The NFL Network showed a replay of Super Bowl XLIII last night in its entirety. I was able to see a few things for the first time, since so much of the action came at the opposite end from my seat in the press box. This post isn’t remotely timely, but one of the most exciting fourth quarters in Super Bowl history should have a two-week shelf life … right?
A few final, random thoughts
It’s easy to say in retrospect, but Arizona went against their nature some by forgoing blitzes on Pittsburgh’s final two plays. The Steelers only left five in to block for maximum receivers, but Ben Roethlisberger felt virtually no pressure.
Before the winning touchdown, Pittsburgh had 15 plays inside the ten-yard line, and ten inside the five-yard line, with only one offensive touchdown. That nearly was the difference. Arizona’s defense made just enough big plays to keep them in the game despite the Harrison return.
The Falcons officially put Michael Vick on the block Friday. Expect him to stay there for a long time. GM Thomas Dimitroff is performing his due diligence, trying to create a market for an asset he no longer has any use for. Unfortunately, Vick isn't much use to the rest of the NFL either.
Vick is due $15.43 million in 2009 in base salary and a bonus. If he was on the open market, he'd be very lucky to get one-third of that money. A team has to take a major P.R. hit just to acquire Vick, not to mention fit him into their offense after he's been away from football for two years. They aren't going to give up any extra trade compensation on top of that, just for the right to re-negotiate Vick's contract before anyone else.
Pacman Jones was dealt while suspended, but he also came with a bargain basement price tag. If Vick's reputation, playing status, and questionable NFL skill set don't scare all trade suitors away, his contract surely will. Look for Dimitroff to eventually dump Vick, but don't expect him to get anything in return except peace of mind.
My last post asked where will T.J. Housmandzadeh wind up, and I mentioned 12 possibilities other than the Bengals. Now I'll leave the answer up to you.
NFL Network’s Steve Wyche has sources that say T.J. Houshmandzadeh is as good as gone in Cincy. Despite Mike Lombardi’s evaluation, I’d take him over Antonio Bryant and any other free agent receiver. The Titans, Bucs (If Bryant leaves), and Eagles were mentioned by Wyche as possible landing spots. Those all make sense, but the Eagles may feel comfortable with DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, and Jason Avant now. The Titans have a big receiver need and were reportedly willing to give up a high pick for Torry Holt last year. Housh would be perfect there.
Off the top of my head, here’s how I’d rank possible landing spots, not including Cincinnati.
Even minor stories are somehow different with the Raiders. Darren McFadden underwent "minor" shoulder surgery, which is normal enough. But apparently he didn't use the team doctors and a high-ranking Raider official didn't even know about it. Odd and not a great sign of team/player synchronicity, although word is McFadden is one of nicest guys and hardest workers around. He isn't likely to ever be a "problem." McFadden may not have been happy with how the team staff handled his lingering turf toe issue.
McFadden will be a difficult player to evaluate for next season. Were his limitations on the field all injury-related? (I'd vote largely injury-related, but not all. )
Is his ceiling really any higher than Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, and Steve Slaton? (I'd vote no, but he may come cheaper in drafts next year.)
The off-season is unbelievably overrated, but McFadden is someone to watch. The more he "wows" the Raiders in practice and stays healthy, the more he'll be on the field early next year.
Matt Maiocco's always-excellent 49ers blog had an interesting post answering ten key off-season questions. Question four was "Is there any hope for Vernon Davis?"
I agree with Maiocco that Mike Martz's dismissal should help the frustrating talent. He might be the only offensive player that's true about. I grew impatient last season and happily dumped Davis and change for Chris Cooley. I'd still make that trade, but Davis had almost no hope under Martz. He was blocking too much. Davis' hands are poor, but he can still make plays after the catch if he's getting targets. The team is thin at wideout and will run more, but there is room for Davis to at least bounce back to his '07 levels, when he was useful. Coming off a lost year, Davis will be a forgotten in fantasy drafts and should be a worthwhile flier pick.
Now let's take a moment to recognize Pancake Blocks' first draft-y outlook of the year, only 6 months before draft season. Thank you all.
The next Jets quarterback probably isn’t on the roster yet. But all the attention on Kellen Clemens (An NFL Network interview, newspaper articles) seems misplaced. If I was betting on a quarterback on the roster to play a big role in the Jets’ future, it has to be Brett Ratliff.
(Incidentally, there was far-from-confirmed scuttlebutt in Tampa that the Redskins still may have some changes coming, including in the front offices.)
Mel Kiper has lost his mind, saying he’d rather have Matt Cassel than Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers. Seriously, I respect that Kiper does his homework when you watch the draft. You can learn something when he gets into the details of a player, but I can’t take his evaluations that seriously.
The Seahawks are going zone-blocking and run-happy. That’s good news for whomever they draft at running back, and bad news for Matt Hasselbeck. A rebound back to QB1 status for Hasselbeck seems unlikely.
The Patriots haven’t talked to Vince Wilfork about an extension yet, but they will eventually. There is no chance they will let him get away; no player on the roster other than Tom Brady is more integral to their future success.
In my column today, I wrote about seven surprising storylines and six not so surprising storylines that occurred while I was on vacation. I could have created another category: Awesome Raiders stories I'm sad I missed:
1. Any Al Davis presser is must-see TV. Best Davis line from last week: “Rich Gannon played the greatest game in Super Bowl history."
2. Justin Fargas, “World Star Hip Hop, a rapper named Yukmouth, a huge blunt, and Smokeathon.com. I’m not really sure what this story was about, but I love it. If we were betting on players to be involved in this story before it broke, Fargas would have to be on the list of candidates, right?
One of the most surprising things I read this morning while catching up on NFL news was that St. Louis was reportedly offered a first-round pick last October for Torry Holt. (By Tennessee?) And they didn't take it. Whoops. Holt loyalists may disagree, but that is a deal almost any team in the league would gladly take without thinking.
Holt has a cap charge of over $10 million this season, and is a wide receiver clearly in decline. It sounds like Holt and Orlando Pace could be on the trade market next week at the NFL Scouting Combine. Now a mid-round pick seems like a stretch for Holt. I suspect he'll get cut. Pace would seemingly be more attractive despite his injury history: the upside is much higher. Jim Thomas surprisingly thinks Pace will be elsewhere next year. Pace seems like a potential difference-maker that is worth a gamble. I think he's worth a second or third-round pick, despite his high salary.
These are painful moves, the Rams may as well let go of the last vestiges of their "glory days" because this rebuilding project will take time.
Owner Woody Johnson should be the only person associated with the Jets disappointed by Brett Favre's decision to retire Wednesday. Johnson apparently still liked the idea of Favre's presence to help sell seats at his new stadium, but retaining Favre for $13 million didn't make football sense. First time head coach Rex Ryan can start his era in New York looking forward, not looking back.
The Jets have a lot of work to do at the quarterback position, but it seems fairly clear they don't believe Kellen Clemens is the answer. I suspect that they will pair a decent veteran (Byron Leftwich?) with a rookie to groom moving forward. Receivers Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery, and Dustin Keller could struggle in the meantime.
I hesitate to say much about Favre's career, because we know this may not be the end. Don't be surprised if stories about Favre's agent looking for an outright release from the team surface as the weather turns. In the meantime, Favre will be placed on the retired/reserved list. The Jets will hold his rights, just like the Packers did last season.
We do know Favre's time with the Jets has come to an end. Chad Pennington's success makes the Jets' decision to acquire look poor in retrospect, but I think it was worth a shot. They were in position to get a bye in mid-November; it just didn't work out. And now it's best for the whole organization that they try something different next year. Favre did the Jets a favor by making their decision for them.
