years after they had cemented themselves as the best team of the last decade. Now, I know special teams is a dangerous craft which yields a lot of injuries, but Izzo, who now plays for the Jets, managed to get the best of all these jobs.

He played under the best coach of recent times and despite playing a small percentage of every game’s plays has the terms ‘three-time Pro Bowler’ and ‘three-time NFL champ’ on his resume. If that’s not an amazing job, I don’t know what is.

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The Future or the Past? Vince Young’s NFL career in the balance

July 30, 2009
Young during his astonishing career at UT.

Young during his astonishing career at UT.

Vince Young has been the main focus of the Titans’ offseason as far as media coverage goes, despite not having played a single snap for Tennessee since Week One of the ‘08 season. The combination of a knee injury, a troubled personal mindset and a ‘first round bust’ tag have ignited the media sparks under Young, who now enters his fourth NFL season under more scrutiny than perhaps any other player.

After his dynamic, thrilling rookie campaign where he led the Titans to the playoffs and won Rookie of the Year honours, hopes were high for the former Longhorn, but 2007’s statistical struggles (9 TDs to 17 INTs) were compounded by 2008’s personal ones, and Titans fans like your esteemed author find themselves altogether bemused by the situation. So the question becomes: what are the chances of Young ever playing again in Nashville, or even in the NFL?

First off, the bad. In his NFL career to this point, Young has a QB rating of 68.8 and has thrown ten more interceptions than TDs in his first three years. The last time he was Tennessee’s starter in ‘07 he took a massive step back in overall production from his rookie season, accounting for seven fewer total touchdowns his second year than in his first.

Some blame this on the infamous Madden cover curse and others simply on a sophomore slump. However, before Young had a chance to disprove his critics, they only grew louder in his head as he was booed in his first start of ‘08 against Jacksonville, then injured his knee before watching Kerry Collins lead the Titans to the NFL’s best record and a division title. Many questioned Young’s mental toughness and even his actual talent level, accusing him of plateauing and never being able to become an NFL-level quarterback.

Then, just after Jeff Fisher asked another formerly unpolished Titans QB, Steve McNair, to tutor Young in the offseason (Young having had a strong relationship with McNair for nearly a decade), McNair was tragically shot and killed. A huge personal loss to Young as well as a professional one, this only fuelled critics to nail the coffin lid closed on Young’s NFL career.

However, despite his obvious struggles thus far, it’s not all bad news for Young. Jeff Fisher and the Titans front office have repeatedly referred to him as ‘the future of this team’ or ‘our future quarterback’, showing that they are still behind VY going forward. Jeff Fisher is not known for patently lying to press cameras or his own players, so it seems that the veteran coach believes Young has an NFL future, and one in Tennessee at that.

Also a positive is VY’s attitude since the end of last year. Young’s work ethic this offseason has been second to none, studying film and working out at the team’s facility way before even OTAs began, and he seems to want to prove his doubters wrong as the 2009 season rears its head. He knows that Kerry Collins will start the year off barring injury, but given Collins’ age and the inconsistency that has plagued his entire career Young has a legitimate shot of seeing the field this season.

VY at the Pro Bowl: a sight many Titans fans would like to see again someday.

VY at the Pro Bowl: a sight many Titans fans would like to see again someday.

This is where even the negatives could improve Young’s future play, as he has had time to reconsider his situation in the NFL and with the Titans. He now knows that he has to be better than ever to win back not just the fans but the locker-room too. He wants to be a leader on this team, and his work ethic thus far suggests that he’s going the right way about it.

Historically, Young has always played his best with a chip on his shoulder. Everyone said that Texas would never beat USC in the Rose Bowl: they did, as Young almost single-handedly demolished the Trojans’ D. Everyone said that Matt Leinart would get drafted first: he didn’t, and Young went on to show how special he could be with a memorable rookie year.

Now the criticisms are raging louder than ever, and if history is to be noted, Young could come out the other side better and more focused than ever before. That’s by no means a certainty, but it’s something pertinent to consider before slamming VY’s NFL case shut for good.

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Procuring posterity: Can the Steelers repeat in 2009?

July 21, 2009

Since writing this article about the Detroit Lions a while back, I have been wondering about the masses of yearly changes the NFL undergoes offseason upon offseason. By this point in the close season, most rosters (apart from whichever one Brett Favre is declaring interest in) are settled and draft picks are beginning to get signed up. New coaches, regimes, players and stadiums have come and gone, but every year around the June-July media deadzone, pundits gather around and begin to posture about the upcoming season.

The first question that most ask around now is: can the current Super Bowl champs repeat? We at PaP, ever the supporters of the little guy, chose to postulate about the league’s worst team first, but the question mark over the Pittsburgh Steelers’ chances of repeating interests us aswell.

Pittsburgh is an organization with a rich history of winning and one which, if not for the meteoric rise of Tom Brady in 2001, could possibly have been remembered as the dynasty of the 2000s. They’ve won two Super Bowls in the last five years under two different coaches and have established a roster continuity which only New England can rival. It would seem likely then, that the Steelers have as good a shot as any team in the last 20 years to repeat as Super Bowl champs. Were they to do so, they would earn that elusive ‘dynasty’ title which so few teams acquire and even fewer re-acquire years down the road.

So how do the Steelers hope to go about winning the Big Dance all over again? Well, here’s a three-step recipe for how to do it. Mike Tomlin, if you’re reading, you’re welcome.

Ed Reed: Not a friend to Pittsburghs title hopes

Ed Reed: Not a friend to Pittsburgh's title hopes

Step One: Beat the Ravens

The Steelers are in a division which they and the Ravens have dominated (aside from Cleveland’s freak ten-win season in 2007) for a number of years. The Bengals and Browns have been horrible (and I mean Nightmare-on-Elm-Street-sequels horrible) at stopping the run for a long time and thus the power offenses of Baltimore and Pittsburgh have enjoyed a comfortable dominance over them of late. Thus the lesson becomes: beat the Ravens and you’ll usually beat the division.

Pittsburgh swept their divisional games last year, beating their bitter rival Ravens thrice as the season progressed through January and guess what? They won the division and the Vince Lombardi trophy. They’ve only lost six divisional games since their Super Bowl-winning season of 2005, but four of these have been against Baltimore, so it’s not an easy task.

Step Two: DON’T rest your starters in Week 17

OK so assuming the Steelers have beaten the Ravens twice and have the division locked by Week 15, the temptation for Mike Tomlin might be to rest his starters and let them be fresh for the playoffs. Seems a sensical plan, but it’s a really crappy one too.

Although it’s not a strategy that Tomlin has followed before. In Week 17 last year, despite a mortal lock on a playoff spot, he played all the starters and went on to win the Super Bowl. Much by contrast, the 13-2 Titans (much to your author’s chagrin) sat everyone in week 17 and got shellacked by the Colts’ second-stringers before going on to commit horrible rookie errors in the playoffs and losing to the Ravens (although the play clock had definitely run out on that play).

Even if Tomlin chooses to rest his stars in Week 16, he should put them back on for week 17, because even if they stink up the joint, it should motivate them to perform in crunch time. However, given the young coach’s history, he won’t rest anyone and this is a good idea.

Step Three: Don’t Let New England Intimidate You

Given the Steelers’ recent pedigree, it’s hard to believe that the Patriots, who haven’t won a championship since 2004, are still believed by many to be the favourite in the AFC as the dreamy Tom Brady returns. Despite their five-year title ‘drought’ (if it can be so called) they’ve still got one of the best coaches in league history and a future Hall-of-Fame QB at the helm, so they’re a danger.

IF (and it’s a big IF) these two teams were to meet in the playoffs, say, in the AFC title game as many predict, it would be easy to get intimidated by the gaudy offense and staunch defense that New England brings to the table. The key to this possible matchup is determination, which Pittsburgh has in spades. Maniacally pressure Tom Terrific, baffle them with defensive tomfoolery/wizardry and pound the clock into the ground. If the Steelers can stand toe-to-toe with the Patriots and win, they should be able to do it with any NFC team.

Zuul: not a friend to Pittsburghs title hopes

Zuul: also not a friend to Pittsburgh's title hopes

So can they do it?

The answer to this question seems to be a resounding ‘yes’. Barring horrible injuries or an inter-dimensional portal over Heinz Field, the Steelers have a good shot at repeating as NFL champions in ‘09. Unfortunately, unless anyone is in possession of a DeLorean (or indeed Grays Sports Almanac), the only way to know if the Steelers will do what they definitely are capable of is to wait til February.

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Unheralded but Undeterred: Five Rookies Who Could Surprise in ‘09

June 27, 2009

Tom Brady. Terrell Davis. Deacon Jones. Mel Blount.

This short list of players may seem simply a random collection of past and present football greats, but in fact it’s a small selection of late-round NFL picks who have carved out stellar pro careers. The NFL draft, no matter how much it is analyzed, is an inexact science, and every year it seems like a late-round player makes a big splash at the pro level.

In recent years we’ve seen Marques Colston (7th round), Brandon Marshall (4th round) and Ahmad Bradshaw (7th round) make big impacts for their teams, so who will be the next late-round sensation in the NFL? We at PaP have chosen five possible breakout candidates for the 2009 season, and are only taking one candidate per position. Regular readers will know that we are huge supporters of the forgotten men of the NFL, and would rather root for the small-school hopeful than the megabucks wonderkid, so it is in this tradition that we look at these late-round afterthoughts.

Draft analysts once described Drew Brees as “lacking accuracy” and accused him of being a spread-option miracle, so it’s fair to say that they’ve been wrong before. We hope not to be.

Ramses Barden, WR, Cal-Poly: 3rd Round to the New York Giants

Since the Giants released Plaxico Burress after he infamously shot himself in the leg (seriously, I’m still getting over how ridiculous that debacle is), the Giants have had a big hole at the wide receiver position, physically and metaphorically.

To try and fill some egregiously large shoes (or at least part of them), New York’s blue half drafted the 6′6 Barden, a huge physical presence who figures to compete with positional compatriot Hakeem Nicks (1st round, UNC) to try and replace the massive Burress (when he’s not putting the peepol all on fayahhhhh).

Although Nicks has the first-round pedigree, Barden shouldn’t be ignored. He caught 18 TDs in both his junior and senior years in San Luis Obispo (not quite as catchy as Ann Arbor or Columbus, I know) and his final game was a two-touchdown, 108-yard game against Weber State, so the man has some skills. And it’s going to take more than one large man to replicate Plaxico’s production, so we’ve got high hopes for the young man from California Polytechnic.

Honorable mentions: Patrick Turner, USC (4th round to Miami), Mike Wallace, Arizona (3rd round to Pittsburgh) and Johnny Knox, Abilene Christian (5th round to Chicago).

Nic Harris, S/LB, Oklahoma: 5th Round to the Buffalo Bills

Oklahoma is famous football college, but despite coming straight outta Sooner country, Nic Harris doesn’t have the hype surrounding him that many of his fellow alumni have had in the past (though that Adrian Peterson guy turned out pretty good anyway).

Harris, seen here in a delightfully choreographed training camp photo, played safety in college and is moving to linebacker at the pro level, so he is at a disadvantage straightaway.

But don’t be fooled, Harris can play. He was known for his ferocious hitting in college and he looked pretty comfortable playing at linebacker in the Senior Bowl practices, showing a tremendous work ethic and desire to improve. Plus, at 6′2 and almost 240lbs, he can really grow into his frame and maybe become a starting ‘backer in this league.

Honorable mentions: Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina (5th round to Minnesota), Marcus Freeman, Ohio State (5th round to Chicago) and Jason Phillips, TCU (5th round to Baltimore).

Herman Johnson, G, LSU: 5th Round to the Arizona Cardinals

Herman ‘The House’ Johnson is a seriously big dude. At 15lbs, 14oz., he was the biggest baby ever born in the state of Louisiana, and his size continues to be extraordinary even today – at 6′7 and 382lbs, he’s one of the heftiest men in pro sports.

However, The House’s talent has not always equaled his size. In his four-year college career he started 38 games but was always seen as unskilled technically, relying more on bulk than brains.

Big Herm may not be the most polished prospect, but he anchored an offensive line that led the Tigers to a national title and his freakish size makes him a quality project to work on. With some good coaching (which former NFL guard and current Arizona offensive line coach Russ Grimm is sure to provide), Johnson could easily become an elite interior lineman, and clear the way for fellow Cardinals draftee Chris Wells (RB, 1st round, Ohio State) for years to come.

Honorable mentions: Kraig Urbik, Wisconsin (3rd round to Pittsburgh), Duke Robinson, Oklahoma (5th round to Carolina) and George Bussey, Louisville (5th round to New England).

A.Q. Shipley, C, Penn State: 7th Round to the Pittsburgh Steelers

A.Q. Shipley won the Rimington Trophy as the country’s best collegiate center in 2008. He was also the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He was also an All-American selection. At a glance, it would seem that he would be the first center taken and a hot prospect. But that wasn’t the case in the 2009 draft.

In fact, no-one seemed to want to touch the gifted blocker, as his small stature – he stands just six feet – caused him to tumble down the draft board. He was the last player at his position drafted.

However, more than a few people (myself included) cheered when the Steelers took a chance on him in round 7. Players do not have excellent college careers by accident. Shipley beat out two first-rounders (Louisville’s Eric Wood and California’s Alex Mack) to the Rimington Trophy and is a tenacious blocker inside. He’ll maul anyone who gets near him, and all he ever did at Penn State was block anybody in his eyeline.

So let’s all stand up and give a big hand for the little guy!

Honorable mentions: Antoine Caldwell, Alabama (3rd round to Houston), Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas (4th round to Cincinnati) and Blake Schleuter, TCU (7th round to Denver).

Rashad Jennings, RB, Liberty: 7th Round to the Jacksonville Jaguars

Rashad Jennings is the ultimate late-round selection: small school, huge production, great work ethic.

The running back played eight games at Pittsburgh in his freshman year but transferred to Liberty College (go Flames!) in Virginia for his final three years to see more of the field. That could turn out to be a very smart move indeed.

While at Liberty, Jennings led the Flames to back-to-back Big South Conference titles and ripped the conference to shreds, scoring a whopping 36 total TDs his final two seasons and amassing 4,051 rushing yards in three years. Needless to say, Jennings has got game.

Ranked by ESPN as their 7th best running back in the draft, Jennings was overlooked by many NFL franchises due to his program’s obscurity, but the Jags may have gotten a huge steal at pick no.250.

Late-round RBs seem the most prone to breakout years (see Washington, Leon amongst others) and Jennings could continue that trend. He may have been an afterthought for many front offices, but he’s not been forgotten by this list.

Honorable mentions: Javon Ringer, Michigan State (5th round to Tennessee), Bernard Scott, Abilene Christian (6th round to Cincinnati) and Chris Ogbonnaya, Texas (7th round to St. Louis).

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The O.W.E.N.S. syndrome: What’s the problem with NFL Wide Receivers?

June 16, 2009
Burress: Not that fussed about gun safety.

Burress: Not that fussed about gun safety.

For years, it seems that the highest-maintenance and most difficult-to-please players in the NFL have been wide receivers, and with recent developments in the Plaxico Burress, Donte’ Stallworth and Brandon Marshall stories, it doesn’t seem like a trend that is fading away any time soon. Receivers seem to always be making headlines, whether it’s T.E.O. (the E is for Eldorado) conjuring up yet another media firestorm or the seemingly endless parade of pass-catchers who yearly want to be traded.

Wideouts tend to suffer from inflated egos and distorted self-images (and in extreme cases, just being batshit crazy), along with the classic ‘I’m always open’ philosophy which means they need to get the ball. A lot.

I’m not heartlessly victimising a position in the NFL – your esteemed author used to play wide receiver in his playing days – but it seems that there are an endless number of ‘troubled’ wide receivers whose talent is often outweighed by their mouths or off-field problems.

In the ’90s the likes of Cris Carter and Michael Irvin were well-known as big trash-talkers and, although they are both HOF-quality players (seriously, Carter is a first-ballot player who’s been screwed thus far), their attitude is remembered just as often as their considerable achievements. Now, Outspoken Wideout Egotistical Nepotism Syndorme (appropriately acronymed to O.W.E.N.S.) is widespread and the NFL’s equivalent of a swine flu pandemic.

Marshall, Burress, Johnson/Ochocinco, Chris Henry et al are giving receivers a bad name – this is also a position with some consummate pros like Larry Fitzgerald and Reggie Wayne – but there seem to be more problematic wide receivers than any other position in the NFL. So why all the problems? We’ll look to diagnose the symptoms.

O.W.E.N.S. Symptom 1 – Realization/inflation of own talent

R Kelly hit The Worlds Greatest is the O.W.E.N.S. sufferers inspiration.

The O.W.E.N.S. sufferer's inspiration.


OK now this would seem like an obvious point for all NFL players, but wide receiver is a position in which to be exceptional you really have to be unbelievably talented. It seems that every year a late-round running back takes the league by storm or an unknown linebacker makes waves in the NFL, but at wide receiver, this doesn’t seem to be as common. For every Marques Colston we see come out of nowhere, there are 10 Mike Williamses who flame out when they’re expected to succeed.

It’s arguably the biggest boom-or-bust position in the league (except maybe 1st-round QBs), where a single mistake or dropped pass can cost your team the game. Thus when players like Owens, Boldin or Marshall ascend into the position’s upper echelon, they see themselves as above criticism and worthy of huge cash payouts – their self-image becomes distorted and this is the first step toward an O.W.E.N.S. meltdown.

O.W.E.N.S. Symptom 2 – Mo’ money mo’ money mo’ money

Take this down: Biggie. Was. Right.

Take this down: Biggie. Was. Right.

After the effects of the first symptom have taken hold, the patient begins to display an unstoppable level of greed. Anquan Boldin was irate about not being paid as well as Larry Fitzgerald and demanded a trade citing this problem. Fitzgerald (in a shocking buck of the O.W.E.N.S. trend) offered to restructure his own deal to get his teammate and friend more money. Whadda guy.

Some players, (case in point Chad Johnson) receive megabucks deals which in a few years are no longer at the top of the position, causing the player to try and welch on his deal after only a couple of years. Thus trade demands are issued (and normally totally ignored by the front office) and the player loses any popularity he still had with the fans.

O.W.E.N.S. Symptom 3 – GIVE ME THE BALL

This can often coincide with either of the first 2 symptoms, as the patient becomes so utterly full of themselves that they demand the ball from their QB, whether it’s feasible or not. The very very well-publicised spat between Romo and Owens (he really sets the bar, doesn’t he?) about Jason Witten getting more looks than T.O. is an obvious example.

Wide receivers always tend to believe that they’re open at all times, thus when they’re not targeted 10 or more times (if they’re a no.1 wideout) per game, they become disgruntled, to the point where sometimes they very publicly berate the QB/OC for ignoring their ‘obvious’ talents.

O.W.E.N.S. Symptom 4 – Universally hated

After all the previous symptoms have been seen, the final (and often fatal) one comes into play – the hatred of not just rival fanbases, but the entire league. Johnson and Owens are now almost completely despised by all franchises and fans. They’ve painted themselves as money-grabbing egotists who just want the ball regardless of win tallies or team chemistry. When this final symptom is diagnosed, it’s time to let the receiver go and put him in your team’s past – he’s now likely to go out and party, causing off-field problems and, in some cases, self-shooting.

Just as there are a number of receivers who are suffering deeply from the symptoms of O.W.E.N.S., there are some guys – Fitzgerald, A.Johnson, C.Johnson, Marvin Harrison – who just keep their heads down and act like professionals. And to them we offer as much money and as many passes as we damn well please.

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Posted by distantblues

Restoring the roar: how the Lions can battle back

June 8, 2009

The Detroit Lions sure have some committed fans. They sat through one measly playoff win in half a century. They sat through decades of horror and countless rebuilds. They sat through the worst season in NFL history. They sat through the godawful Matt Millen era. They sat through watching multiple first-round draft picks suck their way out of the NFL. Sure, they also sat through 10 amazing years of Barry Sanders, but it would seem the Lions’ fans are due some good news. And with the complete renovation of the front office (and a minimally altered logo), perhaps they can take a small step on the road to redemption in ‘09.

So how can the Lions possibly hope to rebound from 50 years of bad luck and worse play? Here’s the 3-step plan the Lions should follow to restore the roar and finally give Ford Field something to cheer for.

Culpepper: Will throw for food.

Culpepper: Will throw for food.

Step 1: Trust your veterans

This is something the Lions have not done for the best part of 2 decades. Instead of grounding the roster in experience, they turn the keys over to the first rookie they see and set the franchise back 10 years. Andre Ware and Joey Harrington are just two of a number of high-profile busts in Motor City (see also: Williams, Mike and Rogers, Charles) in recent times, and the drafting of Matthew Stafford might indicate they’re going to once again trust the inexperienced hand rather than the savvy one of NFL vet Daunte Culpepper.

The percentage of QBs in the NFL who started from day one and made it work is minscule, so new coach Jim Schwartz should learn from others: the likes of Romo, Rivers, Palmer and Brady all sat for a while before starting and have developed into stars, whereas the likes of Leaf, Couch, David Carr et al have started day one and flamed out spectacularly. Detroit cannot afford to start Stafford only for him to get snapped in half in year one and lose all confidence.

However, it would seem that Schwartz (and new GM Martin Mayhew) are not being rash in their personnel decisions, but adhering to this concept by adding veteran defenders like Julian Peterson and Larry Foote instead of trying to draft their way out of trouble. Rebuilding is (more often than not) a marathon, not a sprint, and the Lions seem to only now be acknowledging this.

Step 2: Establish continuity

Megatron Johnson: enemy of short cornerbacks. And Optimus Prime.

'Megatron' Johnson: enemy of short cornerbacks. And Optimus Prime.

The Lions are now on their sixth head coach in the last decade, and every position seems to have been permanently fitted with a revolving door. A young nucleus has begun to emerge – Kevin Smith, Stafford, Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson and Ernie Sims – and Detroit needs to build around this talented group if they are to succeed. Although I don’t think they should start Stafford this year, trying to establish an off-field chemistry between him, Johnson and Smith would seem prudent in the hope that they can become the hugely talented triple threat they have the potential to be.

The franchise must give its new staff time to acclimatise to new surroundings because even if it takes 2 years before the team is challenging in the division, surely it’s worth the wait? The Lions gave Matt Millen a five year contract extension (not a typo, a five year deal) after not winning on the road for an NFL-record 3 seasons in a row. If he can swing that, then Jim Schwartz should be able to buy himself a few years on the job before his seat heats up.

Step 3: Don’t be reactionary

The average NFL fan (no offense to all of you out there, I’m one too) is the most knee-jerk critic in the known universe. Every time our QB throws a pick, we want him benched, and every tackle our linebackers miss is like a dagger to our souls. Teams who listen to fan hoop-la often end up benching players just because they had a bad game, and don’t see the bigger picture.

Take Philadelphia as an example: Eagles fans bayed for Donovan McNabb’s blood to the point that he was benched during a game (allowing Kevin Kolb to throw Ed Reed a record-setting 108-yard interception TD return), but Andy Reid stuck with to his quarterback and put McNabb back under centre the following week. The result? A 48-20 crushing of the Cardinals and an eventual NFC championship berth. Reid saw what happened without his offensive catalyst, and was able to revert back to the formula that works before too much damage was done. Instead of benching starters because of a bad play or two, stick with them, and see how much player trust can gain you in the win column.

NFL fans may be a hugely important part of the game, but the minute a GM or coach starts letting fan hype get in his head, he needs to pack his bags. The Ford Family, Jim Schwartz, Martin Mayhew and the whole Lions franchise needs to keep a cool head or risk having (yet) another decade of disappointment. The key to success is patience, and if the Lions want to succeed, they should follow this virtue.

Oh, and don’t let Matt Millen come within 400 miles of Ford Field.

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Posted by distantblues

Winning Hearts & Minds: Taking the NFL Global

May 31, 2009

Your correspondent has happened to be in Istanbul over the last week, and every taxi driver, bellboy and barman has struck up a conversation with the wandering Englishman about Wednesday’s Champions League final – even though it contains no Turkish team, no Turkish players, and took place in Rome. Every bar and hotel screened the full 90 minutes, and international news channels (including CNN) had both pre- and post- match analysis as part of their news bulletins for days surrounding the game.

"What I gatta go to make you love me?"

"What I gatta go to make you love me?"

No-one will have been watching more closely than Roger Goodell.  The NFL Commissioner’s accelerating efforts to internationalise the American version of football are aiming to create the sort of global interest that the Champions League effortlessly generates, and the 2009 final provides the league and the owners with both a clear goal and a demonstration of how far they have to go.

Tug at my heartstrings

Wednesday’s Champions League final was watched by over 200m people in 230 countries, generated around $435m in revenue, and billions of column inches and screen hours in news and other free media round the world. Within the world’s most popular sport, the European club final is the premiere global annual match, and is only surpassed by the quadrennial World Cup in cash and media attention.

At the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, the NFL is a long way behind. With a few exceptions in specific countries (Mexico, the UK, Germany, Canada), previous few of the world’s 6bn residents pay any attention to the NFL. Despite periodic marketing drives – and in contrast to many countries’ adoption of other US cultural exports -  the NFL has failed to connect with potential audiences worldwide. 

Not a man of the people

Not a man of the people

International sports fans, especially in blue-collar areas, tend to have other sports (soccer, rugby or cricket) embedded in their culture at an early age. Not only is the competition therefore well entrenched, but to make matters worse the foreign equivalents of the demographic groups which form the bedrock of the NFL’s support at home have a disdainful view of the sport.

Partly this is historical – the league embraced glossy theatrics and flashy divas some decades ago, at a time when most global fans preferred earthier, seemingly less money driven sports. It’s also cultural: men (and it’s usually men) who fanatically follow sports and pour their free cash into TV packages and merchandise are often a little macho in their outlook, and will take some convincing that a sport played in “suits of armour” isn’t, well, a little soft.


Fortress NFL

To some degree, however, world fandom’s shunning of US sport in general is also a reaction to its shunning of them.

This isn’t purely a football thing – the American cultural milieu unfortunately has an exceptionalist streak which sees the world as stopping at the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and this turns off many global citizens. Whilst evangelising about the US as the “shining city on the hill” is an important part of the American national identity, it can leave others feeling patronised and unwelcome – whether it’s over Iraq, the economy or the World Series.

In sporting terms, this is shown through rhetoric and marketing – holding annual “World Championships” containing only American teams does nothing to make others feel welcome. Until recently, NFL games were held in the US, starred (almost) solely American players, and seemed to pay little regard to whether the rest of the world noticed or cared. This unfortunately exacerbates the wider anti-American sentiment that has become  prevalent in recent years, which casts the country as myopic, self-obsessed, culturally hegemonic and unwilling to adjust its own views to accommodate those of others.


Chief Salesman, America Plc

Chief Salesman, America Plc

Yes We Can

Commissioner Goodell therefore faces an uphill struggle to make football the world’s game, though the international strategy – combined with a general downturn in Americaphobia following November’s election – is starting to put a dent in reflexively hostile attitudes. To move beyond this and make serious contact with hearts and minds abroad, the league will have to demonstrate in some highly public ways that it’s serious about engaging with the global social fabric – and this means US fans will have to give up some of the exclusive rights and access they currently enjoy.

As with other aspects of the international strategy, the Commish isn’t waiting for an invitation – the current furore over holding a Superbowl in London could be Goodell’s “Clause Four” moment, where a public fight with the reactionary “America First” elements of the fanbase helps position the league as a liberal beacon of inclusivity.

The lights of Rome have illuminated the glittering prize this week, and the NFL isn’t wasting any time in moving towards it. If they are to grasp it fully, however, Commissioner Goodell and the owners have a huge diplomatic and cultural mountain to climb.

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Posted by redemigre

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