Hours Before Kickoff: Preseason Four posted by Randolph Charlotin

When CB Terrence Wheatley walked off the Gillette Stadium field last Thursday with a couple of trainers, it crossed my mind it would be for the last time as a Patriot for Wheatley. But his chance of sticking around went up with CB Leigh Bodden going down.

As one of the handful of moves needed to get the roster down to the 75 player limit, Bodden was placed on injured reserve for the 2010 season with a shoulder injury. That takes away the secondary’s doyen from a unit that averages just 2.5 years experience without Bodden.

The back four was going to be under pressure to begin with this season. Playing behind a front seven that needs to blitz to pressure the quarterback will leave the secondary in a lot of one-on-one situations. Without blitzing, the secondary will have to cover receivers for five or more seconds as the passer stands in the pocket as if surrounded by a force field.

It’s a costly loss for New England. Bodden was the top corner on the team and was expected to start on the left side, drawing the toughest assignment frequently. Now the starters likely will be second year Darius Butler and rookie Devin McCourty.

Besides taking a chunk out of the team’s depth, losing Bodden and the experience he could share with the young corners on the team will be costly. The little things Leigh notices during the course of the game that he could share with the youngsters would be invaluable. The insights Bodden would recognize can’t always been seen by the safeties.

It will be a very challenging season for the corners, starting with Cincinnati’s WRs Chad Ochocino and Terrell Owens in the season opener. That’s followed by the New York Jets’ Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery, and later Santonio Holmes for the December rematch. They will also have to deal with Miami’s Brandon Marshall twice, Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, Baltimore’s Anquan Boldin, and two top six passing offenses from last year in Houston (6th) and Green Bay (2nd).

The Three Lions Awake posted by Kash Singh

I write this an hour and a half before the big kickoff where England shall square off with Sloveia in what will be a crunch match for both sides. For Slovenia, it will be a game that will allow them a shot at making history by virtue of upsetting one international footballs most renowned albeit overhyped teams. They are certainly punching above their weight and therefore any result apart from a defeat would be deemed a triumph and a major leap for the nations footb all ambitions.

In  the case of England, anyting less than a comfprtable victory would give the worldwide press enough fodder to crucify them. And they only have themselves to blame. And Fabio Capello would have to shoulder mnost of hte responsibility for any failure to produce a good result tonight. For not only have England pereformed miserably in their opening games but they seem to have imploded what with John Terrys outburst a few days ago. Evidently Capello has lost the confidence of some of his players and like France, that could lead to another dismal, uninspired display that would be remniniscent the French fiasco in both this world cup and the one in 2002. Capello has not exactly done himself any favors with his mystifying selections and his reluctance to change to a formation that would play to teh strenghts of some his key players, notably Gerrard and Rooney.

 Rooneys best games last season were the ones in which he played as a lone striker up front. It allowed freedom to roam about, sometimes falling into midfield to be the fulcrum of counter attacks and also to be the target man up front. He is the kind of player who loves to make space for himself, run at defenders, score goals and bring his temamates into the attack. That style is very similar to a certain Fernando Torres who exceled in the same role for Liverpool these last few seasons. Dovetailing him from midfield has been Steven Gerrard who seems to thrive on playing in the 'hole' behind the striker thus allowing him to fully exploit his range of passing, his goalscoring instincts, shooting ability and creative drive. Time and again he has bailed Liverpool out from certain defeat and inspired them to victory playing in that role. It is therefore logical to play him in a similar role behind Rooney as hte lone strker on the international platform. Capello however has refused to budge in his ways and has persisted with 442, playing Emile Heskey, as a target man for long speculative balls played form the back. While Heskey has a great workrate and provides muscle up front he does next to nothing in terms of scoring goals, creating chances and providing support for Rooney. Both the strikers have not shown any form of cohesion and understanding, the kind of which is needed to win games at the highest level. That and hte fatc that the likes of Gerrard have been played out of position have contributed greatly to Englands dreary campaign so far. It remains to be seen if he will be willing to ring the necessary changes to spark up Englans world cup hopes. 

Fear of Falling posted by Randolph Charlotin

Patriot fans know there are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Bill Belichick will trade down during the draft.

It’s not just a pattern; it’s as reliable as the seasons, the sun rising, and celebrity controversies.

While we’ve grown to accept these trades, that doesn’t mean we enjoy learning the Pats traded down again. We’d like to see New England trade up to get a player they want. We’ve only seen it once when they drafted TE Daniel Graham in 2002.

With 12 selections in this year’s draft, eight are potential trade chips, as the four compensatory picks can not be traded. That’s still plenty to work with to be aggressive in the draft. We’d like to see a New York Jets-like approach to get the best players instead of bringing in a dozen players, half with a realistic chance of making the roster.

We will never know exactly what happens in New England’s war room and how they reach the decision to trade down. But based on past drafts, it is possible the player they desired was taken just picks before the Patriots were on the clock. With the targeted player gone, New England opted to trade down. That should give them more reason to go after who they want instead of hoping the cards fall just right.

There’s been three times a player that I was hoping would fall to the Pats was selected before New England’s turn. Each time, when it was the Patriots’ turn, they traded down. It can simply be coincidence, but I can’t help thinking there was a correlation:

Lions Looking Up! posted by david spare

How many years have we seen the Lions fall to the second or third worst team in the leauge in the last 20 years? 20 years that's how many but what if that changed this year. It will the Lions are making moves that the Lions never make like drafting a good quarterback! No not the Lions they don't know how to draft. They did last year and hiring a coach for defense wow impressive they haven't stoped anyone since 1945. While I am still holding my breath they are getting better personal wise and I hear people talking about them actually winning a few games this coming up season so who knows!Continue reading "Lions Looking Up!"

Let's Go (Free Agent) Shopping! posted by Amari Harris

Shopping for free agents in the NFL is not much different from shopping for groceries at the grocery store.  You must make your grocery list based on what you need, while keeping an eye out for great deals.  You want to avoid overpaying for something that you either don’t need or won’t be satisfied with.  You need to keep you eye out for dropping prices.  It is also essential that you stay away from flawed products that have disappointed in the past.  These are all keys to being a smart shopper in the NFL free agent market. 

So who in the league is getting the best bargains, and who is pulling a “Dan Snyder” and just buying  the shiniest new toy?  Well, that is a much more difficult question in the 2010 off-season than it has been in the past.  Even Dan Snyder has reeled it in a bit, and hired some expert shoppers in Bruce Allen and Mike Shannahan.  Despite speculation that an uncapped season would bring on a spending frenzy the likes we have never seen, NFL ball clubs are actually being more cautious with their financial decisions. 

The uncapped year has seen several teams cut high priced veterans to accelerate the guaranteed portions of their contracts to this year, so they are not as limited in their ability to sign players the following year.  Teams are also putting their guys on “lay away” by putting restricted free agent (RFA) tenders on any of their players whose contracts are up and have less than 6 accrued years in the NFL.  These tenders mean that teams have ultimate leverage because if another team wants to sign that player then they would have to give up a draft pick, and the tendering team doesn't feel the pressure to sign that player to a long term contract.  So you can essentially have that player play for half a season or a even a full season before you decide to pony up the rest of the money for your RFA (hence, lay away).  Either way, it seems that most NFL teams are saying and doing all the right things to improve their teams at this juncture.  Still, there have been some good moves and some bad moves, and now that the first week of free agency is coming to a close it is time to evaluate what the GMs and owners are doing.

Observations from the Combie posted by Amari Harris

Okay, so I’m not reallyat the 28th annual NFL scouting combine but it sure feels like I am.  With the great live coverage of the event on NFL.com as well as the NFL network, I feel like a real pro scout.  I’ve also been very impressed with my ability to predict the unofficial 40 times of the athletes as they cross the finish line, but that is neither here nor there.  You want to know what can really be taken away from this year’s pre-draft extravaganza, don’t you?  Well let me give you my take on a few of the happenings over the last few days. 

Day 1

The star of this group was OT Bruce Campbell from Maryland.  He was considered a first rounder prior to the combine, but his physical attributes and athleticism definitely improved his stock.  Unlike most offensive lineman, he doesn’t look like a bag of doughnuts (no offense big boys) and he has the figure of someone who descended from Mt. Olympus.  He did 34 reps in the bench press and ran a blazing 4.85 in the 40 yard dash.  By comparison, the oft talked about Myron Rolle out of Florida State ran a 4.70 and he plays safety! 

The only question about Big Bruce is his lack of dominance on the collegiate level.  He didn’t allow a sack last season, but I supposed he just didn’t jump off the page as the dominant tackle in the draft.  He does look a little stiff in pass protection, but you could do much worse in today’s NFL.  He seems like a stronger, faster version of Flozel Adams, and for all intents and purposes he may end up being Adams’ replacement in Dallas.  But with the showing that he put on at the combine I’d be surprised to see him drop out of the top 20.

Bears End Season on Winning Note posted by richard Kagan

The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 37-23 last Sunday to finish up at 7-9.  The win most likely saves head coach Lovie Smith's job.  QB Jay Cutler threw for four TD's looking like the QB fans thought he would be.  Devin Aramashado scored twice on passes.  He should be a featured wide receiver, not Devin Hester.  Hester is a valuable player and should be retured to his best position, running back kickoffs and punts.

Bears were leaky on defense this season, giving up huge yards in the passing game.  It certainly wasn't the Bears defense of old, and this needs to change if the Bears want to be competitive.  But the team did win its last two games, saving the season from sure disaster.  Now, one could say the season was disappointing.  And, Cutler's performances the last two games raises hopes among the Bears' faithful.  He finally seemed to get the hang of it in the end.  The Bears need a true power back, some good blockers, a few good linebackers, and at least two good defensive cornermen.  Other than that, the team looks good.  There will be some changes in the off-season, the question remains, who stays and who goes?

Joe's Gameday Preview: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions posted by Joe Anello

 With both teams out of the playoffs and nursing plenty of injuries, today's NFC North meeting between the Bears and Lions won't be aesthetically pleasing. Regardless, I'll tell you what to watch for at Ford Field. Get your Gameday Preview on! (6-9) Chicago Bears at(2-13) Detroit Lions The Lions won't have first overall pick Matthew Stafford on the field after his recent knee surgery, so Daunte Culpepper will start under center. He's nowhere near the talent he used to be, but he will be fired up and looking to impress the other 31 teams in the league. Without a consistent running game though, he'll have a hard time fooling the Bears' defense. (I hope anyway.) Marred by injuries (Charles Tillman and Israel Idonije out, Danieal Manning doubtful), Lovie Smith's defense will need to fill their gaps and avoid giving up big plays. If they can, it shouldn't be difficult keeping the lowly Lions under 17 points. Calvin Johnson will get 100 yards in receiving today. Take that to the bank. That should be more than low enough. Jay Cutler and the offense should have no trouble tearing apart the second-worst defense (worst pass defense) in the NFL. Matt Forte should get a ton of carries and a rare 100-yard game to end the regular season. Johnny Knox is doubtful with his ankle injury from last week, but Devin Hester will return to the field in his absence. Devin Aromashodu is going to see plenty of balls his way in the season finale. Odds: Chicago is favored by 3.5 on the road.  Prediction: The Bears Continue reading "Joe's Gameday Preview: Chicago Bears ..."

Heisman Winners Who Couldn't Hack The NFL posted by Colin Linneweber

The 2009 Heisman Trophy will be awarded to the most outstanding NCAA college football player by the Downtown Athletic Club at an annual ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in New York City on December 12. 

In recognition of college football’s greatest individual accolade, I decided to rank the five Heisman winners who ultimately had the smallest impact playing in the National Football League (NFL) over the course of the past 25 years.  

1)      Jason White- White, 29, won the Heisman Trophy in 2003 as a quarterback for the University of Oklahoma Sooners. 

White finished his collegiate career as the Sooners all-time leader in passing yards (8,012) and touchdown passes (81). 

Despite his stellar achievements in Norman, White garnered very little interest from the professional ranks and he was not selected in the 2005 NFL Draft.  

To compound the frustration of not being selected, White was further disrespected when he was not even invited to tryout for any NFL squad after he was snubbed in the draft. 

The Tennessee Titans eventually threw White a bone and signed the former Sooners superstar as an undrafted free agent before the start of the 2005 season. 

White’s stint as a Tennessean was extremely brief and he prudently decided to quit football altogether because of his balky knees.  

2)      Gino Torretta- Torretta, 39, was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1992 because of his stellar play at the quarterback position for the University of Miami Hurricanes. 

Joe's Opening Drive: Week 11 posted by Joe Anello

After three quarters of a boring contest, we finally got some action late in Thursday's Miami v. Carolina game. To anyone who had Ricky Williams on their fantasy team, good job. Now, we look to the weekend in the week 11 edition of the Oepning Drive!

(1-8) Cleveland Browns at (1-8) Detroit Lions 

This is the 2009 Suck Bowl Rebuilding Bowl. AKA the only game where the Lions should be healthy favorites all season. Say what you want about Detroit, they can put up some points with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. I'm not sure Cleveland is even aware that scoring six points at once is possible. The best part about the game is that one of these teams will reach two victories. (Though how classic and awesome would a tie be?

(5-4) Atlanta Falcons at (5-4) New York Giants

After solid starts to their seasons, both of these squads are heading in the wrong direction and are in serious danger of missing the playoffs altogether. Tom Coughlin's Giants have lost four straight while the Falcons have dropped three of their last four. Big Blue's vaunted defense has failed in recent weeks, but the offense is the real culprit. They've strayed from the running game and Eli Manning has turned the ball over with regularity. Atlanta's Matt Ryan is in a similar boat, with more interceptions through nine games this season that he had all of his rookie year. Whoever loses will almost certainly miss the postseason.

(9-0) Indianapolis Colts at (5-4) Baltimore Ravens

Broncos get TE Gronkowski from Lions (AP)

The Denver Broncos have parlayed their depth at defensive back into plugging a huge hole at tight end. The Broncos traded cornerback Alphonso Smith to the Detroit Lions on Saturday for Dan Gronkowski in a swap of second-year players who have yet to make an impact in the NFL. Although Gronkowski had just one catch for 4 yards in two games last season, at 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds he represents a... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Bills RB Lynch to play preseason finale (AP)

Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is set play in the team's preseason finale against the Detroit Lions after missing nearly three weeks with a sore ankle. Coach Chan Gailey said Lynch looked good in practice Tuesday. Lynch missed the past two preseason games since being hurt in a loss to Washington. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Browns expect review of Suh penalty (AP)

The Browns expect the NFL to review the play in which Detroit Lions rookie Ndamukong Suh grabbed quarterback Jake Delhomme's facemask and violently flung him to the ground. In the second quarter of Saturday's exhibition game, Suh grabbed Delhomme by the face mask, twisted it, threw both arms around the QB's head and spun him to the ground. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Stafford, Delhomme impress as Lions win (AP)

The Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns were encouraged by positive signs when they had the ball. On defense, not so much. Matthew Stafford threw a touchdown pass, rookie Jahvid Best had a 51-yard run and Aaron Brown scored twice in the fourth quarter to lift the Lions to a 35-27 win over Cleveland in a preseason game Saturday night. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Stafford, Best lead Lions past Browns

Matthew Stafford threw a touchdown pass, rookie Jahvid Best hada 51-yard run and Aaron Brown scored twice in the fourth quarter tolift the Detroit Lions to a 35-27 win over the Cleveland Browns ina preseason game Saturday night. [read full article]

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