2010 March

Colt McCoy a viable alternative for the Rams

On March 31, 2010, In Uncategorized, By Josh

The general consensus is that the St Louis Rams will pick Sam Bradford with their number one pick in the draft. All of the denials coming out of St Louis were generally regarded as predictable smoke coming from their management.

Now news comes that the Rams are scheduling a private workout with Colt McCoy after McCoy’s pro-day improving the odds of the Rams picking Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy with the first pick.

Currently you can some pretty good money betting on Suh (+170) if he does end up as the first pick.

Betting on Ndamukong Suh Going First at Draft

On March 29, 2010, In NFL Commentary, By Josh

Ndamukong Suh is widely considered to be the top player in the draft, but he isn’t getting good odds to be the first selection in the draft.

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Currently you get +145 if you bet on Suh to be the number one draft pick, while you get -185 if you bet against Suh being the number one pick.

The reason for this is quarterback Sam Bradford and the St Louis Rams.

The Rams have needed a quarterback prospect for years, but they keep picking the best player they can get at the draft. Finally their lack of a quality quarterback prospect has them desperate to draft one so they can start developing him.

Even though Suh could help the Rams tremendously and even though it is a bad draft for quarterbacks, the Rams look like they are seriously considering Bradford.

With all of the Bradford to Rams hype surrounding the draft, betting on Suh being the number one pick is a good value.

The Rams might simply decide that Bradford isn’t worth a number-one overall pick and go with Suh who also fills a need. They can then wait for next year’s draft that has many more quality quarterbacking prospects.

Tagged with: Ndamukong Suh • Sam Bradford • St Louis Rams

Is McNabb done with the Eagles and where does he go?

On March 25, 2010, In NFL Commentary, By Josh

Today’s denial by St Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo that they are pursuing Donovan McNabb shouldn’t do a thing to stop speculation that he’s leaving. After all, until he actually gets McNabb, the only smart thing to do is deny any rumors.

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If he gets McNabb, then great. But if he fails, then he’s just destroyed his relationship with his current QBs while getting nothing back.

McNabb’s been rumored to be heading to St Louis, Minnesota, Arizona, San Francisco, Buffalo, Washington and probably everywhere else but I can’t be bothered to keep researching.

St Louis seems to be the front-runner based on how often their name is mentioned in relation to McNabb, but I can’t see McNabb signing an extension there.

I think Minnesota is probably the best fit for both player and team although if Arizona can replace Boldin and Urban they’d also be a good fit.

Tagged with: Donovan McNabb • Philadelphia Eagles

Owners Talk OT

On March 22, 2010, In NFL Commentary, By Josh

The NFL owners are finally talking about changing the rules governing overtime, but if owners like Minnesota’s Zygi Wilf, whose Vikings were booted from the playoffs without touching the ball in overtime, isn’t sold on the need for change there’s little chance that fans will get what they want.

The team that wins the coin-toss in OT wins the game 59.8 percent of the time which is a significant advantage.

The owners cite player safety as the reason for the sudden death format. Football is a demanding game and it is a legitimate concern, but the UFL, CFL and NCAA all have overtime formats that are more equitable and still end reasonably quickly.

The UFL gives each team a chance at scoring. If it’s tied after the first set of possessions, they get another set of possessions before moving on to sudden death.

The CFL gives each team possession at the opposing teams 35 yard line, while the NCAA gives possession at the 25. If there isn’t a winner after two sets of possessions, the game ends in a tie.

Any of these overtime formats would be more fair to the teams, the players and their fans who don’t pay to see games decided by a coin flip and they would protect the players from excessive injury risk.

Tagged with: overtime

Is Tim Tebow First Round Material?

On March 19, 2010, In NFL Commentary, By Josh

Tim Tebow is being lauded for his reworked throwing mechanic after his Pro-Day workout. Doubters are becoming believers again. All praise the great Saint Tebow.

Gratuitous Eye Candy: Tim Tebow's Girlfriend

There are plenty of good reasons to believe Tebow can make it as an NFL quarterback.

Tebow has proven over and over that he can will himself and his team to overcome adversity.

Remember what he said after losing to Ole Miss in the championship season, “A lot of good will come out of this. You have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season, and you will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push the rest of the season.”

The doubters point out that his reworked Pro-Day throwing motion came under ideal conditions and that it could come apart in game conditions.

The doubters should stfu.

His throwing motion may not hold up in game conditions. But it doesn’t have to for a year or two.

He has made a ton of progress in 6 weeks. He doesn’t have to be a star quarterback in his first NFL season to be a star quarterback in the NFL. He just needs to prove that he can learn. And he’s done just that.

Tebow is an exceptional athlete with great vision and understanding of the game. He’s proven that he can be coached.

Draft day will be like a reverse poker game with GMs holding off on drafting him hoping they can get him with a lower pick.

Tebow has scheduled workouts with the Buffalo Bills, the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots, the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns.

Except for the Patriots, those teams have a lot of needs and need to get as many players who can contribute as they can.

If one of those teams decides they love Tebow, then he’ll probably go in the second round. If a team decides they love Tebow and think another team loves him just as much, Tebow could go in the first round.

Most of those teams will be hoping he falls to the third round where they will be waiting to pounce.

Tagged with: Tim Tebow

As the Quarterback Turns: Denver, Washington, Cleveland

On March 16, 2010, In NFL Commentary, By Josh

The Denver Broncos haven’t called the quarterback position wide-open for next season, but all of their actions point to a a wide-open competition for who sits under center.

Mmmm. Gratuitous cheerleader shot.

Broncos coach Josh McDaniels gave his quarterback Kyle Orton a vote of confidence at the end of last season saying, “I’m pleased with a lot of what Kyle did and I saw improvement in what he did. I was happy to have the opportunity to work with him this year and we’ll look forward to the future.”

Now with the trade for Brady Quinn the Broncos have two young quarterbacks both of whom under-performed to start their careers.

Orton started to improve under McDaniels tutelage and Quinn, who has more potential than Orton, hopes to do the same and thrive with the Broncos.

While Orton has improved, he still hasn’t proved himself to be an NFL quarterback. The Broncos started the season 6-2, but finished 2-6, so Quinn is almost certain to get some chances if he isn’t able to wrest the job outright.

Delhomme, Leader or Aging Veteran?

The Cleveland Browns signed Jake Delhomme to be a leader who can take charge of the team.

Mike Holmgren said, “They need a guy that is going to grab everybody by the throat and say, ‘Follow me through that door.’ I don’t look at him as an aging veteran, I look at him as the leader I wanted.”

With Delhomme’s declining production he’s going to have a hard time getting the attention of the locker room. Leaders have to earn respect and it remains to be seen whether the Browns personnel respect Delhomme’s past achievements over his current performance.

Clausen is Sexy, but Wrong Choice for Washington

The Washington Redskins are said to be pondering Fighting Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen as their number four pick, but that would be a big mistake.

The other player they are rumored to be considering is Oklahoma State left tackle Russell Okung.

While a left tackle isn’t nearly as sexy a pick as a quarterback, developing a quarterback behind a weak o-line can ruin a prospect as they have significantly less margin of error.

Okung has what it takes to make the Redskins o-line solid so that when next year’s quarterback-heavy draft comes around, the Redskins will have everything in place to give their new quarterback the best chance to succeed.

Tagged with: Cleveland Browns • Denver Broncos • Washington Redskins

Cleveland Browns Puzzling Rebuild

On March 15, 2010, In NFL Commentary, By Josh

The Cleveland Browns are now well and truly Mike Holmgren’s team with the trade of former first round draft picks Brady Quinn and Kamerion Wimbley, but the moves are puzzling ones for a rebuilding team.

At least Browns fans will have something to cheer about next year.

The Browns have the seventh pick in this year’s draft which means, barring a trade, they will miss out on the two most solid quarterbacks in this year’s shallow pool of QB talent, Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen.

Colt McCoy, Dan LeFevour and Tim Tebow aren’t nearly as appealing prospects as Bradford and Clausen, so the Browns will probably find themselves in the position of needing a quarterbacking prospect again next year.

Their chances of trading for a higher pick are pretty low since all of the teams above them have a glaring need and elite-level draft prospects that perfectly address their needs.

It makes way more sense to hold on to Quinn for another year and try and increase his value rather than pass the quarterbacking duties on to veterans who will never amount to anything.

If the Browns were to build a solid offensive line for next season, Quinn’s value would almost certainly rise and they could then trade Quinn after next season when there will be a lot more quarterback-of-the-future types in the draft.

The Wimbley trade is even more puzzling. Wimbley was starting to show promise at the tail end of last season and he’s just the sort of player that a rebuilding team wants to acquire. A young player who is showing potential again after looking like a bust.

Even if Holmgren doesn’t care for Wimbley, he would likely get more by playing him next season to maximize his value.

The Browns were never expected to contend this year. The Browns odds to win the Super Bowl are at +10000 and they’re not likely to change with all of the moves that Holmgren is making.

Tagged with: Brady Quinn • Cleveland Browns • Kamerion Wimbley

LaDainian Tomlinson Goes to OT With Jets

On March 12, 2010, In NFL Commentary, By Josh

LaDainian Tomlinson‘s tour of Super Bowl contenders continued today with an interview with the New York Jets after yesterday’s meeting with the Minnesota Vikings.

New York Jets Flight Crew

LT was supposed to have returned home, but he missed his flight home to continue meeting with Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum over dinner.

Both the Jets and Vikings could make very good homes for LT who can not only run, but also catch out of the back-field. The Jets probably make more sense because the Vikings quarterback situation isn’t settled until the indecisive one makes his decision.

Tomlinson would make a good mentor for Shonn Greene and he’d also give quarterback Mark Sanchez an easy option to use before he gets in to trouble.

Joining the Jets number one running attack and solid o-line should also be appealing to Tomlinson, or any of the other aging running backs. That offensive line is largely responsible for the Jets’ success running the ball and they’d help LT’s ego a lot.

Despite being just one game away from the last Super Bowl, the New York Jets odds to win the Super Bowl are at +2200.

Tagged with: LaDainian Tomlinson • New York Jets

Slow News Day: Roethlisberger’s Attorney Denies Accusation

On March 9, 2010, In NFL Commentary, By Josh

ESPN is reporting that Ben Roethlisberger’s attorney is denying that Roethlisberger assaulted a woman on the weekend.

Like really ESPN? Can’t you do another story on Tim Tebow or something?

The Roethlisberger story should be covered, but last time I checked an attorney’s job is to deny the charges.

Okay, that’s a little simplistic. If you can’t afford a good attorney, the bad (or overworked, or whatever) attorney’s job is to minimize the punishment. But high-priced attorney’s are paid to deny.

It’s like reporting on the sun rising and setting.

Today the Sun rose in the East. Our reporters were live on scene as light returned to us. We will be tracking the Sun’s movements closely all day and keep you constantly updated on its progress.

Experts from the Petroleum Foundation have noted that the very rising and setting of the sun is proof of how unreliable it is as a source of energy.

I thought I was rambling, but you somehow got 1000 word article out of Roethlisberger’s lawyer saying nothing. Good Job.

Tagged with: Ben Roethlisberger • Pittsburgh Steelers

The Tough get Tougher: Antonio Cromartie a Jet

On March 5, 2010, In NFL Commentary, By Josh

The New York Jets upgraded what was already the top passing defense by picking up Antonio Cromartie from the San Diego Chargers.

New York Jets Flight Crew

Cromartie is tremendously athletic, but he’s makes some mental errors both on and off the pitch.

It cost them a third rounder that could turn in to a second rounder depending on how the Jets and Cromartie do, so they must be pretty confident that they can work with him.

Last season Lito Sheppard was supposed to be a similar gamble. It clearly didn’t pay off for the Jets. The Jets were able to carry Sheppard last season, so they should be able to carry Cromartie too if he proves to be a bust.

Tagged with: Antonio Cromartie • New York Jets