1) The Raiders signed Charles Woodson for his second stint with the team after a band of Raiders fans came out to the team's headquarters to urge him to sign. Hey, if you're at the tail end of your career and a terrible team can bring out numerous fans to support you, you might as well join them, right? (I suppose the motto in this case would be "If you can beat 'em, join 'em.")
2) Former Stony Brook running back Miguel Maysonet was signed by Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent, then cut (after receiving a 10K signing bonus), then signed by the Browns. I was all ready to make fun of the analysts who called him a top UDFA, but then he was signed again, so clearly, someone liked him, so...yeah. My argument is invalid.
3) Long snappers! No one cares, but per longsnap.com, six long snappers were signed as undrafted free agents and seven more were given tryouts.
4) Super Bowl L will be in San Francisco's currently nonexistent Levi's Stadium, while Super Bowl LI will be held at Reliant in Houston, which is also the home of the Texas Longhorns football team.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
UDFAs! or: Whatever Happened to That Guy?
Players like Kurt Warner and Arian Foster are evidence of how important undrafted free agent signings can be. The archetypal undrafted free agents would be a player deemed too small or a product of their system, a one-time hot prospect who suffered a severe injury; a former basketball or rugby player looking to make it big; a local hero getting a chance under the bright lights; a top high schooler who never made it in college; a pure athlete with little football experience; a big talent with a bad attitude; or a one-season wonder. Even as recently as last year, unknown wide receiver Rod Streater became an impact player for Oakland.
This year, Lawrence Okoye was one of the highest-priority undrafted free agents. A Brit who participated in the Olympics last year, Okoye was called an "Adonis" by coach Jim Harbaugh and has great potential if he can adapt well to playing football. San Francisco also signed another player who's undergoing a position change, former Minnesota Gophers quarterback and current tight end Marqueis Gray.
The other UDFA signing you'll hear everyone talking about was Buffalo's signing of Da'Rick Rogers, a wide receiver, from Tennessee Tech by way of Tennessee, who fell because of character problems, like seemingly everyone. People are already talking about Rogers as a potential starter opposite Steve Johnson, but if he really is a probable starter, wouldn't he have been drafted?
I don't quite understand why Collin Klein is so widely ignored. He was a Heisman candidate in college...doesn't that count for something? The former quarterback was signed by Houston and is likely going to be converted to tight end.
Speaking of quarterbacks, teams often use undrafted players to fill their third or fourth quarterback spots. And clearly, some teams like to stay local; Baltimore signed Trent Steelman from Army, New Orleans signed Ryan Griffin from Tulane, Detroit signed Alex Carder from Western Michigan, Jacksonville signed Jordan Rodgers from Vanderbilt (yes, he's Aaron's brother), and Kansas City signed Kansas' Dayne Crist. Others didn't follow this pattern, taking their UDFAs from across the country, but they were not in the majority.
Other notable quarterbacks include Clay Belton from Findlay, a school which claims to be the "largest private university in northwest Ohio." Woohoo. He was signed by Miami. That's going to be a big change for him. Belton actually has a large chance of making Miami's roster, given that they have very little depth at the position. The most highly touted undrafted quarterback, Tyler Bray, joined Dayne Crist on the Chiefs. Don't be surprised if either one plays this season. With the Chiefs, anything could happen.
I was going to make a comment about the Falcons signing Casey Barth, brother of Bucs kicker Connor, but then I read that he was cut 11 days ago, along with someone named Momo Thomas. So much for that clever piece of trivia.
The Raiders, my favorite team, didn't get any big-name UDFAs (is there such a thing?) but they did sign Rice RB Sam McGuffie, one of my favorite college players, as well as some defensive lineman with three consecutive A's in his name.
Another different-sport conversion: Wisconsin-Milwaukee basketball player Demetrius Harris, whose Twitter page is still plastered with images of his former sport.
I noticed that the Chargers signed a cornerback named Marcus Cromartie. That rings a bell. Oh, that's right, there's another cornerback named Antonio Cromartie, a cornerback named Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and a safety named Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith. Yes, those three are related. No, Marcus is not related to them. No, you weren't the only one who was surprised.
But yeah, there are many, many more UDFAs, and you can see if your favorite hometown player made a roster here: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000164809/article/undrafted-rookie-free-agents-for-all-32-nfl-teams (Hopefully your favorite hometown player hasn't been cut by now like Casey Barth and Momo Thomas.)
Draft season is officially over, but minicamps are going on right now and rookies are getting their first opportunities to impress. More articles in the coming days!
This year, Lawrence Okoye was one of the highest-priority undrafted free agents. A Brit who participated in the Olympics last year, Okoye was called an "Adonis" by coach Jim Harbaugh and has great potential if he can adapt well to playing football. San Francisco also signed another player who's undergoing a position change, former Minnesota Gophers quarterback and current tight end Marqueis Gray.
The other UDFA signing you'll hear everyone talking about was Buffalo's signing of Da'Rick Rogers, a wide receiver, from Tennessee Tech by way of Tennessee, who fell because of character problems, like seemingly everyone. People are already talking about Rogers as a potential starter opposite Steve Johnson, but if he really is a probable starter, wouldn't he have been drafted?
I don't quite understand why Collin Klein is so widely ignored. He was a Heisman candidate in college...doesn't that count for something? The former quarterback was signed by Houston and is likely going to be converted to tight end.
Speaking of quarterbacks, teams often use undrafted players to fill their third or fourth quarterback spots. And clearly, some teams like to stay local; Baltimore signed Trent Steelman from Army, New Orleans signed Ryan Griffin from Tulane, Detroit signed Alex Carder from Western Michigan, Jacksonville signed Jordan Rodgers from Vanderbilt (yes, he's Aaron's brother), and Kansas City signed Kansas' Dayne Crist. Others didn't follow this pattern, taking their UDFAs from across the country, but they were not in the majority.
Other notable quarterbacks include Clay Belton from Findlay, a school which claims to be the "largest private university in northwest Ohio." Woohoo. He was signed by Miami. That's going to be a big change for him. Belton actually has a large chance of making Miami's roster, given that they have very little depth at the position. The most highly touted undrafted quarterback, Tyler Bray, joined Dayne Crist on the Chiefs. Don't be surprised if either one plays this season. With the Chiefs, anything could happen.
I was going to make a comment about the Falcons signing Casey Barth, brother of Bucs kicker Connor, but then I read that he was cut 11 days ago, along with someone named Momo Thomas. So much for that clever piece of trivia.
The Raiders, my favorite team, didn't get any big-name UDFAs (is there such a thing?) but they did sign Rice RB Sam McGuffie, one of my favorite college players, as well as some defensive lineman with three consecutive A's in his name.
Another different-sport conversion: Wisconsin-Milwaukee basketball player Demetrius Harris, whose Twitter page is still plastered with images of his former sport.
I noticed that the Chargers signed a cornerback named Marcus Cromartie. That rings a bell. Oh, that's right, there's another cornerback named Antonio Cromartie, a cornerback named Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and a safety named Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith. Yes, those three are related. No, Marcus is not related to them. No, you weren't the only one who was surprised.
But yeah, there are many, many more UDFAs, and you can see if your favorite hometown player made a roster here: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000164809/article/undrafted-rookie-free-agents-for-all-32-nfl-teams (Hopefully your favorite hometown player hasn't been cut by now like Casey Barth and Momo Thomas.)
Draft season is officially over, but minicamps are going on right now and rookies are getting their first opportunities to impress. More articles in the coming days!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Day 3
It seems like the whole football community loses interest in the draft by Day 3. Only very enthusiastic fans watch. The draft is in the middle of the day, not primetime or even the late afternoon. Most sports fans devote their attentions to the end of the NBA season, or hockey, or NASCAR, whatever. Even the commentators often seem to ignore picks to talk about storylines from earlier rounds. In fact, only the actual NFL teams seem to take an interest, and even then, general managers will take "flyers" on high-risk players in the later rounds. With that in mind, we begin our coverage of the fourth round.
Because of the nature of the last few rounds, there aren't quite as many notable picks. The Eagles took Matt Barkley after trading up to the top pick of the round, introducing another questionable quarterback into the competition. This induced a run on quarterbacks, with the Giants taking Ryan Nassib (possibly Eli's successor?), the Raiders taking Tyler Wilson (he's been impressive in minicamps so far), and the Steelers taking Landry Jones (he was once regarded as a first round pick.)
Green Bay also surprised by taking Johnathan Franklin, their second running back of the draft, and perhaps the second best running back in the draft as well. With more smart drafting by Ted Thompson and the rest of the organization, the Packers continue to cement their place atop the NFC North division. They are assembling a rather intimidating running back-by-committee system to complement their excellent passing game.
Another pick I appreciated was the last pick of the fourth round, made by Atlanta using a compensatory selection. They took Levine Toilolo, tight end from Stanford and former target of Andrew Luck during his time there. Toilolo will be a great successor for Tony Gonzalez. (Also, he has a cool name.)
In the fifth round, Denard "Shoelace" Robinson was taken by the Jaguars. (He earned this nickname for playing with shoelaces untied. Seems like too much of a risk when one false step can cost you millions of dollars.) From what the media have said, he's the reincarnation of Kordell Stewart (who isn't even dead), a player capable of playing basically every skill position. I don't quite understand the NFL's tendency to convert mobile quarterbacks to other positions, (Antwaan Randle El, Matt Jones, Josh Cribbs, Josh Nesbitt, Armanti Edwards, Marcus Vick...the list goes on and on), but Robinson will likely fit in anywhere the Jaguars put him.
The Seahawks drafted a player who was arrested right before the draft. Character concerns, maybe? I guess taking anyone in the fifth round isn't too much of a risk, but still...
The Vikings said goodbye to the NFL's most vocal punter, Chris Kluwe, and replaced him with Jeff Locke from UCLA. (Postscript: Weeks after the draft, in need of a replacement for Shane Lechler, Oakland signed Kluwe.)
There were some more advances on the running back front as Arizona selected Stanford runner Stepfan Taylor to bolster an inconsistent, no-name backfield, while Miami chose Mike Gillislee from Florida to replace Reggie Bush (hopefully).
(Speaking of fifth round picks, the Chiefs released their fifth round pick from last year, cornerback DaQuan Menzie. Don't you give a mid-round pick more than one year to develop and improve? Yeah, I thought so too.)
Oddly, players who called out the NFL were selected early in the sixth round. Nick Kasa alleged that he was asked about his sexual orientation at the combine, and Ryan Swope complained about being compared only to white receivers.
It was another running back-heavy round, and teams were digging deep to find hidden talent. The Panthers added Kenjon Barner, another Oregon running back, while the Cardinals doubled up with Andre Ellington, the Raiders took little-known Latavius Murray, and the Buccaneers took Miami's Mike James. Running backs made up over 18% of the round's picks.
Not many notable prospects fell to the seventh round. Several quarterbacks were chosen, however. The Chargers made an interesting move by selecting Southern Utah quarterback Brad Sorensen to develop under Rivers, although he hasn't played against much high-level competition. The Broncos got VERY lucky when highly touted quarterback Zac Dysert, who shares an alma mater with Ben Roethlisberger, dropped to them at #234. The final quarterback chosen in the draft, Sean Renfree, will definitely help the Falcons, who have serious backup quarterback issues.
Mike Mayock praised the Ravens for their choice of Elon wideout Aaron Mellette four picks later. Perhaps he'll help them fill the hole left by Anquan Boldin.
The last drama of the draft was saved for the Colts' choice of Mr. Irrelevant, tight end Justice Cunningham from South Carolina, making him the second Colt in a row to be chosen as Mr. Irrelevant, and the second South Carolina player in recent years.
However, the drama was not over with the final pick of the draft. In some ways, the UDFA signings are even more exciting than the draft's later rounds. Local heroes, injury risks, boom-or-bust and one-year wonders will all find new homes. Numerous undrafted free agents, including a British discus thrower, a Heisman Trophy finalist, a YouTube sensation from Europe, and a dynamic, troubled wideout, were sent onto the open market, where teams would bid for their services.
Because of the nature of the last few rounds, there aren't quite as many notable picks. The Eagles took Matt Barkley after trading up to the top pick of the round, introducing another questionable quarterback into the competition. This induced a run on quarterbacks, with the Giants taking Ryan Nassib (possibly Eli's successor?), the Raiders taking Tyler Wilson (he's been impressive in minicamps so far), and the Steelers taking Landry Jones (he was once regarded as a first round pick.)
Green Bay also surprised by taking Johnathan Franklin, their second running back of the draft, and perhaps the second best running back in the draft as well. With more smart drafting by Ted Thompson and the rest of the organization, the Packers continue to cement their place atop the NFC North division. They are assembling a rather intimidating running back-by-committee system to complement their excellent passing game.
Another pick I appreciated was the last pick of the fourth round, made by Atlanta using a compensatory selection. They took Levine Toilolo, tight end from Stanford and former target of Andrew Luck during his time there. Toilolo will be a great successor for Tony Gonzalez. (Also, he has a cool name.)
In the fifth round, Denard "Shoelace" Robinson was taken by the Jaguars. (He earned this nickname for playing with shoelaces untied. Seems like too much of a risk when one false step can cost you millions of dollars.) From what the media have said, he's the reincarnation of Kordell Stewart (who isn't even dead), a player capable of playing basically every skill position. I don't quite understand the NFL's tendency to convert mobile quarterbacks to other positions, (Antwaan Randle El, Matt Jones, Josh Cribbs, Josh Nesbitt, Armanti Edwards, Marcus Vick...the list goes on and on), but Robinson will likely fit in anywhere the Jaguars put him.
The Seahawks drafted a player who was arrested right before the draft. Character concerns, maybe? I guess taking anyone in the fifth round isn't too much of a risk, but still...
The Vikings said goodbye to the NFL's most vocal punter, Chris Kluwe, and replaced him with Jeff Locke from UCLA. (Postscript: Weeks after the draft, in need of a replacement for Shane Lechler, Oakland signed Kluwe.)
There were some more advances on the running back front as Arizona selected Stanford runner Stepfan Taylor to bolster an inconsistent, no-name backfield, while Miami chose Mike Gillislee from Florida to replace Reggie Bush (hopefully).
(Speaking of fifth round picks, the Chiefs released their fifth round pick from last year, cornerback DaQuan Menzie. Don't you give a mid-round pick more than one year to develop and improve? Yeah, I thought so too.)
Oddly, players who called out the NFL were selected early in the sixth round. Nick Kasa alleged that he was asked about his sexual orientation at the combine, and Ryan Swope complained about being compared only to white receivers.
It was another running back-heavy round, and teams were digging deep to find hidden talent. The Panthers added Kenjon Barner, another Oregon running back, while the Cardinals doubled up with Andre Ellington, the Raiders took little-known Latavius Murray, and the Buccaneers took Miami's Mike James. Running backs made up over 18% of the round's picks.
Not many notable prospects fell to the seventh round. Several quarterbacks were chosen, however. The Chargers made an interesting move by selecting Southern Utah quarterback Brad Sorensen to develop under Rivers, although he hasn't played against much high-level competition. The Broncos got VERY lucky when highly touted quarterback Zac Dysert, who shares an alma mater with Ben Roethlisberger, dropped to them at #234. The final quarterback chosen in the draft, Sean Renfree, will definitely help the Falcons, who have serious backup quarterback issues.
Mike Mayock praised the Ravens for their choice of Elon wideout Aaron Mellette four picks later. Perhaps he'll help them fill the hole left by Anquan Boldin.
The last drama of the draft was saved for the Colts' choice of Mr. Irrelevant, tight end Justice Cunningham from South Carolina, making him the second Colt in a row to be chosen as Mr. Irrelevant, and the second South Carolina player in recent years.
However, the drama was not over with the final pick of the draft. In some ways, the UDFA signings are even more exciting than the draft's later rounds. Local heroes, injury risks, boom-or-bust and one-year wonders will all find new homes. Numerous undrafted free agents, including a British discus thrower, a Heisman Trophy finalist, a YouTube sensation from Europe, and a dynamic, troubled wideout, were sent onto the open market, where teams would bid for their services.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Day 2
Welcome back to the Natural Football Log for our (somewhat overdue) review of Days 2 and 3 of the draft!
After the events of Thursday night, a dark shadow had fallen over the media. The two most overhyped players, Geno Smith and Manti Te'o, were still undrafted. "What to do?" one reporter asked. He looked visibly shaken. Then, a hero emerged. "I know," this reporter said. "Let's just forget about the other 220 draftable prospects!! We only care about these two, right? The best quarterback in a class of bad quarterbacks and a guy who fell for an imaginary girlfriend while failing against top competition? Right?"
And so, the media spent ALL of Friday talking about Smith and Te'o. There wouldn't be a breakthrough on that front for a while. When the draft reopened, the first player taken was not Smith, as many speculated, but safety John Cyprien from Florida International. (What does that school's name even mean?) The 49ers owned the next pick from the Alex Smith trade, but they sent it to Tennessee so they could take Justin Hunter, one of the multitude of Tennessean receivers in the draft.
The circus came to town again for the Eagles. Would they draft Smith or Te'o??? After all, said everyone, they have needs at both positions. Nope, they just took Zach Ertz, tight end from Stanford, which was a pretty safe pick. Whoever starts at quarterback is going to need a reliable target, after all. (No one seems to notice that the Eagles have multiple starting-caliber quarterbacks on their roster, after all.)
After Detroit drafted cornerback Darius Slay (which is a pretty cool football player name), Cincinnati used one of its Carson Palmer picks to select a running back. Not Eddie Lacy, the one everyone expected, but Giovani Bernard from UNC. It was becoming pretty apparent that this round was going in a different direction from what most had expected.
The media could breathe easy when the Chargers, perhaps one of the least interesting teams in the league, drafted Manti Te'o to spice things up. No doubt, he is a quality player. However, the new regime under Tom Telesco is going to have to take that quality with the attention that comes with drafting such a widely known player. (And he's not widely known for good reasons, either.)
But wait, there's more! The New York Jets took Geno Smith off the board, spelling eventual doom for Mark Sanchez. While New York insists that Sanchez is the starter, there's no way a prospect like Smith is going to hold a clipboard all season. Calling it now - Smith replaces Sanchez in Week 7 after a 1-5 start.
Things started to slow down after ESPN's two favorite players were drafted. The 49ers took recovered defensive end Tank Carradine. Then, the Bills made a very smart pick by taking Robert Woods, who was Matt Barkley's primary target at USC. He seemed to disappear from the minds of draft analysts after originally being one of the draft's top prospects.
The Raiders made a smart pick! I know, it may be hard for some of you to believe. Drafting offensive tackle Menelik Watson ensures that their quarterback, whomever that may be, will have good pass protection down the road.
Defense ruled the next 14 picks, as only three were offensive players (weird), and all were skill position players (weirder), and two of those were tight ends (weirdest). Most notably, the 49ers, who possessed an excess of picks, traded up for TE Vance McDonald (not a huge surprise since all every mock draft talked about is how much Jim Harbaugh loves multiple tight ends) and the Ravens traded up to select linebacker Arthur Brown. I think the Seahawks got the better end of this trade, though; moving down six spots and gaining two picks in the process.
At #26, the Broncos selected one-time Heisman finalist Montee Ball, who chose to stay for his senior season last year after receiving a mediocre grade from the draft advisory board. I think it's a good pick, as the Broncos don't have anyone great at running back. The other significant result of this pick was that Eddie Lacy, running back from Alabama, continued to fall...and the Packers, in dire need of a competent running game to take the pressure off of Aaron Rodgers, took him gladly at #29. This may have thwarted the Seahawks, who took running back Christine Michael immediately afterward.
And so, the second round came to a close. Fortunately, though, another round was about to begin.
The Chiefs spent their pick, the first of the round, on tight end Travis Kelce, brother of an Eagles offensive lineman. An inordinate number of tight ends were taken from the mid-second to early third rounds, an interesting trend in a draft that was rather unpredictable.
The next big news came several picks later. In the midst of a three-cornerback run, Arizona selected Tyrann Mathieu, another extremely publicized player who made a bizarre appearance on the cover of ESPN's draft preview. Honestly, what message does that send? Featuring a mid-round prospect who was kicked off his college team for violating team rules (i.e. failing drug tests)? Mathieu also planned a draft party to celebrate becoming a first-round pick, which never happened. The Cardinals, undaunted by this ridiculous character risk, selected Mathieu and announced that he would be moved to safety.
Later, the Buccaneers put some pressure on Josh Freeman by selecting Mike Glennon. (That is, not Matt Barkley or Ryan Nassib.) Perhaps this competition is what Freeman needs to elevate his game and establish himself as a consistent starting quarterback. Or, alternatively, this competition may be what Freeman needs to lose his job to Mike Glennon and be traded to the Raiders for 7 first round picks after Matt Flynn tears his ACL in Week 16. Hey, you never know.
Next, the Cowboys actually made a smart pick by taking somewhat-local wide receiver Terrance Williams, who was one of RG3's favorite targets at Baylor.
The rest of the round was rather uneventful. The Dolphins took an offensive tackle, something they definitely needed after losing former #1 overall pick Jake Long in free agency; the Bills took extremely fast wideout Marquise Goodwin; and, strangest of all, the Patriots reached for two players from Rutgers, cornerback Logan Ryan and safety Duron Harmon, the latter of whom was originally a late-priority undrafted free agent on Mike Mayock's draft board. The 49ers traded once again to select defensive lineman Corey Lemonier in the Packers' spot. The Rams selected West Virginia wideout Stedman Bailey, pairing him with his former teammate Tavon Austin. The best pick of the round, at least according to NFL.com's grading system, was the Giants' selection of Texas A&M end/linebacker Damontre Moore.
After three compensatory picks, the most questionable of which was Kansas City's selection of inconsistent Arkansas running back Knile Davis, Day 2 ended, bringing with it most of the draft's intrigue. However, the landing spots of highly touted quarterbacks Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib were still unknown. Nassib wasn't going to his college coach Doug Marrone's Buffalo Bills, so where would he end up? Would an opportunistic contender snatch him up, hoping to develop him as their quarterback's successor? And would Barkley's junior season's film be enough to earn him an early pick on Day 3? The quarterback questions and many others would be answered in the draft's last four rounds.
After the events of Thursday night, a dark shadow had fallen over the media. The two most overhyped players, Geno Smith and Manti Te'o, were still undrafted. "What to do?" one reporter asked. He looked visibly shaken. Then, a hero emerged. "I know," this reporter said. "Let's just forget about the other 220 draftable prospects!! We only care about these two, right? The best quarterback in a class of bad quarterbacks and a guy who fell for an imaginary girlfriend while failing against top competition? Right?"
And so, the media spent ALL of Friday talking about Smith and Te'o. There wouldn't be a breakthrough on that front for a while. When the draft reopened, the first player taken was not Smith, as many speculated, but safety John Cyprien from Florida International. (What does that school's name even mean?) The 49ers owned the next pick from the Alex Smith trade, but they sent it to Tennessee so they could take Justin Hunter, one of the multitude of Tennessean receivers in the draft.
The circus came to town again for the Eagles. Would they draft Smith or Te'o??? After all, said everyone, they have needs at both positions. Nope, they just took Zach Ertz, tight end from Stanford, which was a pretty safe pick. Whoever starts at quarterback is going to need a reliable target, after all. (No one seems to notice that the Eagles have multiple starting-caliber quarterbacks on their roster, after all.)
After Detroit drafted cornerback Darius Slay (which is a pretty cool football player name), Cincinnati used one of its Carson Palmer picks to select a running back. Not Eddie Lacy, the one everyone expected, but Giovani Bernard from UNC. It was becoming pretty apparent that this round was going in a different direction from what most had expected.
The media could breathe easy when the Chargers, perhaps one of the least interesting teams in the league, drafted Manti Te'o to spice things up. No doubt, he is a quality player. However, the new regime under Tom Telesco is going to have to take that quality with the attention that comes with drafting such a widely known player. (And he's not widely known for good reasons, either.)
But wait, there's more! The New York Jets took Geno Smith off the board, spelling eventual doom for Mark Sanchez. While New York insists that Sanchez is the starter, there's no way a prospect like Smith is going to hold a clipboard all season. Calling it now - Smith replaces Sanchez in Week 7 after a 1-5 start.
Things started to slow down after ESPN's two favorite players were drafted. The 49ers took recovered defensive end Tank Carradine. Then, the Bills made a very smart pick by taking Robert Woods, who was Matt Barkley's primary target at USC. He seemed to disappear from the minds of draft analysts after originally being one of the draft's top prospects.
The Raiders made a smart pick! I know, it may be hard for some of you to believe. Drafting offensive tackle Menelik Watson ensures that their quarterback, whomever that may be, will have good pass protection down the road.
Defense ruled the next 14 picks, as only three were offensive players (weird), and all were skill position players (weirder), and two of those were tight ends (weirdest). Most notably, the 49ers, who possessed an excess of picks, traded up for TE Vance McDonald (not a huge surprise since all every mock draft talked about is how much Jim Harbaugh loves multiple tight ends) and the Ravens traded up to select linebacker Arthur Brown. I think the Seahawks got the better end of this trade, though; moving down six spots and gaining two picks in the process.
At #26, the Broncos selected one-time Heisman finalist Montee Ball, who chose to stay for his senior season last year after receiving a mediocre grade from the draft advisory board. I think it's a good pick, as the Broncos don't have anyone great at running back. The other significant result of this pick was that Eddie Lacy, running back from Alabama, continued to fall...and the Packers, in dire need of a competent running game to take the pressure off of Aaron Rodgers, took him gladly at #29. This may have thwarted the Seahawks, who took running back Christine Michael immediately afterward.
And so, the second round came to a close. Fortunately, though, another round was about to begin.
The Chiefs spent their pick, the first of the round, on tight end Travis Kelce, brother of an Eagles offensive lineman. An inordinate number of tight ends were taken from the mid-second to early third rounds, an interesting trend in a draft that was rather unpredictable.
The next big news came several picks later. In the midst of a three-cornerback run, Arizona selected Tyrann Mathieu, another extremely publicized player who made a bizarre appearance on the cover of ESPN's draft preview. Honestly, what message does that send? Featuring a mid-round prospect who was kicked off his college team for violating team rules (i.e. failing drug tests)? Mathieu also planned a draft party to celebrate becoming a first-round pick, which never happened. The Cardinals, undaunted by this ridiculous character risk, selected Mathieu and announced that he would be moved to safety.
Later, the Buccaneers put some pressure on Josh Freeman by selecting Mike Glennon. (That is, not Matt Barkley or Ryan Nassib.) Perhaps this competition is what Freeman needs to elevate his game and establish himself as a consistent starting quarterback. Or, alternatively, this competition may be what Freeman needs to lose his job to Mike Glennon and be traded to the Raiders for 7 first round picks after Matt Flynn tears his ACL in Week 16. Hey, you never know.
Next, the Cowboys actually made a smart pick by taking somewhat-local wide receiver Terrance Williams, who was one of RG3's favorite targets at Baylor.
The rest of the round was rather uneventful. The Dolphins took an offensive tackle, something they definitely needed after losing former #1 overall pick Jake Long in free agency; the Bills took extremely fast wideout Marquise Goodwin; and, strangest of all, the Patriots reached for two players from Rutgers, cornerback Logan Ryan and safety Duron Harmon, the latter of whom was originally a late-priority undrafted free agent on Mike Mayock's draft board. The 49ers traded once again to select defensive lineman Corey Lemonier in the Packers' spot. The Rams selected West Virginia wideout Stedman Bailey, pairing him with his former teammate Tavon Austin. The best pick of the round, at least according to NFL.com's grading system, was the Giants' selection of Texas A&M end/linebacker Damontre Moore.
After three compensatory picks, the most questionable of which was Kansas City's selection of inconsistent Arkansas running back Knile Davis, Day 2 ended, bringing with it most of the draft's intrigue. However, the landing spots of highly touted quarterbacks Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib were still unknown. Nassib wasn't going to his college coach Doug Marrone's Buffalo Bills, so where would he end up? Would an opportunistic contender snatch him up, hoping to develop him as their quarterback's successor? And would Barkley's junior season's film be enough to earn him an early pick on Day 3? The quarterback questions and many others would be answered in the draft's last four rounds.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Draft Day One!
The Football Log is back! After a promising start to last season, posting became inconsistent, and we had a disappointing finish to the season resulting in a first round exit. (I'm looking at you, fantasy football teams.)
Regardless, the last two and a half months were a bleak landscape filled with something called baseball and some kind of overhyped basketball playoff thing. (What is a Shocker, anyway?) And of course, football won't be starting for another 4 months, but at least the draft, an oasis in an otherwise empty desert that is the offseason, has begun.
Yesterday was the first round of a bizarre draft that seems to feature very few interesting skill position players. Offensive linemen and cornerbacks seem to be all the rage this year. After the Chiefs picked Eric Fisher over Luke Joeckel (I still can't tell if that was a surprise or not), which seemed to be a decision based on some mythical concept called "upside," Joeckel was immediately taken by the Jaguars, who are perennial losers in the AFC South. In the next few hours, when they take any one of Smith/Barkley/Nassib/Dysert/whomever, that probably won't change, because none of those four are able to turn a team around like Luck or Griffin.
Anyway, next up were the equally bad Raiders (sigh), who traded down nine spots and only gained a single extra pick, the tenth of round two. Keep that in mind as I progress through this recap. The Dolphins promptly took someone who doesn't weigh over 300 pounds, that being Dion Jordan, linebacker from Oregon.
After Philadelphia took another tackle, the Lions broke the trend by selecting Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah, a former soccer player from Ghana whose mother wanted him to be drafted by a team in Utah, since they had gotten so comfortable at BYU. Oh wait...yeah, there aren't any teams in Utah. Perhaps he will be the Ansah to Detroit's struggles. (I can't even count the number of times I've seen that inane pun, and I still used it regardless.)
Barkevious "Keke" Mingo, who sounds more like a pet dog than an NFL defensive lineman, was selected by the entirely new Browns regime, which has yet to ditch Brandon Weeden, despite the fact that former NFL.com staffer and current Browns GM Michael Lombardi doesn't like him very much.
The lack of a player capable of running a sub-5 second 40 yard dash was becoming more and more apparent as Arizona took guard Jonathan Cooper. Soon, the Rams traded up to #8 and took Tavon Austin, a dynamic wide receiver/running back from West Virginia. Austin's teammate, Geno Smith, the not-really-consensus top quarterback who was shown every 5 seconds on ESPN's broadcast, continued to fall.
The Jets took DeMarcus "Dee" Milliner next, the actually-consensus top cornerback. Hey, it's a start. Don't worry, we'll hear from them again in four picks.
As Mark Ingram was quick to point out, the next two players, Chance Warmack and D.J. Fluker, both linemen, completed the trifecta of Alabama players. No surprise there, given how thoroughly the Tide have dominated the FBS recently.
And then, the Raiders were up again. With Sharrif Floyd, their supposed target at #3, still on the board, it seemed like a golden opportunity, right? Wrong. Instead, the Raiders took D.J. Hayden, a cornerback from Houston who suffered a life-threatening injury in practice last season. He damaged his inferior vena cava, crippling his circulatory system. And then, he made it out of the hospital six days later. Flash forward to the NFL draft, and he's a first-round pick. It's a risky pick, but it definitely addresses a need, seeing as the Raiders need everything except running back and kicker.
Two defensive tackles followed, Sheldon Richardson for the Jets and Star Lotulelei, himself a victim of a heart injury, for the Panthers. The Jets conveniently failed to draft an impact player.
The Saints picked Kenny Vaccaro, who immediately stood out to us home viewers as ESPN showed not only an impressive highlight reel, but also the Texas safety's numerous tattoos.
And then the first quarterback came off the board. No, it was not long-suffering Geno, who was staring intently at...something and awkwardly glanced up at the camera before looking away. Instead, it was EJ Manuel, whom the Bills took. Honestly, just about anyone is better than a Tarvaris Jackson-Aaron Corp combo. (Doug Marrone didn't even know "Andy" Corp's name when he took over the job.)
After a second linebacker went to the Steelers, the inevitable 49ers trade up through the draft netted them Eric Reid, an LSU safety. Just as the Manti Te'o hype machine started to fire up, two more linemen followed for the Giants and Bears.
After the Bengals took Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert and the Falcons took Desmond Trufant, brother of current NFL corner Marcus, the Vikings were on the clock. Manti Te'o speculation continued, but everyone must have forgotten that Sharrif Floyd, projected #3 pick, was still on the board, because the Vikings were able to snatch him up half a round later.
The Colts took Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner, which of course sparked a Bjoern = born pun on NFL.com. Then, the Vikings showed up again, using their pick that they acquired for Percy Harvin to take cornerback Xavier Rhodes. (Not Tyrann Mathieu, who scheduled a draft party to celebrate becoming a first round pick. And guess what? He wasn't taken.)
The Packers then drafted Datone Jones, whom Aaron Rodgers congratulated via Twitter. Rodgers also told Geno Smith to be patient. He'd be waiting for a while longer.
The Texans took DeAndre Hopkins next. It's about time they paired a competent receiver with Andre Johnson. They've waited so long that he'll be retiring soon and they'll need two good receivers.
Denver took another falling prospect, defensive tackle Sylvester Williams, before the Patriots were on the clock. The Vikings, however, traded up for their third first-round pick, in the process giving up four draft picks. Yes, four. The Dolphins only gave up two to move into the #3 spot. (They would later brag that they got the pick for "half price." Great job, Reggie McKenzie.) Minnesota then took Cordarrelle Patterson, who not only has a cool name but also a lot of potential as a wide receiver.
The Rams took inside linebacker Alec Ogletree with the antepenultimate pick. Then, the Cowboys, who had traded down earlier, took Travis Frederick, a huge reach in the late first round. I get the feeling there will be a new regime in Dallas soon.
Finally, the Ravens took safety Matt Elam with the #32 pick, which had a number of notable consequences for Day Two:
1) Three premier quarterbacks are still on the board.
2) Manti "Media Circus" Te'o is still on the board.
3) Tyrann "I got kicked off my school's team and still claim to be an elite prospect" Mathieu is still on the board.
4) For the first time in 49 years, no running backs were taken the first round. Eddie Lacy is still undrafted. All I know is that he was good in my Madden franchise.
See you later for a Day Two recap!
Regardless, the last two and a half months were a bleak landscape filled with something called baseball and some kind of overhyped basketball playoff thing. (What is a Shocker, anyway?) And of course, football won't be starting for another 4 months, but at least the draft, an oasis in an otherwise empty desert that is the offseason, has begun.
Yesterday was the first round of a bizarre draft that seems to feature very few interesting skill position players. Offensive linemen and cornerbacks seem to be all the rage this year. After the Chiefs picked Eric Fisher over Luke Joeckel (I still can't tell if that was a surprise or not), which seemed to be a decision based on some mythical concept called "upside," Joeckel was immediately taken by the Jaguars, who are perennial losers in the AFC South. In the next few hours, when they take any one of Smith/Barkley/Nassib/Dysert/whomever, that probably won't change, because none of those four are able to turn a team around like Luck or Griffin.
Anyway, next up were the equally bad Raiders (sigh), who traded down nine spots and only gained a single extra pick, the tenth of round two. Keep that in mind as I progress through this recap. The Dolphins promptly took someone who doesn't weigh over 300 pounds, that being Dion Jordan, linebacker from Oregon.
After Philadelphia took another tackle, the Lions broke the trend by selecting Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah, a former soccer player from Ghana whose mother wanted him to be drafted by a team in Utah, since they had gotten so comfortable at BYU. Oh wait...yeah, there aren't any teams in Utah. Perhaps he will be the Ansah to Detroit's struggles. (I can't even count the number of times I've seen that inane pun, and I still used it regardless.)
Barkevious "Keke" Mingo, who sounds more like a pet dog than an NFL defensive lineman, was selected by the entirely new Browns regime, which has yet to ditch Brandon Weeden, despite the fact that former NFL.com staffer and current Browns GM Michael Lombardi doesn't like him very much.
The lack of a player capable of running a sub-5 second 40 yard dash was becoming more and more apparent as Arizona took guard Jonathan Cooper. Soon, the Rams traded up to #8 and took Tavon Austin, a dynamic wide receiver/running back from West Virginia. Austin's teammate, Geno Smith, the not-really-consensus top quarterback who was shown every 5 seconds on ESPN's broadcast, continued to fall.
The Jets took DeMarcus "Dee" Milliner next, the actually-consensus top cornerback. Hey, it's a start. Don't worry, we'll hear from them again in four picks.
As Mark Ingram was quick to point out, the next two players, Chance Warmack and D.J. Fluker, both linemen, completed the trifecta of Alabama players. No surprise there, given how thoroughly the Tide have dominated the FBS recently.
And then, the Raiders were up again. With Sharrif Floyd, their supposed target at #3, still on the board, it seemed like a golden opportunity, right? Wrong. Instead, the Raiders took D.J. Hayden, a cornerback from Houston who suffered a life-threatening injury in practice last season. He damaged his inferior vena cava, crippling his circulatory system. And then, he made it out of the hospital six days later. Flash forward to the NFL draft, and he's a first-round pick. It's a risky pick, but it definitely addresses a need, seeing as the Raiders need everything except running back and kicker.
Two defensive tackles followed, Sheldon Richardson for the Jets and Star Lotulelei, himself a victim of a heart injury, for the Panthers. The Jets conveniently failed to draft an impact player.
The Saints picked Kenny Vaccaro, who immediately stood out to us home viewers as ESPN showed not only an impressive highlight reel, but also the Texas safety's numerous tattoos.
And then the first quarterback came off the board. No, it was not long-suffering Geno, who was staring intently at...something and awkwardly glanced up at the camera before looking away. Instead, it was EJ Manuel, whom the Bills took. Honestly, just about anyone is better than a Tarvaris Jackson-Aaron Corp combo. (Doug Marrone didn't even know "Andy" Corp's name when he took over the job.)
After a second linebacker went to the Steelers, the inevitable 49ers trade up through the draft netted them Eric Reid, an LSU safety. Just as the Manti Te'o hype machine started to fire up, two more linemen followed for the Giants and Bears.
After the Bengals took Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert and the Falcons took Desmond Trufant, brother of current NFL corner Marcus, the Vikings were on the clock. Manti Te'o speculation continued, but everyone must have forgotten that Sharrif Floyd, projected #3 pick, was still on the board, because the Vikings were able to snatch him up half a round later.
The Colts took Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner, which of course sparked a Bjoern = born pun on NFL.com. Then, the Vikings showed up again, using their pick that they acquired for Percy Harvin to take cornerback Xavier Rhodes. (Not Tyrann Mathieu, who scheduled a draft party to celebrate becoming a first round pick. And guess what? He wasn't taken.)
The Packers then drafted Datone Jones, whom Aaron Rodgers congratulated via Twitter. Rodgers also told Geno Smith to be patient. He'd be waiting for a while longer.
The Texans took DeAndre Hopkins next. It's about time they paired a competent receiver with Andre Johnson. They've waited so long that he'll be retiring soon and they'll need two good receivers.
Denver took another falling prospect, defensive tackle Sylvester Williams, before the Patriots were on the clock. The Vikings, however, traded up for their third first-round pick, in the process giving up four draft picks. Yes, four. The Dolphins only gave up two to move into the #3 spot. (They would later brag that they got the pick for "half price." Great job, Reggie McKenzie.) Minnesota then took Cordarrelle Patterson, who not only has a cool name but also a lot of potential as a wide receiver.
The Rams took inside linebacker Alec Ogletree with the antepenultimate pick. Then, the Cowboys, who had traded down earlier, took Travis Frederick, a huge reach in the late first round. I get the feeling there will be a new regime in Dallas soon.
Finally, the Ravens took safety Matt Elam with the #32 pick, which had a number of notable consequences for Day Two:
1) Three premier quarterbacks are still on the board.
2) Manti "Media Circus" Te'o is still on the board.
3) Tyrann "I got kicked off my school's team and still claim to be an elite prospect" Mathieu is still on the board.
4) For the first time in 49 years, no running backs were taken the first round. Eddie Lacy is still undrafted. All I know is that he was good in my Madden franchise.
See you later for a Day Two recap!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Week 9: Fantasy Football Update
So, some of my readers may know that I am the owner of a pair of fantasy football teams, "Saintly Cowboys" and "Shaky Lightning" (based on their default logos). I have been doing fantasy football for a few years, but my best finish was second place. I really want to win a championship this year. In 2009, "Hypnotic" destroyed rival "Crazy Jay" in the semifinal, but was beaten by an extremely powerful "Wrecking Crew" team in the championship. In 2010, "Strike" entered the playoffs with an impressive 11-3 record and the number one seed, but was upset by underdog "alldayap10" in a low-scoring battle. I lost the third place game, too. 2011 was not as good of a year. I slipped into the playoffs with an 8-6 record and the fourth seed, and I ended up in fourth place again.
How my teams are doing right now:
Saintly Cowboys (5-4):
I have alternated between winning and losing with this team. I started with a solid roster and improved by adding Fred Jackson, but both Greg Jennings and Pierre Garçon were injured. Fortunately, I picked up Randall Cobb and Denarius Moore to go along with Julio Jones, and all three have been excellent. Strangely, my last victory dropped me from fourth place to fifth place.
QB: Drew Brees is a consistent starter. I had Josh Freeman as a backup briefly, but after the Bucs' slow start, I replaced him with Matt Schaub.
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew and Michael Turner are not as good as you might think. MJD has missed many games, and Turner loses a lot of carries to Jacquizz Rodgers. I'm currently using Fred Jackson in place of MJD, and I have Rashad Jennings as a handcuff for MJD.
WR: I already discussed this position above.
TE: Vernon Davis is a great player, but his bye week was this past week, so I signed Kyle Rudolph, who did absolutely nothing.
K: I rotate players here. I have Shayne Graham right now. I use Young GZ when the Rams have a good matchup.
DEF: The Bears have been great all year. They had a fantastic performance against Tennessee this past week.
Shaky Lightning (6-3)
Shaky Lightning is probably the better of my two teams. I have made good waiver wire pickups and I currently have an amazing group of running backs. I am currently less than stellar at QB, however.
QB: Like I said, this position is one of my weaknesses, along with DEF. I have to alternate Phillip Rivers and Tony Romo based on recent success and matchups.
RB: I am loaded at running back. I have Run DMC, Trent Richardson, Stevan Ridley and DeMarco Murray as my main running backs, thanks to a combination of activity on the waiver wire and strange transactions from my opponents. Due to some weird circumstances (DMC and DMM are injured and Richardson has a bye), I have to use Vick Ballard at running back this week. He was not great, but I needed someone, and he outperformed my original option, Rashad Jennings.
WR: I somehow ended up with four wide receivers who can be started on a regular basis: A.J. Green, Steve Smith, Demaryius Thomas and Denarius Moore. They serve me well week after week.
TE: I already had Antonio Gates, and when one of the other teams dropped Aaron Hernandez, I snapped him up. I now play them based on matchups.
DEF: Who needs a consistent defense week after week when you can play matchups? I used the COLTS on Thursday night against Jacksonville, and they got me 20 points. I used to have the Ravens, but they're deteriorating rapidly.
I'm hoping for a lot of success this year in fantasy football!
How my teams are doing right now:
Saintly Cowboys (5-4):
I have alternated between winning and losing with this team. I started with a solid roster and improved by adding Fred Jackson, but both Greg Jennings and Pierre Garçon were injured. Fortunately, I picked up Randall Cobb and Denarius Moore to go along with Julio Jones, and all three have been excellent. Strangely, my last victory dropped me from fourth place to fifth place.
QB: Drew Brees is a consistent starter. I had Josh Freeman as a backup briefly, but after the Bucs' slow start, I replaced him with Matt Schaub.
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew and Michael Turner are not as good as you might think. MJD has missed many games, and Turner loses a lot of carries to Jacquizz Rodgers. I'm currently using Fred Jackson in place of MJD, and I have Rashad Jennings as a handcuff for MJD.
WR: I already discussed this position above.
TE: Vernon Davis is a great player, but his bye week was this past week, so I signed Kyle Rudolph, who did absolutely nothing.
K: I rotate players here. I have Shayne Graham right now. I use Young GZ when the Rams have a good matchup.
DEF: The Bears have been great all year. They had a fantastic performance against Tennessee this past week.
Shaky Lightning (6-3)
Shaky Lightning is probably the better of my two teams. I have made good waiver wire pickups and I currently have an amazing group of running backs. I am currently less than stellar at QB, however.
QB: Like I said, this position is one of my weaknesses, along with DEF. I have to alternate Phillip Rivers and Tony Romo based on recent success and matchups.
RB: I am loaded at running back. I have Run DMC, Trent Richardson, Stevan Ridley and DeMarco Murray as my main running backs, thanks to a combination of activity on the waiver wire and strange transactions from my opponents. Due to some weird circumstances (DMC and DMM are injured and Richardson has a bye), I have to use Vick Ballard at running back this week. He was not great, but I needed someone, and he outperformed my original option, Rashad Jennings.
WR: I somehow ended up with four wide receivers who can be started on a regular basis: A.J. Green, Steve Smith, Demaryius Thomas and Denarius Moore. They serve me well week after week.
TE: I already had Antonio Gates, and when one of the other teams dropped Aaron Hernandez, I snapped him up. I now play them based on matchups.
DEF: Who needs a consistent defense week after week when you can play matchups? I used the COLTS on Thursday night against Jacksonville, and they got me 20 points. I used to have the Ravens, but they're deteriorating rapidly.
I'm hoping for a lot of success this year in fantasy football!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Week 8
A week of surprises:
• Bucs 36, Vikings 17: I certainly was surprised when Doug Martin went off for a total of 33.4 fantasy points. Also, an underrated and surprisingly good Vikings team was blown out by Tampa Bay. The Bucs always seem like a team somewhere in between contender and bottom-feeder. This year, they have a chance to turn things around and go somewhere in a weak NFC South.
• Dolphins 30, Jets 9: The Jets are ridiculous. We see a different team every week. It seems like they are always either blowing a team out or getting blown out. As for the Dolphins, Matt Moore led them to this victory. Will there be a quarterback controversy in Miami? I doubt it, personally.
• Browns 7, Chargers 6: Especially now, after the Chargers destroyed the Chiefs on TNF, this final score seems strange. The Chargers are a talented team, but they never win the AFC West, a relatively weak division in which any team can beat any other. I personally did not expect a Browns win, and I definitely didn't expect Trent Richardson to perform well while injured, even though he did last time he was ailing. (P.S. It seems that San Diego now has a chance of making the playoffs after their win.)
• Colts 19, Titans 13: I read WalterFootball.com frequently, and I believe it was there that I learned that the COLTS are in PLAYOFF CONTENTION at 4-3. If they made the playoffs this year, that would be a remarkable turnaround after last season's miserable failure.
• Patriots 45, Rams 7: I thought the Rams were better than this. Young GZ (Greg Zuerlein), the Rams' kicker, let me down, too. I have him on both fantasy teams.
• Packers 24, Jaguars 15: The Jaguars were competitive without MJD! Against the Packers! I have to say that that's a surprise. The Packers definitely aren't as good this year as they have been in the past, but I think they can still make the playoffs.
• Falcons 30, Eagles 17: No surprises here. Vick is still mediocre, Falcons are still undefeated.
• Steelers 27, Redskins 12: RG3 can't do it himself for Washington, contrary to popular belief. Pierre Garçon (like my fancy ç cedille?) needs to be healthy. Alfred Morris is surprisingly consistent, though and I like this team right now. As for the Steelers, I'm surprised they won this game with only no-name running backs like Jonathan Dwyer, Chris Rainey and Baron Batch on offense.
• Lions 28, Seahawks 24: Well, Detroit looked more like the Detroit of last year than the winless Lions of a few years ago in this particular game. Seattle is a legitimately good team, though, but Russell Wilson needs some more experience.
• Bears 23, Panthers 22: Carolina's slide continues. Cam "Superman" Newton is looking more like the Joker (yeah, they're not from the same series). As of today, DeAngelo Williams hasn't been traded, but it's the tradeline, so he'll be a Panther for a little while longer.
• Raiders 26, Chiefs 16: KC needs a new QB. Matt Cassel isn't much better than Brady Quinn in terms of success at this point. There are a lot of QBs in the draft this year, and Kansas City will hopefully, for their sake, be in a position to get one.
• Giants 29, Cowboys 24: Revenge! New York overcame a Dallas team that beat them in the kickoff game this year. The Cowboys did pretty well, though, especially considering the fact that they had Phillip Tanner at running back during this game.
• Broncos 34, Saints 14: Would it surprise anybody to learn that the Saints are still mediocre? Maybe a few people thought Drew Brees would right the ship, but that's not looking likely.
• 49ers 24, Cardinals 3: Surprise! The Cardinals don't seem to be legitimate contenders. When they had a great start, many people, myself included, thought they had a chance this year, but they were dominated by a division rival.
The season is halfway done and I'm sure that an exciting second half awaits all of us NFL fans!
• Bucs 36, Vikings 17: I certainly was surprised when Doug Martin went off for a total of 33.4 fantasy points. Also, an underrated and surprisingly good Vikings team was blown out by Tampa Bay. The Bucs always seem like a team somewhere in between contender and bottom-feeder. This year, they have a chance to turn things around and go somewhere in a weak NFC South.
• Dolphins 30, Jets 9: The Jets are ridiculous. We see a different team every week. It seems like they are always either blowing a team out or getting blown out. As for the Dolphins, Matt Moore led them to this victory. Will there be a quarterback controversy in Miami? I doubt it, personally.
• Browns 7, Chargers 6: Especially now, after the Chargers destroyed the Chiefs on TNF, this final score seems strange. The Chargers are a talented team, but they never win the AFC West, a relatively weak division in which any team can beat any other. I personally did not expect a Browns win, and I definitely didn't expect Trent Richardson to perform well while injured, even though he did last time he was ailing. (P.S. It seems that San Diego now has a chance of making the playoffs after their win.)
• Colts 19, Titans 13: I read WalterFootball.com frequently, and I believe it was there that I learned that the COLTS are in PLAYOFF CONTENTION at 4-3. If they made the playoffs this year, that would be a remarkable turnaround after last season's miserable failure.
• Patriots 45, Rams 7: I thought the Rams were better than this. Young GZ (Greg Zuerlein), the Rams' kicker, let me down, too. I have him on both fantasy teams.
• Packers 24, Jaguars 15: The Jaguars were competitive without MJD! Against the Packers! I have to say that that's a surprise. The Packers definitely aren't as good this year as they have been in the past, but I think they can still make the playoffs.
• Falcons 30, Eagles 17: No surprises here. Vick is still mediocre, Falcons are still undefeated.
• Steelers 27, Redskins 12: RG3 can't do it himself for Washington, contrary to popular belief. Pierre Garçon (like my fancy ç cedille?) needs to be healthy. Alfred Morris is surprisingly consistent, though and I like this team right now. As for the Steelers, I'm surprised they won this game with only no-name running backs like Jonathan Dwyer, Chris Rainey and Baron Batch on offense.
• Lions 28, Seahawks 24: Well, Detroit looked more like the Detroit of last year than the winless Lions of a few years ago in this particular game. Seattle is a legitimately good team, though, but Russell Wilson needs some more experience.
• Bears 23, Panthers 22: Carolina's slide continues. Cam "Superman" Newton is looking more like the Joker (yeah, they're not from the same series). As of today, DeAngelo Williams hasn't been traded, but it's the tradeline, so he'll be a Panther for a little while longer.
• Raiders 26, Chiefs 16: KC needs a new QB. Matt Cassel isn't much better than Brady Quinn in terms of success at this point. There are a lot of QBs in the draft this year, and Kansas City will hopefully, for their sake, be in a position to get one.
• Giants 29, Cowboys 24: Revenge! New York overcame a Dallas team that beat them in the kickoff game this year. The Cowboys did pretty well, though, especially considering the fact that they had Phillip Tanner at running back during this game.
• Broncos 34, Saints 14: Would it surprise anybody to learn that the Saints are still mediocre? Maybe a few people thought Drew Brees would right the ship, but that's not looking likely.
• 49ers 24, Cardinals 3: Surprise! The Cardinals don't seem to be legitimate contenders. When they had a great start, many people, myself included, thought they had a chance this year, but they were dominated by a division rival.
The season is halfway done and I'm sure that an exciting second half awaits all of us NFL fans!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)