Today the expected first overall pick of the NFL Draft declared that he would stay with his college team for another year. Andrew Luck was the clear front-runner in the race to be No. 1 overall this April, and the Panthers had been ready to take him and allow him to (hopefully) turn the team around, much like 2010's first overall, Sam Bradford, did in St. Louis.
Perhaps Luck decided he did not wish to play for the Carolina Panthers. I don't blame him, considering the sorry state of the team and the extremely low level of talent at virtually every position. I think that this is possibly the only conclusion to why he would forgo his entrance to the league and thereby his entrance to the world of the rich. It would make more sense for him to announce this with his college coach, Jim Harbaugh, signed and ready to go for another year. But with Harbaugh looking likely to be anywhere but Stanford next season, Luck probably just announced this to avoid becoming a Panther.
At least, that is my take. The question is, who do the Panthers go with now? Although the draft will be deep with talent at the QB position, the quarterback other than Luck with the potential to go No. 1 overall is Missouri's Blaine Gabbert. He may be a little rougher around the edges than Luck would have been, but he still has the potential to become a great QB in the NFL. But with the Panthers using a second-round pick on Jimmy Clausen last year, it's somewhat unlikely that they will take Gabbert, as he isn't as clear of a first overall pick than Luck. Especially considering the Panthers don't have a second rounder this year. So they had better choose wisely.
My thought is that perhaps they could trade the first pick and end up with a nice first rounder and a second rounder. That would help improve the team more than one player will.
A lot of people figure that they will take Georgia WR A.J. Green. Green is one of the most talented WRs to play the game at the college level in a while. Jimmy Clausen would sure look a lot better throwing to Steve Smith and A.J. Green.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Vince Young is Out in Tennessee
For those of you who haven't followed the Titans' situation, the crux of the story is that quarterback Vince Young and head coach Jeff Fisher have not been able to coexist. Fisher has benched Young on multiple occasions, often choosing the ancient (by everyone's standards except Brett Favre, Vinny Testaverde, and kickers and punters) journeyman quarterback Kerry Collins over Young. Young is psychologically unstable, with emotional issues and even borderline depression. He gets upset when things are not perfect, and he is no Tom Brady, so things tend to be everything but perfect for Young.
Needless to say, this led to multiple confrontations with Fisher about Young's performance and off-the-field issues. It got to the point where Fisher ended Vince's 2010 season by publicly berating him and placing him on injured reserve.
Given that Fisher's contract has a clause that allows him to choose his quarterback (probably a very good clause for a head coach to have in his contract), Titans owner Bud Adams had to choose whether he thought the organization was better off with Fisher or with Young. Today, Adams chose Fisher.
Well, sort of.
Adams announced that Young would not return to the Titans' roster for the upcoming season. He has said that he is still evaluating Fisher as a coach before making his decision on that subject. But all indications are that Fisher will return in 2011.
This leads to questions. The two most prominent questions are who will be the Titans' QB next year, and which team will end up with Vince Young?
Vince Young could certainly find a job as a starter in the NFL. There are a great number of teams with QB issues, as there always are. Part of me thinks he might end up in Minnesota, as he is a much better option than Tarvaris Jackson. But Joe Webb had a promising finish to 2010, so he may be tagged as the man for the Vikings.
If you ask me, the Titans will make a play for Denver QB Kyle Orton, who is looking closer and closer to being on a flight out of Denver. Orton has made a career out of throwing to nameless receivers, and he's done a great job at it. With WR Kenny Britt on the rise in Tennessee, a QB like Orton will lead to great numbers in the passing game for Tennessee. That will also open the running game for the Titans. Which is a scary thought, considering their RB is Chris Johnson, the man who runs 80% of Usain Bolt's world record speed... with full pads and uniform on.
Needless to say, this led to multiple confrontations with Fisher about Young's performance and off-the-field issues. It got to the point where Fisher ended Vince's 2010 season by publicly berating him and placing him on injured reserve.
Given that Fisher's contract has a clause that allows him to choose his quarterback (probably a very good clause for a head coach to have in his contract), Titans owner Bud Adams had to choose whether he thought the organization was better off with Fisher or with Young. Today, Adams chose Fisher.
Well, sort of.
Adams announced that Young would not return to the Titans' roster for the upcoming season. He has said that he is still evaluating Fisher as a coach before making his decision on that subject. But all indications are that Fisher will return in 2011.
This leads to questions. The two most prominent questions are who will be the Titans' QB next year, and which team will end up with Vince Young?
Vince Young could certainly find a job as a starter in the NFL. There are a great number of teams with QB issues, as there always are. Part of me thinks he might end up in Minnesota, as he is a much better option than Tarvaris Jackson. But Joe Webb had a promising finish to 2010, so he may be tagged as the man for the Vikings.
If you ask me, the Titans will make a play for Denver QB Kyle Orton, who is looking closer and closer to being on a flight out of Denver. Orton has made a career out of throwing to nameless receivers, and he's done a great job at it. With WR Kenny Britt on the rise in Tennessee, a QB like Orton will lead to great numbers in the passing game for Tennessee. That will also open the running game for the Titans. Which is a scary thought, considering their RB is Chris Johnson, the man who runs 80% of Usain Bolt's world record speed... with full pads and uniform on.
Big Ben is Engaged
Yep. That's right. The accused sex offender got engaged over the holidays to a girl who graduated from Laurel High School in 2004. I don't know much else to say about this, other than let's see how this goes. It could be very fun to sit back and watch it all play out. Let's hope he doesn't mess this up.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
About the Saints
Yesterday I posted my thoughts on how the playoffs will play out. I'm not gonna revise those predictions, but the Saints have suffered two huge blows to their backfield that will probably greatly affect their ability to run the football, thus changing their chances to go to the Super Bowl.
Today the Saints placed their best rusher on injured reserve. Pierre Thomas sat out Week 17 and missed a large part of the season due to injury. He follows the path of talented rookie RB Chris Ivory, who was placed on injured reserve by the Saints yesterday. For those of you who are keeping track, the only "running back" of significance left on the Saints' roster is Reggie Bush.
I think this will have an impact on their ability to go deep into the playoffs. This is terrible for everyone but Patriots' fans (at least following my perspective) because I thought the Saints had the best chance to stop the Patriots from winning another Lombardi.
But for those Eagles fans out there, keep in mind I had them losing to the Saints in the NFC Championship Game. So this makes things brighter for the Eagles and the rest of the NFC teams.
Today the Saints placed their best rusher on injured reserve. Pierre Thomas sat out Week 17 and missed a large part of the season due to injury. He follows the path of talented rookie RB Chris Ivory, who was placed on injured reserve by the Saints yesterday. For those of you who are keeping track, the only "running back" of significance left on the Saints' roster is Reggie Bush.
I think this will have an impact on their ability to go deep into the playoffs. This is terrible for everyone but Patriots' fans (at least following my perspective) because I thought the Saints had the best chance to stop the Patriots from winning another Lombardi.
But for those Eagles fans out there, keep in mind I had them losing to the Saints in the NFC Championship Game. So this makes things brighter for the Eagles and the rest of the NFC teams.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Rich Rodriguez fired
After just three seasons at the University of Michigan, RichRod has been fired as the head coach of the school's football program. Despite having his best season yet, his team still underperformed, having a terrible defense and still barely scraping up a winning record, ending the season at 7-6. Rodriguez had one of the best players in the nation in Denard Robinson, but he failed to produce a better-than-average supporting cast for Robinson, and pretty soon opposing teams knew they could tear up the Michigan defense and knew they just had to slow Robinson to shut down the offense.
The nail was probably slammed into Rodriguez's coffin when his team suffered through a 38-point loss in the Gator Bowl, losing to Mississippi State, 52-14. The loss was an unnecessary and disappointing game for the fans of college football's winningest program.
Rodriguez finished his three years at Michigan with a record of 15-22. This is very disappointing for a coach who nearly made it to the national championship game with West Virginia and who fled after a head coaching record of 60-26 in Morgantown.
The nail was probably slammed into Rodriguez's coffin when his team suffered through a 38-point loss in the Gator Bowl, losing to Mississippi State, 52-14. The loss was an unnecessary and disappointing game for the fans of college football's winningest program.
Rodriguez finished his three years at Michigan with a record of 15-22. This is very disappointing for a coach who nearly made it to the national championship game with West Virginia and who fled after a head coaching record of 60-26 in Morgantown.
Playoffs and Predictions
The playoffs will begin this weekend! How exciting. Wild card weekend will be interesting, with games such as 7-9 Seattle hosting the 11-5 defending champion Saints as well as the AFC Championship Game rematch between the Colts and Jets. For those of you who are not yet fully aware of the playoff teams and their seeds, here they are.
AFC:
1) New England Patriots
2) Pittsburgh Steelers
3) Indianapolis Colts
4) Kansas City Chiefs
5) Baltimore Ravens
6) New York Jets
Four 2009 AFC playoff teams return, joined by the Steelers and Chiefs. Congratulations is in order for the Chiefs seizing their division out of the blue.
NFC:
1) Atlanta Falcons
2) Chicago Bears
3) Philadelphia Eagles
4) Seattle Seahawks
5) New Orleans Saints
6) Green Bay Packers
It almost seems as if the gist of the NFC playoffs is "which one of these teams can be the Pats in the Super Bowl?" The answer is, most likely, the Saints.
Now, I am not one to say "this is GOING to happen." We all know anything can happen in sports. But it is pretty freakin' hard not to just say "The Patriots are winning it this year." They are well ahead of the rest of the AFC, and for some reason, the best teams in the NFC just seem to each have a weak point that will be their downfall.
That being said, here is how I see it all playing out:
Wild Card Weekend:
Jets (6) over Colts (3)
Ravens (5) over Chiefs (4)
Eagles (3) over Packers (6)
Saints (5) over Seahawks (4)
Divisional Round:
Patriots (1) over Jets (6)
Steelers (2) over Ravens (5)
Eagles (3) over Bears (2)
Saints (5) over Falcons (1)
Championship Round:
Patriots (1) over Steelers (2)
Saints (5) over Eagles (3)
Super Bowl XLV:
Patriots over Saints
The AFC is a lot easier to predict than the NFC. It's almost as though anything can happen in the NFC. The Packers are hot, and could easily make it to the Championship Round or even the Super Bowl. If the Eagles can fix their offensive line problems and deal with their young, injury-plagued defense, they can return to being a legitimate threat for the Lombardi. The Bears and Falcons have potential, as they have sealed byes. But much like the 2006, Super Bowl-appearing Bears, these current Bears rely on a boom-or-bust QB. If Cutler continues his hot streak, they will roll because their defense is one of the best. But if he throws four picks to Asante Samuel like he did to DeAngelo Hall this year, the Bears will once again wonder if Cutler was the right move for them (especially considering Orton's incredible year for less-than-mediocre Denver).
The games to watch this weekend are the Ravens-Chiefs and Eagles-Packers games. It may sound crazy, but if the Ravens or Chiefs manage to win the game and stay healthy, I think they might be able to compete against New England. Something tells me that the Pats will practice poorly and expect to roll their opponent, and the Ravens and Chiefs both have the underdog potential to enter that game and surprise everyone. I think the Chiefs have a better chance against the Pats than the Ravens do (yeah, I said it). You gotta figure that the Patriots are scoring on any defense. So the Ravens biggest aid, their D, becomes invalid against the Patriots. The Chiefs are better on offense than on defense; Matt Cassel will look to prove himself against his former team. Dwayne Bowe is one fire and could easily tear up the Patriots' secondary. And Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones are a great one-two punch that nicely accompanies Cassel and the passing offense. So I'm rooting for the Chiefs on this one.
The Packers could easily enter their game this weekend and upset the Eagles. I expect them to put up some points against the Eagles. But it's pretty easy to see that the Eagles won't have to worry about a running game from the Pack and they can use that to their advantage. I expect a large number of Philly's signature blitz packages to shake up Rodgers and make him use all of his receivers. If Vick is entirely healthy, he can take apart the Packers' D. But Shady McCoy needs to get rolling and aid the passing game. He has been shifty and speedy this year, often breaking off large runs. If he can get the ball in his hands and do some damage with it, the Pack won't be able to handle the dual threat presented by Vick on top of Shady.
The Saints are finally healthy (enough) this year and look better than even the consistently healthy Falcons. The Saints were a non-factor early in the season, flying under the radar despite being the defending champs. But now that they have Reggie Bush back, they can make a statement in the playoffs. They aren't as great as they were last season, but they look ready to take the NFC throne once again. Brees just needs to play smart and avoid the interceptions that have plagued him of late. They are perhaps the most complete team in the league outside of the Patriots and can count on another Super Bowl berth if their play their cards right.
There it is. We will see how it all actually plays out, but this is how I see it happening. I hope I'm wrong, but it would be amazing if I got each game correct. Let's just sit back and watch.
Getcha popcorn ready.
AFC:
1) New England Patriots
2) Pittsburgh Steelers
3) Indianapolis Colts
4) Kansas City Chiefs
5) Baltimore Ravens
6) New York Jets
Four 2009 AFC playoff teams return, joined by the Steelers and Chiefs. Congratulations is in order for the Chiefs seizing their division out of the blue.
NFC:
1) Atlanta Falcons
2) Chicago Bears
3) Philadelphia Eagles
4) Seattle Seahawks
5) New Orleans Saints
6) Green Bay Packers
It almost seems as if the gist of the NFC playoffs is "which one of these teams can be the Pats in the Super Bowl?" The answer is, most likely, the Saints.
Now, I am not one to say "this is GOING to happen." We all know anything can happen in sports. But it is pretty freakin' hard not to just say "The Patriots are winning it this year." They are well ahead of the rest of the AFC, and for some reason, the best teams in the NFC just seem to each have a weak point that will be their downfall.
That being said, here is how I see it all playing out:
Wild Card Weekend:
Jets (6) over Colts (3)
Ravens (5) over Chiefs (4)
Eagles (3) over Packers (6)
Saints (5) over Seahawks (4)
Divisional Round:
Patriots (1) over Jets (6)
Steelers (2) over Ravens (5)
Eagles (3) over Bears (2)
Saints (5) over Falcons (1)
Championship Round:
Patriots (1) over Steelers (2)
Saints (5) over Eagles (3)
Super Bowl XLV:
Patriots over Saints
The AFC is a lot easier to predict than the NFC. It's almost as though anything can happen in the NFC. The Packers are hot, and could easily make it to the Championship Round or even the Super Bowl. If the Eagles can fix their offensive line problems and deal with their young, injury-plagued defense, they can return to being a legitimate threat for the Lombardi. The Bears and Falcons have potential, as they have sealed byes. But much like the 2006, Super Bowl-appearing Bears, these current Bears rely on a boom-or-bust QB. If Cutler continues his hot streak, they will roll because their defense is one of the best. But if he throws four picks to Asante Samuel like he did to DeAngelo Hall this year, the Bears will once again wonder if Cutler was the right move for them (especially considering Orton's incredible year for less-than-mediocre Denver).
The games to watch this weekend are the Ravens-Chiefs and Eagles-Packers games. It may sound crazy, but if the Ravens or Chiefs manage to win the game and stay healthy, I think they might be able to compete against New England. Something tells me that the Pats will practice poorly and expect to roll their opponent, and the Ravens and Chiefs both have the underdog potential to enter that game and surprise everyone. I think the Chiefs have a better chance against the Pats than the Ravens do (yeah, I said it). You gotta figure that the Patriots are scoring on any defense. So the Ravens biggest aid, their D, becomes invalid against the Patriots. The Chiefs are better on offense than on defense; Matt Cassel will look to prove himself against his former team. Dwayne Bowe is one fire and could easily tear up the Patriots' secondary. And Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones are a great one-two punch that nicely accompanies Cassel and the passing offense. So I'm rooting for the Chiefs on this one.
The Packers could easily enter their game this weekend and upset the Eagles. I expect them to put up some points against the Eagles. But it's pretty easy to see that the Eagles won't have to worry about a running game from the Pack and they can use that to their advantage. I expect a large number of Philly's signature blitz packages to shake up Rodgers and make him use all of his receivers. If Vick is entirely healthy, he can take apart the Packers' D. But Shady McCoy needs to get rolling and aid the passing game. He has been shifty and speedy this year, often breaking off large runs. If he can get the ball in his hands and do some damage with it, the Pack won't be able to handle the dual threat presented by Vick on top of Shady.
The Saints are finally healthy (enough) this year and look better than even the consistently healthy Falcons. The Saints were a non-factor early in the season, flying under the radar despite being the defending champs. But now that they have Reggie Bush back, they can make a statement in the playoffs. They aren't as great as they were last season, but they look ready to take the NFC throne once again. Brees just needs to play smart and avoid the interceptions that have plagued him of late. They are perhaps the most complete team in the league outside of the Patriots and can count on another Super Bowl berth if their play their cards right.
There it is. We will see how it all actually plays out, but this is how I see it happening. I hope I'm wrong, but it would be amazing if I got each game correct. Let's just sit back and watch.
Getcha popcorn ready.
Week 17 just ended; 60% prediction rate
With the regular season wrapped up, I can inform you I finished the season with a 60% on my weekly game predictions. That kind of sucks, in my eyes, but when you consider a lot of coaches finish worse than .500 in winning percentage throughout their careers, I'll take it. It was my first year of trying to guess every game, so 60% isn't all that bad. I will look forward to improving next year.
Sorry
It's been a long time since I have posted. I would like to ask for forgiveness from all of you. School and other things got the best of me and the blog got the boot. But not for the time being. I'll start now and see how busy I am with this upcoming semester.
I would also like to thank you all for the support I have received, both when I was blogging and after. Whether you tell me or tell others, it's nice to hear that people actually read this thing. I love posting my thoughts on sports and it's great that you all take the time to read them. Thanks a bunch.
I would also like to thank you all for the support I have received, both when I was blogging and after. Whether you tell me or tell others, it's nice to hear that people actually read this thing. I love posting my thoughts on sports and it's great that you all take the time to read them. Thanks a bunch.
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