May 24, 2007
Kiffin's USC connection may not save Mike Williams
Mike Williams is hearing footsteps. Or at least Lane Kiffin hopes so. (Although with Williams, it's probably best to spell things out). If Williams doesn't have a good few months, his NFL career could be Charles Rogered by September.
That's because the Raiders signed Travis Taylor, a similar player to Williams. This would not be a signing worth celebrating in most towns, but Taylor is an upgrade for the Raiders. Taylor, like Williams, hasn't lived up to his high first round billing. But at least he's produced and shows up for work. He could add some insurance to a group that doesn't want to count on Johnnie Lee Higgins in his rookie season or the Johnnie Morant/Alvis Whitted/Carlos Francis roster filler they've collected over the years.
The San Francisco Chronicle believes Taylor has a chance to start, but that would take a massively disappointing summer from Jerry Porter. Ronald Curry and Porter will start for the Raiders, and we suspect Taylor and Williams will compete for one roster spot behind them at flanker. There is little reason at this point to think Williams is going to win that battle.
May 23, 2007
I got caught up in a surprisingly busy day, so I never had time to post a host of links I set aside from this morning. Here goes.
The most overrated story of the offseason? the magical healing powers of Niketown on Troy Williamson's eyes. It's interesting, though, that Brad Childress came up with the idea. He knows he needs Williamson as a starter this season.
My buddy (and by buddy I mean guy on my fantasy team) Chester Taylor seems a little naive about Adrian Peterson's role.
"All they did was add depth to our running back crew; if I go down I'm confident that these guys will be able to take over and do the job."
It's one guy and Taylor will be the depth before long. Taylor goes on to say he sees himself and Peterson as a great 1-2 punch and I agree they will be. But Taylor will be the "2" in that scenario sooner than later.
Charlie Frye expects to be the Cleveland starter, but didn't look good on the first day of OTAs, throwing three picks. Brady Quinn threw two. It's only May, but don't automatically assume Derek Anderson is out of the quarterback race. He was definitely better than Frye last year.
Typical Raiders fan.
Rod Marinelli on on facing running back T.J. Duckett, "I mean, he was a load, man. We had a few thighbones in our jaws." Yum.
Continue reading "Around the league" »
General Manager Carl Peterson's handling of the Trent Green situation is hurting the Chiefs far more than the difference between a fourth-and-sixth round draft pick. It's causing resentment in the locker room towards the front office. It's creating a difficult situation for Herm Edwards. It's taking valuable snaps away from Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard. In a bottom-line business, it's fine for Peterson to unemotionally cut ties with his franchise leader. It's quite another to leave Green and the rest of the organization hanging for three months.
Green has had enough, getting surprisingly personal in challenging Herm Edwards' public statements and authority. Green is speaking the truth. Perhaps Peterson believed Green was such a good soldier that he'd keep his mouth shut. His teammates don't know what to think or how to treat Green. Who's the leader of this team?
Perhaps the team's best player other than Larry Johnson, G Brian Waters, believes he knows who the best quarterback is, "[Green] looked great. I think if you put him in position ... he's the better qualified quarterback on this roster right now."
Waters surely isn't alone thinking that, whether it's true or not.
Jason Whitlock is unsurprisingly all over this story. He has been calling for Carl Peterson's ouster for years, but that doesn't mean he's wrong. In Whitlock's view, Peterson's meddling has cursed every Chiefs coach since Marty Schottenheimer.
In a classic lede, Whitlock writes, "It’s going to be hard to build team chemistry with Trent Green hanging at one end of the locker room nailed to a cross."
I can't top that.
Broncos safety Nick Ferguson returned to practice this week, which is quite a surprise considering the rough shape he was in after undergoing surgery last year to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee.
His teammates even came up with a cute nickname for him because of his constant limp: "Barbaro."
A picture of the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who later was euthanized because of his injury, is on display in the Broncos locker room bearing Ferguson's uniform number 25, courtesy of fellow safety John Lynch.
"Fortunately, I didn't go to the glue factory," Ferguson joked. "I'm still around, live and kicking and overcoming my leg injury."
In light of recent news stories, we're disturbed by Ferguson's lack of sensitivity. He can only dream to crush the competition and make as many grown men cry before Mike Shanahan puts him out to pasture.
May 22, 2007
Maybe this baseball thing isn't going to work out for Jeff Samardzija. Or maybe I justed wanted to link to a post from the Rotoworld Godfather Matthew Pouliot.
It would probably take a couple poor years for Samardzija to give up baseball, but he's got a roster spot waiting for him somewhere in the NFL if he does.
Indianapolis and Dallas waged a spirited battle for the right to host the Super Bowl in 2011, but Jerry Jones and his new stadium won the day. Since the stadium is in Arlington, it's officially "North Texas" getting the Super Bowl.
Tony Dungy, perhaps the most admired man in the NFL, spoke on Indy's behalf. But after Super Bowls in Detroit and Jacksonville, I think the owners wanted warm-weather, big-market cities.
Now they just need to get the game back in New Orleans.
Wade is still only going to the 2011 Super Bowl with a ticket.
The Vikings start OTAs this week, giving Tarvaris Jackson his first chance to show growth from his rookie season. It's being billed as a competition between Jackson and Brooks Bollinger, but the local media knows it's Jackson's job to lose.
Minnesota has the shakiest-looking passing game in the league, and Brad Childress made a bold statement about Jackson's future by passing up Brady Quinn.
Key to helping Jackson will be integrating Adrian Peterson into Minnesota's new two-back system. The Pioneer Press looks at different ways the Vikings could split up the carries. So far the team and Chester Taylor have been silent. I would expect Taylor to play most passing downs this year, with Adrian Peterson slowly gaining the majority of work on the ground in the second half of the season. At worst, Taylor could fill an early-career Brian Westbrook role. Perhaps 125-150 carries, with 50 catches thrown in. Minnesota is going to want to rush the ball as much as possible to protect Jackson and take advantage of their offensive strength - the line.
Taylor - More Westbrook or Dominic Rhodes?
Here's the most in-depth story I've seen on the battle for the Colts backup running back job. DeDe Dorsey and Kenton Keith are unknowns, but one of them is going to be worth drafting in all fantasy leagues this year. The Colts say they want to keep a rotation in the backfield, but I have to think it will be a 3:1 split in favor of Joseph Addai. The slight uncertainty hurts Addai's stock slightly, but he's safely in our top eight picks.
Which reminds me: My first mock draft analysis of the year is up.
Don't expect Keyshawn to sign with the Titans anytime soon. Keyshawn will probably wait out the summer so he can skip as much practice as possible. Plus he'll hope for injuries elsewhere to create a demand. It looks like Tennessee is the only team interested in him, so I expect something to happen eventually.
Included in the same article is the news that LenDale White still isn't practicing. It's only May, but the Titans coaching staff has to be very frustrated.
Willis McGahee has talked about being motivated so much this offseason, I wonder if he's trying to convince himself. There are still doubts about the Baltimore offensive line, but McGahee is the rare back this season that is nearly guaranteed 350 touches. That should keep him as an early-second round pick at worst.
Not only is Junior Seau returning, but it looks like Vinny Testaverde is going to be a Patriot again. I wonder if Vinny or Matt Cassell would get the call if Tom Brady ever gets hurt.
May 21, 2007
There is dumb, and there is aggressively dumb. This Philadelphia Inquirer article proposing that a Donovan McNabb-for-Lance Briggs trade is possible before the season is the latter.
The line that got me was, "The question most Eagles fans are asking right now is: Why would the Bears make that deal?"
Huh? Briggs is a good system linebacker with one year on his deal. McNabb is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Any GM would make that trade, and they would throw in a first-day draft pick with Briggs to get it done.
Trading McNabb before the season would also be giving up on 2007 before it started. It couldn't possibly be a consideration. McNabb can seem a little sensitive to the criticism sent his way, but has reason to be paranoid.
The Colts are breaking in two starting cornerbacks, but I don't think it should be a problem. Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson are experienced and the system in Indianapolis is the star. I'd be a lot more concerned with their lack of run-stopping ability in the front seven.
Continue reading "McNabb gets no respect!" »
May 18, 2007
Top 30 2007 IDP Dynasty Rookies
This week we did positional rankings. Now we'll wrap it up with a top 30 IDP overall. I may add a top-50 rookies, skill position and IDP, next week. Thanks for stopping by.
1. Patrick Willis, 49ers LB
2. Jon Beason, Panthers LB
3. Paul Posluzny, Bills LB
4. David Harris, Jets LB
5. LaRon Landry, Redskins S
6. Michael Okwo, Bears LB
7. Buster Davis, Cardinals LB
8. Sabby Piscatelli, Bucs S
9. Anthony Spencer, Cowboys LB
10. Brandon Meriweather, Patriots S
11. Jamaal Anderson, Falcons DE
12. Eric Weddle, Chargers S
13. Quincy Black, Bucs LB
14. Gaines Adams, Bucs DE
15. Aaron Rouse, Packers S
Continue reading "Top 30 IDP Rookies" »
Clinton Portis has patella tendinitis, which is an expensive way to say his knee hurts. It's often used used as a generic catch-all phrase in sports when nothing serious is going on. By midseason, half the running backs in the league probably have it. Of course we've also found it's a placeholder term, something to use until a team finds out what is really wrong.
If it's just tendinitis, Portis will be fine well before training camp. It's not the greatest news considering he's coming off shoulder and hand surgeries.
If the injury lingers and impedes Portis' preparation for the season, then we ranked him too highly in our first magazine. Any lingering problems will give Joe Gibbs an excuse to use Ladell Betts more often. It's still mid-May. Keep an eye on Portis, but don't panic yet.
Portis' teammate Lemar Marshall is out of a starting job for now. Rocky McIntosh is set to be the weak-side linebacker in Washington, with London Fletcher taking over the middle. The Redskins have always been a fine source of tackles in IDP leagues. Don't be surprised if Marshall ends up starting, though, because Marcus Washington could struggle in his return from hip surgery. If that happens, the Redskins would be awfully light.
No team has more veterans skip OTAs than the Ravens. After reading about Brian Billick's veteran-friendly approach in Next Man Up, it's not a surprise.
Continue reading "Don't worry about Portis ... yet" »
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