NFL Draft 2010 Roundup

Photo courtesy Arrowhead Pride.

The 2010 NFL Draft was a thrill to see in its new format. Having the first round in primetime on Thursday was a ratings boon for the NFL and invigorates the fanbase. As some have pointed out, the second round picks now have more value to them as well, due to the extra time between rounds.

There are some teams that have an uncanny ability to draft well year after year. Baltimore and New England did just that this year, with Baltimore gaining 1st-round caliber talent in Texas DE Sergio Kindle and Alabama DT Terrence Cody. New England addressed most of its needs, traded like crazy in order to obtain more picks now and in future drafts, and still managed to come up with several potential studs. TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez will give the Pats a good two-tight end set, since they use several multiple-TE formations. Other buzzworthy picks include receiver Taylor Price and linebacker Brandon Spikes.

Many teams this draft seemed to get a B grade from the draft prognosticators, but there were more than a few who had a good draft. Detroit and the aforementioned Ravens and Patriots had pretty good drafts, but here are my 5 teams that had a draft that really stands out:

5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs grabbed Oklahoma standout DT Gerald McCoy and UCLA DT Brian Price with their first two picks. Price was outstanding as a Bruin and helped make that unit one of the best in the Pac-10. WR Arrelious Benn was one of the most coveted receivers in the draft and CB Myron Lewis helps upgrade the secondary after the defensive front got all the attention in the first two rounds. The Bucs had one of the worst punting units last year and upgraded with Brent Bowden.

New Browns QB Colt McCoy. Photo courtesy ColtMcCoyFans.org.

4) Cleveland Browns
The Browns made a heck of a gamble and it worked perfectly. Had it not worked, they wouldn't have been on this list. Their first three picks were all good picks, except for the fact that none of them were a quarterback. They upgraded at cornerback, running back, and safety, betting that Colt McCoy or Jimmy Clausen would be available in later rounds. Sure enough, Colt McCoy, the Texas QB, was available for the taking in the third round. Sixth-round pick Carlton Mitchell is an intriguing possibility considering the talent rating at such a late round (NFL.com had him at a 7.1).

3) Oakland Raiders
In recent years, the Raiders could be counted on for having at least one "huh?" moment in the draft. This year, the Silver & Black made some great picks, starting with Rolando McClain at linebacker. Bruce Campbell, the Maryland OT that some thought was going first-round, was available in the 4th. And to top it off, the Raiders upgraded their QB situation by trading for displaced Redskins QB Jason Campbell. I don't think they're playoff ready, but they certainly took a few steps towards that goal in this draft.

2) San Francisco 49ers
The Niners gave Arizona a run for its money in the NFC West this year, and with this draft class, may very well be the favorite. With first-round offensive line picks Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati, the running game will be even more of a problem for opposing defenses. I'm not quite sure if San Fran has addressed its receiver needs, but it's clear they want to pound the ball inside to win. The 49ers got USC standout Taylor Mays, who had a few words for his former coach, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. Speaking of which...

Golden Tate, left, is now with the Seahawks. Photo courtesy the NY Times.

1) Seattle Seahawks
Hands down, the winner of the draft. Considering the Seahawks had a ton of needs, they did an outstanding job. The 'Hawks got a stud offensive tackle in Russell Okung to protect QB Matt Hasselbeck's blind side and safety Earl Thomas in the first round. Most would grade that well enough alone, but Seattle also got WR Golden Tate and upgraded their defensive front. Even Anthony McCoy, the USC TE who had off-field issues (tested positive for pot at the combine), could be a good pick given his college coach was Carroll. Then to top it off, they got RB's LenDale White, a former USC Trojan, and the Jets' Leon Washington. This team will be very interesting to watch in 2010.

As with any draft, there are always a few teams that, on paper, probably wish for a do-over. Some teams were hampered by trades that stripped picks (Chicago, Washington) while others just plain made some bad calls. Here are 3 teams that left me scratching my head:

3) Buffalo Bills
The Bills have lots of holes to fill, none more so than quarterback and offensive line. They waited until the 5th round to address the OL and the 7th round for QB. By that time, the premiere talent that can make a difference is gone and the QB they did pick up, Troy's Levi Brown is projected to be a backup at best. They did pick up some help on defense, but the fanbase has been disillusioned for some time and the Bills are often rumored as a team on the move to a different city. Stacking the backfield with C.J. Spiller, Marshawn Lynch, and Fred Jackson won't help make the team exciting like a solid quarterback would.

New Broncos QB Tim Tebow. Photo courtesy the Miami Herald.

2) Denver Broncos
This draft will go down as one of the Broncos' best...or absolute worst. They have some serious needs and this draft, at least on paper, didn't seem to address that much. First-round receiver Demaryius Thomas could be a star, but that's a few years off. Dez Bryant would have been a safer choice (drafted shortly after Thomas by Dallas), despite his off-field issues. I really like Tim Tebow, one of my favorite college players in recent memory, but I don't think he fits a need for Denver, nor do I think Denver fits him. He's third on the depth chart to start and considering the price it took to get him, Denver may regret the cost. Coach Josh McDaniels stresses high-character, but then goes and drafts CB Perrish Cox, who teams were skittish about drafting because of "character concerns". In short, it seems like the Broncos need a very clear direction for their team, and that's something a draft can't provide.

1) Jacksonville Jaguars
I generally don't vouch for the idea of grabbing players for the sake of selling tickets, but if there ever was an exception, Jacksonville is it. Jacksonville had the most TV blackouts last year because they didn't sell enough tickets for their home games. Like Buffalo, the fan base has been disinterested for some time and the player they draft with the 10th overall pick is Tyson Alualu? It's not that Alualu won't be a great player, but with that high of a pick, there's a certain amount of pressure and expectation involved. Plus, other higher-rated players were available and if the Jaguars wanted Alualu, they could have traded down and get more picks to fill places of need. Their defensive line needed help, but did it require four of the Jags' six picks when the linebacker, safety, and quarterback positions needed help?

And that wraps up the FTRS 2010 NFL Draft coverage. The meaningless preseason will be here before you know it.

McNabb Heading West?

Photo courtesy of the Lehigh Valley Express-Times / Associated Press.

There's a lot of speculation in the NFL that longtime Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb will be traded to the Oakland Raiders for at least a second-round pick in this year's draft. It would be the end of an era in Philly as McNabb has been with the Eagles since 1999.

McNabb has certainly had a rocky time in Philly. First, his selection in the 1999 NFL Draft (1st round, 2nd selection overall) was booed by Philly fans because they wanted running back Ricky Williams, who later turned out to be a bust in New Orleans. Talk about a warm welcome. McNabb has made the Pro Bowl six times, led the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game five times and one Super Bowl where they lost to the New England Patriots on a field goal. Initially, McNabb had sub-par receivers to work with, but when the Eagles traded for hothead Terrell Owens for the 2004 season, the duo lit up the scoreboard. Finally, acceptance by the Philly fans, right? Nope, because they lost the Super Bowl that year. Then, in 2005, Owens publicly ripped McNabb over his Super Bowl performance and subsequent play. In 2006 and 2007, there were rumblings the Eagles would replace McNabb, who had had injury issues in those seasons. In 2008, the criticism continued with Eagles fans caling him a "choker" after losing in the NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Photo courtesy the New Jersey Star-Ledger / US Presswire.

And to top it off, the Eagles are considering trading him to the Oakland Raiders, a team who hasn't had a winning season since 2002 and is known more for its crazy owner, Al Davis, and its bizarre fans in the Black Hole. Classy move, Philly. Is McNabb the best quarterback of his era? Certainly not, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have had better runs. But after those two, McNabb can be considered a top performer and maybe even a potential Hall of Famer, though winning a Super Bowl would greatly increase those odds. For Philly to treat McNabb the way it has for ten years then to ship him off to the wasteland that is the Oakland Raiders, #5 deserves better. Whether it be back in Philly or not, at least somewhere other than Oakland.

Weekend Roundup

Courtesy of Reuters.

This weekend was busy on the NFL and NBA fronts. Here were the major headlines:

The Los Angeles Lakers went 0-3 on their recent road trip to Miami, Charlotte, and Orlando. All three teams are playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference and the worry in LA has intensified, especially after the 96-94 loss to Orlando. To make matters worse, they seemed more concerned about opposing players' style of play than their own, according to the LA Times. Also, Laker forward Ron Artest debuted a ridiculous hairstyle that has Dennis Rodman laughing somewhere. Think bleach blonde hair with purple letters spelling defense in multiple languages carved into the hair and you get the general idea. Needless to say, the Lakers haven't playing to their level, leaving fans wondering when they'll flick the switch and dominate like last year.


In the NFL, free agency began on Friday. Here were some of the marquee moves:

Courtesy of SportsIllustrated.

The Chicago Bears went on a shopping spree. They signed defensive end Julius Peppers, shown above right, (formerly of the Carolina Panthers), to a 6-year, $91.5 million deal and added running back Chester Taylor (previously of the rival Minnesota Vikings), and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, who was with the San Diego Chargers last year. Unfortunately for Bears fans, these signings do not help with one of Chicago's glaring weaknesses: wide receiver.

In an attempt to not be outdone by their division rival, the Detroit Lions also went on a spending spree. The Lions put their checkbook to work, signing defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, Nate Burleson, and trading for defensive tackle Corey Williams. Despite these moves, Detroit will likely be in the NFC North cellar again, given their division rivals (Minnesota, Chicago, and Green Bay).

Courtesy of the Daily Mail.

Karlos Dansby, pictured above right, signed a 5-year, $43 million deal with the Miami Dolphins. Dansby was previously with the Arizona Cardinals. Speaking of the Cardinals, they traded Anquan Boldin to the Baltimore Ravens for a 3rd and 4th round draft pick. The Cards also released safety Antrel Rolle (who signed with the NY Giants) and traded for NY Jets safety Kerry Rhodes. Coupled with the retirement of Kurt Warner, the Arizona Cardinals' recent run of success may very well have ended this weekend.

The New England Patriots resigned defensive tackle Vince Wilfork to a 5-year, $40 million deal, after a tumultuous couple of seasons between Wilfork and the Patriots over his contract. Wilfork had had the franchise label, effectively banning him from free agency, the past two years, which Wilfork publicly made known his displeasure about. Apparently, it's all water under the bridge now though, as Wilfork will continue to suit up for New England.

Courtesy of Vikings fan blog VikingsGab.com

And finally, longtime Green Bay Packer defensive end Aaron Kampman, shown above left, moved from Green Bay to Jacksonville. Terms of the deal were undisclosed, but many sources say Kampman left Green Bay because he was a poor fit in the new defensive coordinator's schemes. Personally, I think playing in the warm Florida sun in January sounds better than being on the frozen Wisconsin tundra, but that's just me.

For an extended look at the NFL Free Agency, go here. For the complete Free Agent Tracker, monitoring all player movement, go here.

Ungrateful Fans...Is it a Northeast Thing?

Photo courtesy of Bleacher Report.

On Sunday, the fans of the New England Patriots turned on their own team during a playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. They booed the home team, with many saying it was due to the team's performance. Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork was quoted in the Boston Globe saying, "It felt like we were playing an away game, that's what it felt like." While Boston has shown this trend most recently, due to the city's impressive championship runs in multiple sports and higher expectations thereafter, other East Coast cities have had fans boo the home team, namely, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington DC. The act of booing the home team is a foreign concept to those here on the West Coast, with the exception of the Oakland Raiders.

There is a certain amount of gratitude to athletes that must be acknowledged, especially football players. These athletes are real people who bang, smash, flatten, and run into each other with high injury risk (concussions, torn ACLs and MCLs, etc.) Teams want to play at home because they'll have the crowd support. Seattle and New Orleans are great examples of a home-field advantage. Teams feed off the crowd energy, hard to do when said crowd is booing you.

Booing the home-team should be strongly discouraged by the fans. Stay classy and respect the fact that its real people playing the game. After all, rooting for a team means rooting for them through all the ups as well as the downs.

The AFC Playoffs are Here!

Yesterday, I covered the NFC side of the playoff equation. Today, it's the AFC's turn. Here are the playoff teams with seeding:


Photo courtesy of American Sports Blog.

1) Indianapolis Colts
Up until two weeks ago, the Colts were undefeated. Now, they don't look nearly as dominant after two straight losses. Quarterback Peyton Manning is the best in the league and receiver Reggie Wayne is an outstanding player, but what about the other guys? I wouldn't count the Colts out, but they're certainly not scaring anybody, unlike...

2) San Diego Chargers
...the Chargers, winners of their last eleven games. The Bolts are on a roll and have played some of the toughest teams in the NFL in that stretch (Dallas, Philadelphia, Cincinnati). The offense is playing extremely well, led by quarterback Philip Rivers. Probably the most well-rounded team in the AFC at this point.


Photo courtesy of The Red Zone Report.

3) New England Patriots
The Patriots are very banged up and are without stud receiver Wes Welker for the playoffs. The Pats still have Tom Brady and the best coach in Bill Belichick, but given their amount of injured players, I doubt a deep playoff run is in the cards for this team.

4) Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have struggled since the death of receiver Chris Henry and were non-existent on Sunday night against the Jets. They have the talent to reach the second round, but which team shows up: the one that dominated its division or the team that was shut out by the Jets?


Photo courtesy of FantasyPlayers.com

5) New York Jets
The Jets were out of the playoff picture until the Colts decided to put in their B team against them two weeks ago, then the Bengals rolled over Sunday night. They have a rookie quarterback who's prone to throw interceptions, but they have a top defense and running game. Very difficult to tell which team shows up.

6) Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens were very good at the beginning of the season, then stumbled to a 9-7 record and playoff berth. They have an excellent running game and a pretty good defense, but again as with the Jets, which version of the Ravens shows up? (Side note: The Ravens are the team that has Michael Oher, subject of "The Blind Side, so congratulations are in order for the young man. He may very well end up winning rookie of the year honors).

So, here are my AFC predictions:
3) Patriots defeat 6) Ravens (barely)
4) Bengals defeat 5) Jets

1) Colts defeat 4) Bengals
2) Chargers defeat 3) Patriots

2) Chargers defeat 1) Colts
Chargers go to the Super Bowl in Miami.

Super Bowl Prediction: Chargers defeat Cowboys. They did it in the regular season, albeit in a close game, and they do it again.

AFC Playoff Picture: Simply a Mess

Photo courtesy of BallHype.com

Yesterday, I went over the NFC playoff picture. Today, it's the AFC's turn.

If the playoffs started today, the seeds would be:

1) Indianapolis Colts (14-1)
After their run for perfection ended Sunday against the Jets in one of the most disputed coaching calls in recent memory. The game on Sunday won't matter for them because they've locked up the first seed awhile back.

2) San Diego Chargers (12-3)
The Chargers are red-hot with ten straight wins and have locked up the 2 seed, so the game on Sunday is meaningless for them. Having a first round bye and hosting a playoff game in sunny Southern California doesn't sound too bad. Their likely opponents would be the NY Jets or the Cincinnati Bengals.


Photo courtesy of fantasy-info.com

3) New England Patriots (10-5)
The Patriots will get another AFC East title, but they've been shaky all year. Losses to the Colts and Saints underscore the fact that the Pats have lost to good teams and beaten up on the bad ones. I don't see the Patriots going past the second round.

4) Cincinnati Bengals (10-5)
The Bengals have struggled since the death of their teammate, wide receiver Chris Henry. They'll make the playoffs, but their success is predicated on how they handle the loss of Henry. They're 1-1 since his death. Of the teams hosting a playoff game, Cincinnati is the most vulnerable.


Photo courtesy of UPI.

5) Denver Broncos (8-7)
The Broncos may not even be here this time next week. In order for the Broncos to make the playoffs, a lot of things have to fall right for them. The simplest way is for a Broncos win, plus a NY Jets loss and Houston Texans win.

6) NY Jets (8-7)
If the Jets win against Cincinnati on Sunday, they're in the playoffs. The Jets have been a roller coaster ride this year and with an inexperienced rookie quarterback, I don't see them going deep into the playoffs.

On the outside looking in are the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars. If the Ravens win, they're in the playoffs, likely knocking Denver out. The Texans and Steelers need a lot of help to get in while the Dolphins and Jaguars would need complete collapses of the teams in front of them in order to get in. I think the wild cards will be the Ravens and Jets.

Social Lockdown in the NFL?

The NFL has recently announced that players will not be able to post Facebook or Twitter updates 90 minutes before kickoff and 90 minutes after the game, after the postgame interviews with the press. While this policy is well-intentioned, it may get a bit excessive, as was the case with the San Diego Chargers' Antonio Cromartie. He was fined $2500 by the Chargers for criticizing the food service at training camp on Twitter. The Miami Dolphins even went as far as to impose restrictions on spectators during training camp. Several other teams, including the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, and the New England Patriots, have restrictions in place on the practice field.

Twitter is a great chat tool that can easily get misused. I think the Chargers' fining Cromartie was an over-step, while I understand the moves by the Colts and other teams banning Twitter and Facebook from the practice field. The NFL 90 minute policy, while seemingly a little excessive, is well intentioned. The players' focus should be on the game, not posting their latest status update.

A First-Class Patriot Retires

Photo courtesy of everyjoe.com blog "Squib Kick".

Tedy Bruschi, linebacker of the New England Patriots, has decided to retire after 14 seasons, all with the Patriots. It was partly because of Bruschi that I became a Patriots fan. He embodied a strong work ethic and overcame multiple challenges to be a role model for fans and fellow players alike. If I owned a Patriots jersey, I'd own Bruschi's before any other player's, including superstar quarterback Tom Brady.

Bruschi was drafted by the Patriots out of the University of Arizona in the mid 1990's. While a defensive end in college, the Patriots converted him to linebacker, a considerable challenge. He won 3 Super Bowls with the Patriots (2002, 2004, 2005), but suffered a mild stroke shortly after the 2005 Pro Bowl. Later that year, he made a full recovery and won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

For more on this story, visit Mike Reiss' blog at the Boston Globe.

My Fantasy Football Draft

Last Saturday, a yearly tradition continued in the Clark house. Our fantasy football league draft was a success, though R.H. unfortunately couldn't make it, so we drafted on his behalf. The screen on the left was for Dad's team, the middle was for R.H., and the lower laptop was mine. Quite the craziness in the draft war room! This year was more intense since there was a change in position (the 3rd WR slot was changed to a RB/WR flex slot) and everyone used their full 2 minutes per pick.

My starters as of today:
QB Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
RB Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
RB/WR Kevin Walter, Houston Texans
WR Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
WR Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers
TE Kevin Boss, New York Giants
K Ryan Longwell, Minnesota Vikings
DEF New England Patriots
LB DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys
DL Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings
DB Erik Coleman, Atlanta Falcons


Photo of Adrian Peterson courtesy of nola.com.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my squad this year. I had Adrian Peterson his rookie year and did a blog post on him, in a segment dubbed "Player Spotlight", a column that will be returning this fall, which can be viewed here. My bench/depth is a concern, but that's something that can be adjusted as the season goes on. Considering I picked 1st overall in a twelve team league, I made out pretty well. The key disadvantage to picking 1st is that I don't get to pick again until the 24th pick.

A thing I like to do with my fantasy roster is get players from cities I have family or friends in, in addition to my favorite team. While I only take them if it makes sense for my team, It does make for interesting conversation with people during the season when you mention you have a local player on your team. A few years ago, I had a Seahawk on my team, which led to an interesting chat with an old friend who is originally from Seattle. So to start off this year, I have 3 Vikings (C.B.), 2 Patriots (favorite team), 2 Redskins (L.M. and L.M.), 1 Cowboy (R.H. and W.H.), 1 Raven (L.M. and L.M.), and 1 Cardinal (lots of family in AZ). Unfortunately, no Packers, Bears, or Seahawks this year (heck, I usually have more Cardinals too.)

Fantasy football makes football season so much better. There's the friendly rivalry amongst friends, the thrill of victory and the bragging rights attached, and the pain of losing in the championship game. Draft day is one of the best days, like baseball's spring training, where everyone starts at 0-0. There's also lots of banter on draft day between players that makes the experience all the more better.



Everyone in the family was getting into fantasy football in our house. Even Eli, though, judging by the torn pages, he wasn't impressed by the wide receiver crop this year.