A tradition unlike any other, my annual Super Bowl Preview. I only turn this thing on once a year and that's to do a tale of the tape for the upcoming Super Bowl. I'll break it down by positions until we have our winner, with no further ado let's check out the Falcons and the Patriots.
QB Advantage: Patriots, This is nothing against Matt Ryan this is only because according to this reporter Tom Brady is the greatest ever. Brady playing in his 7th Super Bowl with a chance to win his 5th (most for a QB). Brady and Ryan are both playing at a high level but if you look at who has what, (which we'll get to) Tom has the slight edge. If both guys plays to their abilities we'll have one hell of a game.
RB Advantage: Falcons, I like the 3 headed monster New England rolls out with Blount, Lewis, and White, but Freeman and Coleman are both studs. For context I used Tevin Coleman in fantasy football all year and he was the "back up." Last week Coleman torched Green Bay, with his running and pass catching, him and Dion Lewis are a lot alike but Coleman is better and Freeman is a lot better than Blount who hasn't gotten going in the postseason.
WR Advantage: Falcons, no #disrspkt to New England's white guy posse, but Julio Jones is in the conversation for best WR in the league. Sanu is a good 2nd fiddle and that Gabriel can be a secret weapon of sorts. I love Edelman, Hogan, and Amendola but Julio is a match up nightmare and if he does his thing, Atlanta should be in business.
TE Advantage: New England, Martellus Bennet has the edge on Austin Hooper only because of his age and experience. Imagine if New England had Gronk.
Offensive Line Advantage: Falcons, Atlanta has started all 18 games with the same Offensive Line, that's a huge deal. Center Alex Mack got dinged in the NFC Championship Game but should be back. If one of these teams can run the ball they will win. The lines have to be sharp in pass protection and stay away from penalties.
Defensive Line Advantage: Push, I will admit I haven't watched much of either team, but from what I saw last week, New England will only rush four. Atlanta did get after Aaron Rodgers a little bit but not much with just 4 guys. If New England can get to Matt Ryan with just 4 guys huge advantage to them.
LB Advantage: Falcons, only because I like Vic Beasley, other than that not sure. New England really relies on the LB's in pass coverage, will be interesting how/if they use LB pressure to get to Matt Ryan.
Secondary Advantage: Patriots, and they're gonna need it. The Belichik Formula is we'll take away your best weapon, so if they neutralize Julio then they got a shot. Against Pittsburgh they sat back in zone and rallied to the receiver. Atlanta has a different obstacle, to stop the short passing and WR screen game of the Patriots. This will be where the game is won, if someone can force a turnover they get the advantage.
Special Teams Advantage: Push, the kickers are the same, punters won't be a factor and either of the returners have ability to break one.
Coach Advantage: Patriots, this isn't even close. Belichick is in the pantheon of great coaches, Dan Quinn isn't.
Final Score: Patriots 4 Falcons 4, a first ever tie. Can't say I planned it but it just so worked out perfectly. I don't have a good feel for this game, I love Brady but I also like Atlanta. I'm a Julio guy since his Bama days and Matt Ryan is my QB on my Madden Franchise. This is the first Super Bowl I can remember where I'll be happy no matter who wins. Brady and Belichick getting #5 would be special and maybe people would realize they are witnessing history. On the other hand Atlanta getting one would be awesome for the franchise the great players on their team. Let's have a great game and good time watching, enjoy. Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson for my thoughts during the game and in general, see ya next year. Forgot my score prediction, New England 36 Atlanta 35, Patriots score as time expires and they go for 2 and get it.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Friday, January 29, 2016
Super Bowl 50 PREVIEW
This is weird, I haven't blogged in over a year, but I'm home sick today and figured hey why not throw up one of the old stand by's from when I blogged a lot. So without further ado, here is my tale of the tape for the Super Bowl 50.
QB Advantage: Carolina This isn't an all time discussion, this is who is better right now. Cam is playing at a high level. Peyton had 9 TD's and 17 INT's that's pretty bad. If Cam wins this game and does some Cam shit I think he'll be put in the discussion for Top 5 QB's in the league, in fact he's already there I think. Look at it this way, who would trade their QB straight up for Cam? I think everyone but Green Bay, Indy, and Seattle. I think even New England would since Cam is over 10 years younger than Brady. Either way Cam is the better QB in this game, and probably the best RB.
RB Advantage: Caroline I think Jonathan Stewart is better than Hillman and Anderson, let alone what Cam can do. Tolbert is also a weapon at FB, I heard Arians say last week when Tolbert gets the ball Carolina isn't trying to break a big run, their trying to punish you for 5 yards. I think Carolina is gonna have to keep the pass rushers from Denver honest and if they can run, and keep Ware and Miller guessing they'll dominate. Denver didn't run well last week, they'll have to though or Manning will die back there.
WR Advantage: Denver D. Thomas and Sanders are better than the cast of characters Carolina marches out there. Carolina made the Super Bowl without their best WR from a year ago, Kelvin Benjamin has been out all year and they've used a committee to make up for his projection. If Corey Brown breaks a big one like last week well Denver has no chance. For Denver they have a reputation of dropping a lot of passes, in their defense they get some of the ugliest balls thrown their way. These guys are gonna have to show up, even last week Owen Daniels was the main weapon.
TE Advantage: Carolina Greg Olsen is the man, probably the 2nd or 3rd best TE in the game right now. Owen Daniels is good enough, but he isn't Olsen.
O-Line Advantage: Push The Blind Side starts at LT for Carolina, he isn't a LT, but Denver isn't much better up front. The Tackles for Carolina are gonna have to great against those pass rushers, where the interior lineman for Denver are gonna have their hands full with that inside push Carolina gets. Biggest thing for Carolina is to keep discipline and not get called for holding when Cam is back there improvising.
D-Line Advantage: Carolina Kawann Short is the difference maker for me, he gets a push up the middle much like Warren Sapp in his prime. I haven't watched a ton of Carolina but when I watch them he stands out. For Denver their guys are space eaters for the pass rushers who play LB. Also interested to see if Jarred Allen shows up with that broken foot.
LB Advantage: Denver This was tough b/c Carolina has Keuchly, but with Thomas Davis having that broken forearm I think Denver's group is better. Ware and Miller have already been mentioned, and Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan need to shut down Olsen and tackle Cam before he gets in the secondary.
Secondary Advantage: Denver Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are both shutdown corners, TJ Ward is a missile and will be looking to knock someone out. Josh Norman will take away Thomas, but the safeties for Carolina are old and Cortland Finnegan is old. The back end of the defenses are gonna have to work.
Special Teams Advantage: Carolina Ted Ginn is still dangerous. Gano is solid and who is a punter?
Final Score Carolina 5 Denver 3 and for the first time ever I'm sticking with my tale of the tape. I think Carolina wins this in a walk, Cam is gonna dominate just like the first 2 playoff games for them. I don't think Denver has a shot at all, but I also thought before the Champ games that the NFC winner was going to win the Super Bowl. We are in for a snoozer unless you like Cam and dancing then you will enjoy this game a lot.
QB Advantage: Carolina This isn't an all time discussion, this is who is better right now. Cam is playing at a high level. Peyton had 9 TD's and 17 INT's that's pretty bad. If Cam wins this game and does some Cam shit I think he'll be put in the discussion for Top 5 QB's in the league, in fact he's already there I think. Look at it this way, who would trade their QB straight up for Cam? I think everyone but Green Bay, Indy, and Seattle. I think even New England would since Cam is over 10 years younger than Brady. Either way Cam is the better QB in this game, and probably the best RB.
RB Advantage: Caroline I think Jonathan Stewart is better than Hillman and Anderson, let alone what Cam can do. Tolbert is also a weapon at FB, I heard Arians say last week when Tolbert gets the ball Carolina isn't trying to break a big run, their trying to punish you for 5 yards. I think Carolina is gonna have to keep the pass rushers from Denver honest and if they can run, and keep Ware and Miller guessing they'll dominate. Denver didn't run well last week, they'll have to though or Manning will die back there.
WR Advantage: Denver D. Thomas and Sanders are better than the cast of characters Carolina marches out there. Carolina made the Super Bowl without their best WR from a year ago, Kelvin Benjamin has been out all year and they've used a committee to make up for his projection. If Corey Brown breaks a big one like last week well Denver has no chance. For Denver they have a reputation of dropping a lot of passes, in their defense they get some of the ugliest balls thrown their way. These guys are gonna have to show up, even last week Owen Daniels was the main weapon.
TE Advantage: Carolina Greg Olsen is the man, probably the 2nd or 3rd best TE in the game right now. Owen Daniels is good enough, but he isn't Olsen.
O-Line Advantage: Push The Blind Side starts at LT for Carolina, he isn't a LT, but Denver isn't much better up front. The Tackles for Carolina are gonna have to great against those pass rushers, where the interior lineman for Denver are gonna have their hands full with that inside push Carolina gets. Biggest thing for Carolina is to keep discipline and not get called for holding when Cam is back there improvising.
D-Line Advantage: Carolina Kawann Short is the difference maker for me, he gets a push up the middle much like Warren Sapp in his prime. I haven't watched a ton of Carolina but when I watch them he stands out. For Denver their guys are space eaters for the pass rushers who play LB. Also interested to see if Jarred Allen shows up with that broken foot.
LB Advantage: Denver This was tough b/c Carolina has Keuchly, but with Thomas Davis having that broken forearm I think Denver's group is better. Ware and Miller have already been mentioned, and Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan need to shut down Olsen and tackle Cam before he gets in the secondary.
Secondary Advantage: Denver Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are both shutdown corners, TJ Ward is a missile and will be looking to knock someone out. Josh Norman will take away Thomas, but the safeties for Carolina are old and Cortland Finnegan is old. The back end of the defenses are gonna have to work.
Special Teams Advantage: Carolina Ted Ginn is still dangerous. Gano is solid and who is a punter?
Final Score Carolina 5 Denver 3 and for the first time ever I'm sticking with my tale of the tape. I think Carolina wins this in a walk, Cam is gonna dominate just like the first 2 playoff games for them. I don't think Denver has a shot at all, but I also thought before the Champ games that the NFC winner was going to win the Super Bowl. We are in for a snoozer unless you like Cam and dancing then you will enjoy this game a lot.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Draft Revisited: 2006
This is the best draft I've looked at so far. Just completely loaded. I think there are a few Hall of Famers here. If you look back at the this class, you had Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush as the big names, however the rest of the guys are the ones who make this draft memorable. So here we go again, we'll go over the top 10 then the rest of the notable guys taken.
#1 Houston-Mario Williams-NC State. With all those huge names Houston goes off and takes this guy #1. Boy were they right Mario has had a better career than Reggie Bush and Vince Young (who was the hometown Houston boy). Wow this sounds awfully familiar, Houston has the #1 pick and they have the choice between a big time DE or the hometown dynamic athletic QB. Wow can't believe I just put that together. Anyway back to Williams, he turned out pretty good and even though he left as a free agent I still think Houston made the proper choice.
#2 New Orleans-Reggie Bush=USC. Supposed to be on of the best RB's ever coming out of college. Can do it all, can run, can catch out of the backfield, can return kicks. Reggie had it all, and even though he was never a breakthrough feature back, he has been in the league and is still a valuable player. Maybe not #2 worthy but he's still a good pro.
#3 Tennessee-Vince Young-Texas. Well VY bursted onto the scene he senior year. Lead Texas to a national title. He then was talked about go #1 to Houston but he fell to 3 and Tennessee. He had a great start to his career but soon he fizzled out. He tried to latch on at other places but never really made it. He is currently without a team but I don't think he's technically retired. Is he considered a bust? Not sure how to answer that exactly but I don't think he's an all out bust just a sort of bust.
#4 New York Jets-D'Brickashaw Ferguson-Virginia. Was probably my favorite player in this draft, mostly for his name. Brick has made a few pro bowls and is one of the better paid lineman in the league. He's a solid player and honestly one of the best players in this draft.
#5 Green Bay-AJ Hawk-Ohio St. Not often a MLB goes top 5, but Green Bay felt he filled a need. He has been a good pro, has a ring, and is till in GB. The guy is pretty good.
#6 San Francisco-Vernon Davis-Maryland. Once again not a typical position to see in the top 10. Davis has been stud in SF. The guy could be in the HOF when it's all said and done. He's had some weak points, being called out by former coach Mike Singeltary, bur for the most part a pretty solid career so far.
#7 Oakland-Micheal Huff-Texas. What is it about Oakland that when they draft the safe positions it still doesn't work. I mean they took Gallery he fizzled, and Huff wasn't much better. The guy was maybe thought as the surest thing in this draft. He's bounced around but still hasn't been much. He's bust worthy and even though he wasn't a head scratcher during the draft he seems to be now.
#8 Buffalo-Donte Whitner-Ohio St. This guy has been one of the better DB's in the league. He isn't the best probably not considered a top 5 CB, but he has been reliable.
#9 Detroit-Ernie Sims-Florida St. Finally Detroit doesn't take a receiver in the top 10, but Sims didn't pan out much better than the rest of their picks. Bust
#10 Arizona-Matt Leinart-USC. If he would've came out a year earlier some say he would've gone #1. Instead he stayed in school, fell to 10 and honestly should've fell farther. Pretty big bust.
Now onto some other notable picks,
You don't have to go far to find the next best player Denver took Jay Cutler at 11, easily the best QB in this draft.
Baltimore got Haloti Ngata at 12, could be a HOF type guy, even though he killed RG's knee.
Hawkeye Chad Greenway went to Minny at 17, he's been a pretty good player for them.
Picks 20-29 gave us 6 eventual Pro Bowlers, Tamba Ali, Davin Joseph, Johnathan Joseph, Deangelo Williams, Marcedes Lewis, and Nick Mangold. Also Pittsburgh got Santonio Holmes in the 20's, so that's 7 difference makers taken in that neighborhood.
Bears took Devin Hester in the 2nd, a pretty good steal for the best return man ever.
Jacksonville got MoJo Drew in the 2nd as well, his #'s compared to Reggie Bush are actually better so that seems like a pretty good steal.
The 4th round yielded some studs, Owen Daniels, Jahri Evans, Leon Washington, and Stephen Gostowski.
Denver had a pretty awesome 4th round, they got Brandon Marshall and Elvis Dumervil.
Thorn in my side Cortland Finnegan went in the 7th to Tennessee, nice pick by Jeff Fischer there.
The best players to slip through the cracks, were Miles Austin and Tramon Williams.
Really feel that Ernie Sims, Mike Huff, and Matt Leinart were pretty big busts and all 3 teams could've done better.
I think Denver had the best draft, they got 3 Pro Bowlers and Marshall could be an a HOF'er.
That's it for this one, if I have time I'll try to keep this up, follow me on twitter @DerekBredeson
#1 Houston-Mario Williams-NC State. With all those huge names Houston goes off and takes this guy #1. Boy were they right Mario has had a better career than Reggie Bush and Vince Young (who was the hometown Houston boy). Wow this sounds awfully familiar, Houston has the #1 pick and they have the choice between a big time DE or the hometown dynamic athletic QB. Wow can't believe I just put that together. Anyway back to Williams, he turned out pretty good and even though he left as a free agent I still think Houston made the proper choice.
#2 New Orleans-Reggie Bush=USC. Supposed to be on of the best RB's ever coming out of college. Can do it all, can run, can catch out of the backfield, can return kicks. Reggie had it all, and even though he was never a breakthrough feature back, he has been in the league and is still a valuable player. Maybe not #2 worthy but he's still a good pro.
#3 Tennessee-Vince Young-Texas. Well VY bursted onto the scene he senior year. Lead Texas to a national title. He then was talked about go #1 to Houston but he fell to 3 and Tennessee. He had a great start to his career but soon he fizzled out. He tried to latch on at other places but never really made it. He is currently without a team but I don't think he's technically retired. Is he considered a bust? Not sure how to answer that exactly but I don't think he's an all out bust just a sort of bust.
#4 New York Jets-D'Brickashaw Ferguson-Virginia. Was probably my favorite player in this draft, mostly for his name. Brick has made a few pro bowls and is one of the better paid lineman in the league. He's a solid player and honestly one of the best players in this draft.
#5 Green Bay-AJ Hawk-Ohio St. Not often a MLB goes top 5, but Green Bay felt he filled a need. He has been a good pro, has a ring, and is till in GB. The guy is pretty good.
#6 San Francisco-Vernon Davis-Maryland. Once again not a typical position to see in the top 10. Davis has been stud in SF. The guy could be in the HOF when it's all said and done. He's had some weak points, being called out by former coach Mike Singeltary, bur for the most part a pretty solid career so far.
#7 Oakland-Micheal Huff-Texas. What is it about Oakland that when they draft the safe positions it still doesn't work. I mean they took Gallery he fizzled, and Huff wasn't much better. The guy was maybe thought as the surest thing in this draft. He's bounced around but still hasn't been much. He's bust worthy and even though he wasn't a head scratcher during the draft he seems to be now.
#8 Buffalo-Donte Whitner-Ohio St. This guy has been one of the better DB's in the league. He isn't the best probably not considered a top 5 CB, but he has been reliable.
#9 Detroit-Ernie Sims-Florida St. Finally Detroit doesn't take a receiver in the top 10, but Sims didn't pan out much better than the rest of their picks. Bust
#10 Arizona-Matt Leinart-USC. If he would've came out a year earlier some say he would've gone #1. Instead he stayed in school, fell to 10 and honestly should've fell farther. Pretty big bust.
Now onto some other notable picks,
You don't have to go far to find the next best player Denver took Jay Cutler at 11, easily the best QB in this draft.
Baltimore got Haloti Ngata at 12, could be a HOF type guy, even though he killed RG's knee.
Hawkeye Chad Greenway went to Minny at 17, he's been a pretty good player for them.
Picks 20-29 gave us 6 eventual Pro Bowlers, Tamba Ali, Davin Joseph, Johnathan Joseph, Deangelo Williams, Marcedes Lewis, and Nick Mangold. Also Pittsburgh got Santonio Holmes in the 20's, so that's 7 difference makers taken in that neighborhood.
Bears took Devin Hester in the 2nd, a pretty good steal for the best return man ever.
Jacksonville got MoJo Drew in the 2nd as well, his #'s compared to Reggie Bush are actually better so that seems like a pretty good steal.
The 4th round yielded some studs, Owen Daniels, Jahri Evans, Leon Washington, and Stephen Gostowski.
Denver had a pretty awesome 4th round, they got Brandon Marshall and Elvis Dumervil.
Thorn in my side Cortland Finnegan went in the 7th to Tennessee, nice pick by Jeff Fischer there.
The best players to slip through the cracks, were Miles Austin and Tramon Williams.
Really feel that Ernie Sims, Mike Huff, and Matt Leinart were pretty big busts and all 3 teams could've done better.
I think Denver had the best draft, they got 3 Pro Bowlers and Marshall could be an a HOF'er.
That's it for this one, if I have time I'll try to keep this up, follow me on twitter @DerekBredeson
Draft Revisited: 2005
2005 in my eyes is a horrible draft, you got a few diamonds (see Rodgers, Aaron) but for the most part it was pretty weak. 3 of the top 5 picks were RB's, and 2 of the top 5 aren't in the league anymore. Let's go through the top 10 then look at some other notable guys taken.
#1 San Francisco-Alex Smith-Utah, a lot of people will say bust and I will agree slightly. Honestly though he never got a fair shake in SF, Alex had a good year in Kansas City last year, he's not elite but he's a starting QB in the league, just not #1, don't say Aaron Rodgers to 49er fans.
#2 Miami-Ronnie Brown-Auburn. As you'll see Auburn had 2 stud RB's in this draft, I honestly though Cadillac was better than Brown, but Ronnie has stood the test of time. He had a few good years in Miami and has since bounced around a little. As time has shown though taking a RB in the top 5 these days is never a good decision.
#3 Cleveland-Braylon Edwards-Michigan. I of course loved this pick, I was a huge Michigan fan and I thought Braylon was a great receiver. Even though he did have 1 great year where him and Derek Anderson were on the same page, he never could find that magic again and has been out of the league for a couple of years now.
#4 Chicago-Cedric Benons-Texas. Well he's still in the league, has a had a few run-ins with the law which lead to his exit from Chicago. He was a decent player but still the cautionary tale of taking a RB in the top 5.
#5 Tampa Bay Carnell Williams-Auburn. The Cadillac was pretty awesome in college. But he only had one 1000 yard rushing season (his rookie year) in the league. Never had more than 6 TD's in a season. He had some knee problems and is no longer in the league. Hard to call him a bust since he won rookie of the year and you can't predict a guy tearing both patella tendons.
#6 Tennessee-Adam Jones-West Virginia. The Pac-Man is still in the league as well, but has a long arrest history and a few suspensions. The fact he's still around is actually pretty impressive.
#7 Minnesota-Troy Williamson-South Carolina. Umm bust? Dude had 87 catches for 1100 or so yards and 4 TD's in his 5 year career, too think Aaron Rodgers went 24th and Minnesota got this guy at 7.
#8 Arizona-Antrell Rolle-Miami (FL). I remember hoping he would fall to the Redskins at 9, hoping him and Sean Taylor could recreate some of the U in DC. Rolle has been a good pro, he has a ring from the Giants, can't say horrible things about the guy he's a good pro.
#9 Washington-Carlos Rogers-Auburn. We're 9 picks in and we have our third Auburn player. I've always though Carlos was a good DB, and he could cover about anyone. His one knock is he can't catch a cold. He eventually left DC for San Francisco and he had a great year 2 years ago, can't fault the Skins for taking him.
#10 Detroit-Mike Williams-USC. In the words of Mike Ditka, he's a slow tight end in a receivers body. Let's just say Matt Millen had no clue how to draft. BUST
Now some other notable players taken.
Gotta start with the best player in this draft Aaron Rodgers went 24 to Green Bay, he's got an MVP and a ring, yeah the first 23 teams all screwed the pooch.
Picks 11-15 yielded 4 Pro Bowlers, DeMarcus Ware, Shawne Merriman, Jammal Brown, and Derrick Johnson. Merriman isn't in the league anymore but he had a few good years.
At 17 one of my favorite guys David Pollack got taken by Cinncy. He could've been awesome but had neck problems and had to retire early. Love the guy on ESPN now.
Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and New England all made nice moves late in the first getting Heath Miller, Roddy White, and Logan Mankins respectively.
This draft does have a pretty famous guy in it, in the 3rd St. Louis took Richie Incognito out of Nebraska.
Matt Cassell went in the 7th to New England.
I would say Green Bay had the best draft, they got some guys who were the foundation for the Super Bowl run a few years later. Of course they got Rodgers, they got Nick Collins in the 2nd, Brady Poppinga in the 4th.
The biggest omission to me would be Josh Cribbs who signed as a free agent with Cleveland.
That's it for the 2005 draft, I think I'll break down 2006 next. In the meantime follow me on twitter @DerekBredeson.
#1 San Francisco-Alex Smith-Utah, a lot of people will say bust and I will agree slightly. Honestly though he never got a fair shake in SF, Alex had a good year in Kansas City last year, he's not elite but he's a starting QB in the league, just not #1, don't say Aaron Rodgers to 49er fans.
#2 Miami-Ronnie Brown-Auburn. As you'll see Auburn had 2 stud RB's in this draft, I honestly though Cadillac was better than Brown, but Ronnie has stood the test of time. He had a few good years in Miami and has since bounced around a little. As time has shown though taking a RB in the top 5 these days is never a good decision.
#3 Cleveland-Braylon Edwards-Michigan. I of course loved this pick, I was a huge Michigan fan and I thought Braylon was a great receiver. Even though he did have 1 great year where him and Derek Anderson were on the same page, he never could find that magic again and has been out of the league for a couple of years now.
#4 Chicago-Cedric Benons-Texas. Well he's still in the league, has a had a few run-ins with the law which lead to his exit from Chicago. He was a decent player but still the cautionary tale of taking a RB in the top 5.
#5 Tampa Bay Carnell Williams-Auburn. The Cadillac was pretty awesome in college. But he only had one 1000 yard rushing season (his rookie year) in the league. Never had more than 6 TD's in a season. He had some knee problems and is no longer in the league. Hard to call him a bust since he won rookie of the year and you can't predict a guy tearing both patella tendons.
#6 Tennessee-Adam Jones-West Virginia. The Pac-Man is still in the league as well, but has a long arrest history and a few suspensions. The fact he's still around is actually pretty impressive.
#7 Minnesota-Troy Williamson-South Carolina. Umm bust? Dude had 87 catches for 1100 or so yards and 4 TD's in his 5 year career, too think Aaron Rodgers went 24th and Minnesota got this guy at 7.
#8 Arizona-Antrell Rolle-Miami (FL). I remember hoping he would fall to the Redskins at 9, hoping him and Sean Taylor could recreate some of the U in DC. Rolle has been a good pro, he has a ring from the Giants, can't say horrible things about the guy he's a good pro.
#9 Washington-Carlos Rogers-Auburn. We're 9 picks in and we have our third Auburn player. I've always though Carlos was a good DB, and he could cover about anyone. His one knock is he can't catch a cold. He eventually left DC for San Francisco and he had a great year 2 years ago, can't fault the Skins for taking him.
#10 Detroit-Mike Williams-USC. In the words of Mike Ditka, he's a slow tight end in a receivers body. Let's just say Matt Millen had no clue how to draft. BUST
Now some other notable players taken.
Gotta start with the best player in this draft Aaron Rodgers went 24 to Green Bay, he's got an MVP and a ring, yeah the first 23 teams all screwed the pooch.
Picks 11-15 yielded 4 Pro Bowlers, DeMarcus Ware, Shawne Merriman, Jammal Brown, and Derrick Johnson. Merriman isn't in the league anymore but he had a few good years.
At 17 one of my favorite guys David Pollack got taken by Cinncy. He could've been awesome but had neck problems and had to retire early. Love the guy on ESPN now.
Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and New England all made nice moves late in the first getting Heath Miller, Roddy White, and Logan Mankins respectively.
This draft does have a pretty famous guy in it, in the 3rd St. Louis took Richie Incognito out of Nebraska.
Matt Cassell went in the 7th to New England.
I would say Green Bay had the best draft, they got some guys who were the foundation for the Super Bowl run a few years later. Of course they got Rodgers, they got Nick Collins in the 2nd, Brady Poppinga in the 4th.
The biggest omission to me would be Josh Cribbs who signed as a free agent with Cleveland.
That's it for the 2005 draft, I think I'll break down 2006 next. In the meantime follow me on twitter @DerekBredeson.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Draft Revisited: 2004
With the NFL draft in a just a few days I had a thought, why not try a series of posts looking back at drafts. Everyone projects the next draft, gives grades right after, but hardly ever do people go back 2, 5, or even 10 years to see the effect a draft had on a team. I'm going to try to do this everyday but don't hold your breath. So here is my first installment of Draft Revisited.
2004 had a lot of intrigue, Eli Manning didn't want to play for the San Diego Chargers, and he was the consensus #1 overall pick, I think we all remember how that worked out. Eli got traded from San Diego to New York after he had to awkwardly hold the Chargers jersey. In return San Diego got Phillip Rivers the 4th overall pick, they also got a pick they used on Nate Kaeding in the 3rd round. I would say that draft worked out almost even, San Diego got 2 pro bowlers and Rivers has been the face of the franchise for the last decade. Manning has 2 rings but also an assload of interceptions since then. Ok fine New York won. Let's look back at the whole Top 10 and then the notable players selected.
#1 San Diego-Eli Manning-Mississippi, traded to New York Giants, 2 rings later, both of which came at Tom Brady's expense, the guy is ok. Not my favorite but I don't think they win with Rivers.
#2 Oakland-Robert Gallery-Iowa, Never panned out at tackle like he was supposed too. Eventually got moved to guard and was serviceable, just not 2nd pick great, especially when guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Sean Taylor, Jonathan Vilma, and Ben Roethlisberger were available. Another miss in Oakland I say.
#3 Arizona-Larry Fitzgerald-Pittsburgh, in my eyes probably the best player in this draft. The guy is a good QB away from being the best WR in the game. Has been to one Super Bowl and honestly should have better numbers.
#4 New York Giants-Phillip Rivers-NC State, traded to San Diego. He's good, could be better, not sure Big Ben would be better in SD, probably the right call for them, Eli was never going to play there. Only thing getting Rivers did was push Drew Brees out the door, which may be a mistake.
#5 Washington-Sean Taylor-Miami (FL), could've been the best safety in the game, guy had an attitude but was starting to fix it until his untimely death. The Redskins were really set back by his death considering it's not like they get a do over and can get another game changing safety in the top 5. My 2nd favorite Redskins player ever.
#6 Cleveland-Kellen Winslow II-Miami (FL), the guy is out of the league, was a decent player for a few years. I would say another whiff in Cleveland, you don't draft in the top 10 all the time when you make the right picks.
#7 Detroit-Roy Williams-Texas. Well this is the theme Detroit had for a few years, taking a WR in the first round. They whiffed with Charles Rogers, sort of hit with Williams until eventually hitting a home run with Calvin Johnson. I will admit that I loved Roy Williams coming out of Texas, I wanted him for the Skins. However I was wrong, and he is now out of the league.
#8 Atlanta-DeAngelo Hall-Virginia Tech. Dude is a decent player, not as good as he thinks he is, but he's been in the league for 10 years now. He eventually left Atlanta, went to Oakland and is now in Washington. He's found a home with the Skins, he's been very servicable.
#9 Jacksonville-Reggie Williams-Washington. Who? That's right, he's been out of the league for 4 years now, amassed a total of 18 TD's, yeah Jacksonville whiffed bad, imagine Ben in Florida.
#10 Houston Texans-Dunta Robinson-South Carolina. He's still in the league, one of my favorite players in Madden since he always seems to get better. He plays in Atlanta now, he's alright, always been a starter or a nickel back since coming in the league. Once again you can't help but wonder what Ben could do in Houston with Andre Johnson.
That's the top 10 let's look at some other notable picks in the 1st round.
I've mentioned him about 5 times but Big Ben went 11 to Pittsburgh, the rest is 2 rings history.
Jonathan Vilma went 12 to the Jets, he of course was in the middle of the bounty gate in New Orleans, along with #18 pick Will Smith.
Vince Wilfork went to the Patriots and Steven Jackson went to the Rams. Those are about the best picks of the first round.
Some of worst picks are Gallery and of course Reggie Williams. Some other questionable guys Micheal Clayton to Tampa, and JP Lossman to Buffalo. But for sure Williams was the biggest bust. I would say though this first round shook down pretty well, and this class actually stood up for itself, hell they have 4 rings at QB in 9 seasons, that's pretty good.
Let's look at the later rounds, I won't dwell too long here. Colts got Bob Sanders got in the 2nd, he's out of the league now but he did win one defensive player of the year.
The Bears were very focused on the on the front 4, taking Tommie Harris in the 1st and Tank Johnson in the 2nd. They also got Nathan Vasher who a lot of Bears fans loved for a few year.
San Diego had a great draft getting Rivers, Kaeding, Nick Hardwick, Shaun Phillips, and Micheal Turner, probably some of the best players. All of whom have played in Pro Bowls.
Kansas City got Jarred Allen in the late 4th. Probably one of the biggest steals, too bad he didn't pan out for them, but he dominated in Minnesota.
The Redskins took another of my favorite all time players in Chris Cooley in the 3rd.
Matt Schaub was also in the class going in the 3rd to Atlanta.
Gotta give love to Green Bay getting Scott Wells with about 5 picks left in the draft, he worked out alright for them.
Now who do you think is the biggest snub of this draft? Wes Welker went undrafted and signed with guess who, San Diego, further separating themselves as my best draft. Too bad they didn't turn that into a Super Bowl.
Hopefully I'll do a few more before Thursday. Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson
2004 had a lot of intrigue, Eli Manning didn't want to play for the San Diego Chargers, and he was the consensus #1 overall pick, I think we all remember how that worked out. Eli got traded from San Diego to New York after he had to awkwardly hold the Chargers jersey. In return San Diego got Phillip Rivers the 4th overall pick, they also got a pick they used on Nate Kaeding in the 3rd round. I would say that draft worked out almost even, San Diego got 2 pro bowlers and Rivers has been the face of the franchise for the last decade. Manning has 2 rings but also an assload of interceptions since then. Ok fine New York won. Let's look back at the whole Top 10 and then the notable players selected.
#1 San Diego-Eli Manning-Mississippi, traded to New York Giants, 2 rings later, both of which came at Tom Brady's expense, the guy is ok. Not my favorite but I don't think they win with Rivers.
#2 Oakland-Robert Gallery-Iowa, Never panned out at tackle like he was supposed too. Eventually got moved to guard and was serviceable, just not 2nd pick great, especially when guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Sean Taylor, Jonathan Vilma, and Ben Roethlisberger were available. Another miss in Oakland I say.
#3 Arizona-Larry Fitzgerald-Pittsburgh, in my eyes probably the best player in this draft. The guy is a good QB away from being the best WR in the game. Has been to one Super Bowl and honestly should have better numbers.
#4 New York Giants-Phillip Rivers-NC State, traded to San Diego. He's good, could be better, not sure Big Ben would be better in SD, probably the right call for them, Eli was never going to play there. Only thing getting Rivers did was push Drew Brees out the door, which may be a mistake.
#5 Washington-Sean Taylor-Miami (FL), could've been the best safety in the game, guy had an attitude but was starting to fix it until his untimely death. The Redskins were really set back by his death considering it's not like they get a do over and can get another game changing safety in the top 5. My 2nd favorite Redskins player ever.
#6 Cleveland-Kellen Winslow II-Miami (FL), the guy is out of the league, was a decent player for a few years. I would say another whiff in Cleveland, you don't draft in the top 10 all the time when you make the right picks.
#7 Detroit-Roy Williams-Texas. Well this is the theme Detroit had for a few years, taking a WR in the first round. They whiffed with Charles Rogers, sort of hit with Williams until eventually hitting a home run with Calvin Johnson. I will admit that I loved Roy Williams coming out of Texas, I wanted him for the Skins. However I was wrong, and he is now out of the league.
#8 Atlanta-DeAngelo Hall-Virginia Tech. Dude is a decent player, not as good as he thinks he is, but he's been in the league for 10 years now. He eventually left Atlanta, went to Oakland and is now in Washington. He's found a home with the Skins, he's been very servicable.
#9 Jacksonville-Reggie Williams-Washington. Who? That's right, he's been out of the league for 4 years now, amassed a total of 18 TD's, yeah Jacksonville whiffed bad, imagine Ben in Florida.
#10 Houston Texans-Dunta Robinson-South Carolina. He's still in the league, one of my favorite players in Madden since he always seems to get better. He plays in Atlanta now, he's alright, always been a starter or a nickel back since coming in the league. Once again you can't help but wonder what Ben could do in Houston with Andre Johnson.
That's the top 10 let's look at some other notable picks in the 1st round.
I've mentioned him about 5 times but Big Ben went 11 to Pittsburgh, the rest is 2 rings history.
Jonathan Vilma went 12 to the Jets, he of course was in the middle of the bounty gate in New Orleans, along with #18 pick Will Smith.
Vince Wilfork went to the Patriots and Steven Jackson went to the Rams. Those are about the best picks of the first round.
Some of worst picks are Gallery and of course Reggie Williams. Some other questionable guys Micheal Clayton to Tampa, and JP Lossman to Buffalo. But for sure Williams was the biggest bust. I would say though this first round shook down pretty well, and this class actually stood up for itself, hell they have 4 rings at QB in 9 seasons, that's pretty good.
Let's look at the later rounds, I won't dwell too long here. Colts got Bob Sanders got in the 2nd, he's out of the league now but he did win one defensive player of the year.
The Bears were very focused on the on the front 4, taking Tommie Harris in the 1st and Tank Johnson in the 2nd. They also got Nathan Vasher who a lot of Bears fans loved for a few year.
San Diego had a great draft getting Rivers, Kaeding, Nick Hardwick, Shaun Phillips, and Micheal Turner, probably some of the best players. All of whom have played in Pro Bowls.
Kansas City got Jarred Allen in the late 4th. Probably one of the biggest steals, too bad he didn't pan out for them, but he dominated in Minnesota.
The Redskins took another of my favorite all time players in Chris Cooley in the 3rd.
Matt Schaub was also in the class going in the 3rd to Atlanta.
Gotta give love to Green Bay getting Scott Wells with about 5 picks left in the draft, he worked out alright for them.
Now who do you think is the biggest snub of this draft? Wes Welker went undrafted and signed with guess who, San Diego, further separating themselves as my best draft. Too bad they didn't turn that into a Super Bowl.
Hopefully I'll do a few more before Thursday. Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Paid to Play?
I was watching "Meet the Press" last Sunday and on it they had a debate about paying college athletes. On the show they had the President of the NCAA Mark Emmert, United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who played basketball at Harvard, and former Obama Aide Reggie Love, who played football and basketball at Duke. Each of these guys made points about why or why not college players should be paid, they did a much better job than I ever could. I encourage you to look up the segment and watch it. This however is my blog where I spout my views so I'm going say why I feel college players should be paid but also why there are a few stumbling blocks in the way of that happening. I probably should do more research but I'm not going to, this is a blog not a term paper, here we go.
The biggest reason I feel players should be paid is that the University's make money off of them and don't have to give much back in return. But Derek they get a scholarship and have their tuition and room paid for. Yeah your right a kid that helps you earn millions of dollars from TV deals, apparel sales, and sold tickets is compensated with a $9,000 a semester tuition and then housing and meals which is another $9,000 a semester, so we'll say $36,000 a year. Let's compare that to the Iowa football team that made $50.6 million in 2011-2012. Football teams are allowed 85 scholarships which rough math equals $3.06 million in tuition and boarding per year. Now there is other things including travel, coaches pay, facilities, recruiting and other fees but that's a $47.54 million difference. The kids play for "free" and the college gets 47 million, and that's Iowa the team that was 18th in revenue in 2012. I also just looked up a James Morris #44 Hawkeyes jersey, it sells for $59.95 on the internet, not a single cent goes to James Morris, even though it's not his name on the back we all know who's jersey that is. Once again the money from that sale goes to the university.
Last June the Big Ten Network gave each of the 12 members of the conference $284 million from TV contracts and NCAA tournament revenue. Now I know they have studio shows, camera crews and whatever else but they gave the schools 284 EACH after they took their chunk that's 3,408 million dollars in profit. That's probably b/c they don't have to pay the people who make their shows watchable. If you don't have to pay the help you just get to keep all the money for yourselves. All the programming is basically free for the network b/c the field hands get a scholarship that gives them a "free" education.
Let's visit that term "free" education. That thing isn't free, you have to work your ass off to earn it. You have to go to class, go to practice, workout in the off-season, not be allowed a job b/c a booster may give you an unfair wage. If something happens to you, your athletic scholarship can be taken away at the end of the year, b/c a scholarship is only a one year deal. Let's say your a kid from a poor family, you work your ass off get a football scholarship. You start as a freshman, first game of the year your ruin your knee, football career over. Now some schools will honor that scholarship but some won't, and boom you got 1 year of education then you're out the door. Back home with a wrecked knee, no money, and 1 year of college. But Derek that's the risk they take, your right that is the risk and for some that was the only way out, but if they had made some money with say a 1 year contract they at least could land on their feet.
Now the hard question, how much should they make? That is where things get sketchy. I would propose say full tuition and board x2, so $36,000 a year in "salary." That is just the jumping off point. Who should make the money is another question. I think if they are a revenue maker for the school those athletes should be paid, and by revenue I mean if the sport makes a profit, after scholarships, coaches, travel, and equipment. Most sports that doesn't happen in college, in fact most schools football and basketball fund the rest of the university. Now a few may make money off of other sports say hockey at North Dakota or whatever, but mostly we're talking football and basketball. Those are the revenue generators for almost all the major colleges sports. Mark Emmert made a valid point on "Meet the Press" if we pay these athletes then they become employees of the university, and what university is going to make an employee go to calculus. That I don't have a counter for b/c I don't want to sound dumb and haven't done enough research to counter his argument. I will say if you put stipulations about earning potential and grades in the rules, BUT then that leads to buying grades and whatever else, I never said this isn't a slippery slope.
Somebody on Sunday told me, "Where does it stop? Do you pay high school kids? Do you pay D2 or D3 kids?" The answer is it stops at basketball and football at Division 1 schools. D2 and D3 don't offer scholarships, and frankly there isn't a lot of generated revenue. High School kids don't draw a lot of revenue either, somebody told me what about kids who make it to state, I'm pretty sure most state tournaments break about even. The answer to any where does it end question is simple, it ends somewhere right now, so if you change it a little for it to end at D-! schools that's where it ends.
So here is my proposal: For the 5 major conferences ACC, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, and Pac-12. You offer 85 scholarships for football and 13 for basketball (both of which are the current allotments) with full tuition and board as well as $36,000 in salary per scholarship player provided they maintain a GPA of 2.0. If you have another sport that generates revenue from ticket sales and TV deals then you can pay those athletes as well, we don't want boosters giving money for these funds. Also if a player has jersey sales they should get 10 percent of the profits. Also each contracted player shall be given full medical coverage for 10 years after graduation (must graduate) if they don't go professional in sports. Well that's my proposal I'm sure it has holes and flaws but that is just what I came up with off the cuff. The rest of the conferences well those schools don't generate as much money, and if they think it's an unfair advantage guess what guys it's already unfair b/c Alabama plays on CBS every 3 Saturday's and your lucky to be on CBS College Sports Network once a year. Your already behind b/c big schools can offer more.
This is just the beginning of this debate there are numerous lawsuits filed against the NCAA currently by former and current "student" athletes. I think these kids should be paid, they sacrifice a lot for a sliver of hope of making millions in the pro's. Less than 1% of college athletes make it to the pro level, and I think some of the millions should be spread out. I embrace this debate with anyone as long as they have an open mind and are willing to make valid points not just resort to name calling and telling people that's the way it is. That's it for this post follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
The biggest reason I feel players should be paid is that the University's make money off of them and don't have to give much back in return. But Derek they get a scholarship and have their tuition and room paid for. Yeah your right a kid that helps you earn millions of dollars from TV deals, apparel sales, and sold tickets is compensated with a $9,000 a semester tuition and then housing and meals which is another $9,000 a semester, so we'll say $36,000 a year. Let's compare that to the Iowa football team that made $50.6 million in 2011-2012. Football teams are allowed 85 scholarships which rough math equals $3.06 million in tuition and boarding per year. Now there is other things including travel, coaches pay, facilities, recruiting and other fees but that's a $47.54 million difference. The kids play for "free" and the college gets 47 million, and that's Iowa the team that was 18th in revenue in 2012. I also just looked up a James Morris #44 Hawkeyes jersey, it sells for $59.95 on the internet, not a single cent goes to James Morris, even though it's not his name on the back we all know who's jersey that is. Once again the money from that sale goes to the university.
Last June the Big Ten Network gave each of the 12 members of the conference $284 million from TV contracts and NCAA tournament revenue. Now I know they have studio shows, camera crews and whatever else but they gave the schools 284 EACH after they took their chunk that's 3,408 million dollars in profit. That's probably b/c they don't have to pay the people who make their shows watchable. If you don't have to pay the help you just get to keep all the money for yourselves. All the programming is basically free for the network b/c the field hands get a scholarship that gives them a "free" education.
Let's visit that term "free" education. That thing isn't free, you have to work your ass off to earn it. You have to go to class, go to practice, workout in the off-season, not be allowed a job b/c a booster may give you an unfair wage. If something happens to you, your athletic scholarship can be taken away at the end of the year, b/c a scholarship is only a one year deal. Let's say your a kid from a poor family, you work your ass off get a football scholarship. You start as a freshman, first game of the year your ruin your knee, football career over. Now some schools will honor that scholarship but some won't, and boom you got 1 year of education then you're out the door. Back home with a wrecked knee, no money, and 1 year of college. But Derek that's the risk they take, your right that is the risk and for some that was the only way out, but if they had made some money with say a 1 year contract they at least could land on their feet.
Now the hard question, how much should they make? That is where things get sketchy. I would propose say full tuition and board x2, so $36,000 a year in "salary." That is just the jumping off point. Who should make the money is another question. I think if they are a revenue maker for the school those athletes should be paid, and by revenue I mean if the sport makes a profit, after scholarships, coaches, travel, and equipment. Most sports that doesn't happen in college, in fact most schools football and basketball fund the rest of the university. Now a few may make money off of other sports say hockey at North Dakota or whatever, but mostly we're talking football and basketball. Those are the revenue generators for almost all the major colleges sports. Mark Emmert made a valid point on "Meet the Press" if we pay these athletes then they become employees of the university, and what university is going to make an employee go to calculus. That I don't have a counter for b/c I don't want to sound dumb and haven't done enough research to counter his argument. I will say if you put stipulations about earning potential and grades in the rules, BUT then that leads to buying grades and whatever else, I never said this isn't a slippery slope.
Somebody on Sunday told me, "Where does it stop? Do you pay high school kids? Do you pay D2 or D3 kids?" The answer is it stops at basketball and football at Division 1 schools. D2 and D3 don't offer scholarships, and frankly there isn't a lot of generated revenue. High School kids don't draw a lot of revenue either, somebody told me what about kids who make it to state, I'm pretty sure most state tournaments break about even. The answer to any where does it end question is simple, it ends somewhere right now, so if you change it a little for it to end at D-! schools that's where it ends.
So here is my proposal: For the 5 major conferences ACC, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, and Pac-12. You offer 85 scholarships for football and 13 for basketball (both of which are the current allotments) with full tuition and board as well as $36,000 in salary per scholarship player provided they maintain a GPA of 2.0. If you have another sport that generates revenue from ticket sales and TV deals then you can pay those athletes as well, we don't want boosters giving money for these funds. Also if a player has jersey sales they should get 10 percent of the profits. Also each contracted player shall be given full medical coverage for 10 years after graduation (must graduate) if they don't go professional in sports. Well that's my proposal I'm sure it has holes and flaws but that is just what I came up with off the cuff. The rest of the conferences well those schools don't generate as much money, and if they think it's an unfair advantage guess what guys it's already unfair b/c Alabama plays on CBS every 3 Saturday's and your lucky to be on CBS College Sports Network once a year. Your already behind b/c big schools can offer more.
This is just the beginning of this debate there are numerous lawsuits filed against the NCAA currently by former and current "student" athletes. I think these kids should be paid, they sacrifice a lot for a sliver of hope of making millions in the pro's. Less than 1% of college athletes make it to the pro level, and I think some of the millions should be spread out. I embrace this debate with anyone as long as they have an open mind and are willing to make valid points not just resort to name calling and telling people that's the way it is. That's it for this post follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Super Preview
I haven't posted in months but I couldn't pass up the chance to my annual Super Preview. Let's go to the tale of the tape and breakdown the Broncos vs. Seahawks.
QB: Advantage Denver. This is a no brainer and honestly a lot of these position battles are going to be no brainers. Peyton Manning is one of the best of all time, maybe not top 10 but at least top 11, Russell Wilson is not. Here's the difference as well for Denver to win Peyton has to be the difference maker for Seattle to win Wilson doesn't have to be a difference maker. I've been saying it all season Wilson is a good QB on a great team, Peyton is a great QB that makes his team great. This playoffs Wilson has won 2 games and has made 2 throws that were difference makers in those games. I'll also argue that his throw on 4th down against San Fran wasn't that great b/c it was 4th down and if he throws a pick there he changes field position for the better.
RB: Advantage Seattle. Marshawn Lynch is greater than Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball. Lynch does it all for Seattle and when he gets going beast mode he's almost unstoppable. Moreno and Ball are both decent but Lynch is a top 5 back in the league, maybe top 3 with McCoy and Peterson.
WR: Advantage Denver. Once again no surprise, Thomas, Decker, and Welker are all better than Tate, Baldwin, Kearse, and even Percy Harvin. I think the real match-up of the game is Denver WR vs. Seattle CB. The Broncos aSere going to need win those match-ups and to me Decker is going to half to step up and be the he should get MVP guy, except they only give it to QB's anymore.
TE: Advantage Denver. Julius Thomas over Zack Miller. Thomas is an emerging star in the league and Miller has been a productive guy for many year. Thomas is going to have to be better than Vernon Davis was against Seattle. If Denver has 4 guys that can make plays consistently they will win.
Offensive Line: Advantage Seattle. I only say this because Denver doesn't have Pro Bowl LT Ryan Clady, both teams have stout O-Line's that do their jobs great. Seattle runs the ball and the o-line run blocks, Denver throws a lot and they protect Manning well. Whomever does their job better will win.
Defensive Line: Advantage Seattle. Seattle comes at you in waves, that Michael Bennett dude is awesome, and Cliff Avril and the rest of the bunch are pretty good. I've really ben impressed by them when I watch them. For Denver Terrance Knighton will be the difference maker, New England couldn't run the ball because he was a monster in the middle, if he can shut down Lynch forcing Wilson to beat them Denver will have an advantage in this game.
LB: Advantage Push. I really can't pick between these 2 LB Corps both are good neither are dominant. I think Denver misses Von Miller but they've played without him a lot this year. Bruce Irvin is a good hybrid guy for Seattle. I'm interested to see if Seattle puts Wagner on Julius Thomas, or if they bring a safety down on him.
Secondary: Advantage Seattle. I said this when talking about WR's this is Seattle's strength going against Denver's strength. All the DB's for Seattle are going to have to step up, and honestly I don't think Manning will shy away from Sherman the way Kaepernick did. How the officials call this game will be the difference maker, if Seattle can hold and impede the Denver WR's progress than they will win, it won't take long for Manning to get hit if they are allowed to hold. Denver secondary has to tackle Lynch when he gets through the front 7, don't try to strip the ball just try to tackle him and get him down.
Kick/Punt Return: Advantage Push. Since the playoffs started Trindon Holliday hasn't been returning punts because of his fumble problems, but Eric Decker has filled in nicely almost breaking some. Doug Baldwin has been good for Seattle as well. I doubt anybody will return a kick both kickers can get the ball through the end zone.
Kickers: Advantage Push. Prater and Hauschka are both money guys, both can hit from 50+. I think they both will play well.
Coach: Advantage Denver. John Fox has been here before and had Jake Delhomme as his QB, in what was one of the best Super Bowls ever. Pete Carroll is a good coach but I think Fox is better.
Weather: Advantage Seattle. I know both teams have to play in it, but if the weather is nasty I have to take Peyton Manning's history into account. He has a rough time in weather and the playoffs this year he's gotten lucky that neither game was too nasty in Denver. I think Seattle is built for a weather game.
Final Score: Seattle 5 Denver 4. That's pretty close and so far I have yet to pick my own winner. Just looking at what I've typed I'll say Denver 34 Seattle 24, but I won't be surprised if Seattle wins, I don't really have a dog in this race since I don't like either team. The question is what Peyton Manning shows up, the guy who beat the Bears or the guy who threw that killer pick six against New Orleans. Have a good week, follow me on twitter @derekbredeson, and on Tuesday GO HAWKS.
QB: Advantage Denver. This is a no brainer and honestly a lot of these position battles are going to be no brainers. Peyton Manning is one of the best of all time, maybe not top 10 but at least top 11, Russell Wilson is not. Here's the difference as well for Denver to win Peyton has to be the difference maker for Seattle to win Wilson doesn't have to be a difference maker. I've been saying it all season Wilson is a good QB on a great team, Peyton is a great QB that makes his team great. This playoffs Wilson has won 2 games and has made 2 throws that were difference makers in those games. I'll also argue that his throw on 4th down against San Fran wasn't that great b/c it was 4th down and if he throws a pick there he changes field position for the better.
RB: Advantage Seattle. Marshawn Lynch is greater than Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball. Lynch does it all for Seattle and when he gets going beast mode he's almost unstoppable. Moreno and Ball are both decent but Lynch is a top 5 back in the league, maybe top 3 with McCoy and Peterson.
WR: Advantage Denver. Once again no surprise, Thomas, Decker, and Welker are all better than Tate, Baldwin, Kearse, and even Percy Harvin. I think the real match-up of the game is Denver WR vs. Seattle CB. The Broncos aSere going to need win those match-ups and to me Decker is going to half to step up and be the he should get MVP guy, except they only give it to QB's anymore.
TE: Advantage Denver. Julius Thomas over Zack Miller. Thomas is an emerging star in the league and Miller has been a productive guy for many year. Thomas is going to have to be better than Vernon Davis was against Seattle. If Denver has 4 guys that can make plays consistently they will win.
Offensive Line: Advantage Seattle. I only say this because Denver doesn't have Pro Bowl LT Ryan Clady, both teams have stout O-Line's that do their jobs great. Seattle runs the ball and the o-line run blocks, Denver throws a lot and they protect Manning well. Whomever does their job better will win.
Defensive Line: Advantage Seattle. Seattle comes at you in waves, that Michael Bennett dude is awesome, and Cliff Avril and the rest of the bunch are pretty good. I've really ben impressed by them when I watch them. For Denver Terrance Knighton will be the difference maker, New England couldn't run the ball because he was a monster in the middle, if he can shut down Lynch forcing Wilson to beat them Denver will have an advantage in this game.
LB: Advantage Push. I really can't pick between these 2 LB Corps both are good neither are dominant. I think Denver misses Von Miller but they've played without him a lot this year. Bruce Irvin is a good hybrid guy for Seattle. I'm interested to see if Seattle puts Wagner on Julius Thomas, or if they bring a safety down on him.
Secondary: Advantage Seattle. I said this when talking about WR's this is Seattle's strength going against Denver's strength. All the DB's for Seattle are going to have to step up, and honestly I don't think Manning will shy away from Sherman the way Kaepernick did. How the officials call this game will be the difference maker, if Seattle can hold and impede the Denver WR's progress than they will win, it won't take long for Manning to get hit if they are allowed to hold. Denver secondary has to tackle Lynch when he gets through the front 7, don't try to strip the ball just try to tackle him and get him down.
Kick/Punt Return: Advantage Push. Since the playoffs started Trindon Holliday hasn't been returning punts because of his fumble problems, but Eric Decker has filled in nicely almost breaking some. Doug Baldwin has been good for Seattle as well. I doubt anybody will return a kick both kickers can get the ball through the end zone.
Kickers: Advantage Push. Prater and Hauschka are both money guys, both can hit from 50+. I think they both will play well.
Coach: Advantage Denver. John Fox has been here before and had Jake Delhomme as his QB, in what was one of the best Super Bowls ever. Pete Carroll is a good coach but I think Fox is better.
Weather: Advantage Seattle. I know both teams have to play in it, but if the weather is nasty I have to take Peyton Manning's history into account. He has a rough time in weather and the playoffs this year he's gotten lucky that neither game was too nasty in Denver. I think Seattle is built for a weather game.
Final Score: Seattle 5 Denver 4. That's pretty close and so far I have yet to pick my own winner. Just looking at what I've typed I'll say Denver 34 Seattle 24, but I won't be surprised if Seattle wins, I don't really have a dog in this race since I don't like either team. The question is what Peyton Manning shows up, the guy who beat the Bears or the guy who threw that killer pick six against New Orleans. Have a good week, follow me on twitter @derekbredeson, and on Tuesday GO HAWKS.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Flip Flop Fanning
I've had the idea to write this post for quite a while now. Just never had the time to work on it and put my thoughts down. Most of my posts are about current events and such but this is something that I've always wondered about and I know most people would never think of it, but do you really want everyone in the world to root for your team. You ever heard the phrase, "how can you be insert team name fan." That phrase really bugs me, as if that person has no logical reason to be a fan of whatever team they like. I for one know a few reasons why people are fans of certain that don't happen to be the home team. This is a point I've made a million times, people ask me why do you like who you like? Well when I was picking teams as a kid, Wisconsin sucked at everything but making cheese. The Badgers were garbage in both football and basketball, the Packers sucked, the Brewers and Bucks well they were non-existent. My baseball allegiance is simple, my 4th cousin played for the Giants, when he retired in 1996 my fandom was well established and they had Barry Bonds then so it wasn't hard to keep liking them. They had a star player and were a decent team, not 1st place every year but were in contention year in year out. Since Robby retired the Giants have been to 3 World Series, winning 2, and my fandom has never wavered.
Football is a little more complicated, when I was a kid I saw the Redskins win the Super Bowl, then they did it again a few years later and since then, I've been all-in. It has been a long 20+ years since they've had success but I've stuck with the team, never thought about jumping ship. Not sure why I didn't flip to the Packers when Favre showed up but I never did, I guess I was to ingrained in the Skins even though they stunk and frankly nobody could've blamed me for jumping to the hometown team. College that was a little more difficult, I was a Michigan fan b/c of the Fab Five and the football team drug me a long. When I was between 10-14 everyone loved Michigan, I was one of the few who stuck it out, many of those fans soon became Wisconsin fans as they grew up. I for one stuck by until Rich Rod showed up, jumped ship to Iowa and haven't looked back. Now my move to being an Iowa fan hasn't been called out too much but it has happened, well I have my reasons and who are to tell me if I'm right or wrong.
Now onto what my post is about, why do you ask someone why they like a certain team. How can you be a Bears fan? How about this, well my dad was a Bears fan and we watched the Bears every weekend growing up and now I'm with the team. Would you rather that person say, you know what your right why am I Bears fan, hey give me your Packer hat, I just switched GO PACK GO. There's no honor in that. I need to be liked so much I'm just going to jump ship. We as sports fans hate two things, the first is our rivals, the second is fair weather fans. I for one hate fair weather fans more than my rivals. In fact most of my rivals fans are fair weather fans. Ever notice there is a tong of Cowboy fans around the age of 30? Stupid idiots got caught up in a 4 year run and have been in misery since then. Do I like they root for the Cowboys no, but I respect it since they've stuck it out.
Hating our rivals is something we do, and razzing the rival is part of the territory. However, I would rather you stay my rival then all the sudden you decide you don't like the Dodgers anymore and are instead a Giants fan. I think everyone makes a decision as to why they are fan of certain teams. It's not my job to try to convert you, in fact what fun would it be if everyone liked who I liked, being the out of town fan my whole life I'm actually not sure what to do when I'm in a group of people who like the same team I do. The NFL has 32 teams and 32 fan bases, some are larger than others but all teams have fans and we need to respect those fans. Just remember next time you ask someone why they like the team you hate, if it wasn't for them you wouldn't have anybody to make fun of when you whip their team. In fact that's what makes sports, the fact you can razz you best friend about Iowa beating Iowa St. while he was at the game and probably had to cry himself to sleep.
That's it for this week, I'm real busy so not sure when the next post will be up. Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson for my thoughts during the baseball playoffs, and college and NFL seasons.
Football is a little more complicated, when I was a kid I saw the Redskins win the Super Bowl, then they did it again a few years later and since then, I've been all-in. It has been a long 20+ years since they've had success but I've stuck with the team, never thought about jumping ship. Not sure why I didn't flip to the Packers when Favre showed up but I never did, I guess I was to ingrained in the Skins even though they stunk and frankly nobody could've blamed me for jumping to the hometown team. College that was a little more difficult, I was a Michigan fan b/c of the Fab Five and the football team drug me a long. When I was between 10-14 everyone loved Michigan, I was one of the few who stuck it out, many of those fans soon became Wisconsin fans as they grew up. I for one stuck by until Rich Rod showed up, jumped ship to Iowa and haven't looked back. Now my move to being an Iowa fan hasn't been called out too much but it has happened, well I have my reasons and who are to tell me if I'm right or wrong.
Now onto what my post is about, why do you ask someone why they like a certain team. How can you be a Bears fan? How about this, well my dad was a Bears fan and we watched the Bears every weekend growing up and now I'm with the team. Would you rather that person say, you know what your right why am I Bears fan, hey give me your Packer hat, I just switched GO PACK GO. There's no honor in that. I need to be liked so much I'm just going to jump ship. We as sports fans hate two things, the first is our rivals, the second is fair weather fans. I for one hate fair weather fans more than my rivals. In fact most of my rivals fans are fair weather fans. Ever notice there is a tong of Cowboy fans around the age of 30? Stupid idiots got caught up in a 4 year run and have been in misery since then. Do I like they root for the Cowboys no, but I respect it since they've stuck it out.
Hating our rivals is something we do, and razzing the rival is part of the territory. However, I would rather you stay my rival then all the sudden you decide you don't like the Dodgers anymore and are instead a Giants fan. I think everyone makes a decision as to why they are fan of certain teams. It's not my job to try to convert you, in fact what fun would it be if everyone liked who I liked, being the out of town fan my whole life I'm actually not sure what to do when I'm in a group of people who like the same team I do. The NFL has 32 teams and 32 fan bases, some are larger than others but all teams have fans and we need to respect those fans. Just remember next time you ask someone why they like the team you hate, if it wasn't for them you wouldn't have anybody to make fun of when you whip their team. In fact that's what makes sports, the fact you can razz you best friend about Iowa beating Iowa St. while he was at the game and probably had to cry himself to sleep.
That's it for this week, I'm real busy so not sure when the next post will be up. Follow me on twitter @derekbredeson for my thoughts during the baseball playoffs, and college and NFL seasons.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Thoughts of the week 8-13
Got nothing better to do right now figured let's pound out a post. Let's get some thoughts of the last few weeks in.
So tired of the Dodgers, what their doing is incredible and I'll give them credit but it's not the playoffs yet and they haven't earned jack. On another note I'm not shocked by this at all when you spend 200 million dollars on a team you should be in first place.
Was home yesterday afternoon and saw AJ Pierzynski get tossed during a no-hitter for arguing balls and strikes after Yu Darvish walked a guy when he thought he had strike 3. After the ump called ball 3 I knew AJ was done and then Darvish walked the guy and AJ got up and started bitching right away. I know a little about baseball and umps and arguing balls and strikes is something you don't do. I saw a few analysts say the umpire can't toss him there, oh yeah he can. What AJ was assholish and he was attempting to show up the umpire, as a catcher in the league for over a decade he knows what he can get away with and what he can't.
Football is amping up, saw a few preseason games last week, still too early to get excited.
Can the Redskins take the microphone away from RG III already? Stop doing press conferences saying you want to play, we know you want to play. But you have go through the system first, gotta crawl before you can walk, and you gotta walk before you can run RG.
Johnny Manziel is an idiot. Who in their right mind thinks it's ok to sign 4000 things for dealers. You idiot wait till your out of school, side note if you sign 4000 things your not helping yourself out in fact you autograph is almost worthless now.
Brian Vickers was announced today as the full time driver for the 55 next year, well since he's the only guy who can win in that car good for him.
Tony Stewart was getting a lot of shit because he broke his leg in a dirt race last week. I for one am ok with him racing other races during the week as long as it doesn't effect him on Sunday, and since he's been doing it his entire career and he has 3 Cup titles I guess it doesn't effect him, so therefore keep it up Champ.
I'm heading to Kansas City in a few weeks to catch a Royals-Tigers game hope the Royals keep this mini-run their on up and we can see some pennant chase baseball while we're there.
I didn't see this, but I heard about Adam Jones getting a banana thrown at him San Francisco this weekend. If anyone thinks that moron represents the thoughts of Giants fans then they are crazy. I honestly can't believe a town that we all would think is the most open-minded city in all of America would have someone be so blatantly racist. It's sick and if I could apologize to Adam Jones on behalf of the Giants Nation I would.
That's it for this week just a short one today, as football heats up maybe the posts will as well. Twitter @derekbredeson give me a follow.
So tired of the Dodgers, what their doing is incredible and I'll give them credit but it's not the playoffs yet and they haven't earned jack. On another note I'm not shocked by this at all when you spend 200 million dollars on a team you should be in first place.
Was home yesterday afternoon and saw AJ Pierzynski get tossed during a no-hitter for arguing balls and strikes after Yu Darvish walked a guy when he thought he had strike 3. After the ump called ball 3 I knew AJ was done and then Darvish walked the guy and AJ got up and started bitching right away. I know a little about baseball and umps and arguing balls and strikes is something you don't do. I saw a few analysts say the umpire can't toss him there, oh yeah he can. What AJ was assholish and he was attempting to show up the umpire, as a catcher in the league for over a decade he knows what he can get away with and what he can't.
Football is amping up, saw a few preseason games last week, still too early to get excited.
Can the Redskins take the microphone away from RG III already? Stop doing press conferences saying you want to play, we know you want to play. But you have go through the system first, gotta crawl before you can walk, and you gotta walk before you can run RG.
Johnny Manziel is an idiot. Who in their right mind thinks it's ok to sign 4000 things for dealers. You idiot wait till your out of school, side note if you sign 4000 things your not helping yourself out in fact you autograph is almost worthless now.
Brian Vickers was announced today as the full time driver for the 55 next year, well since he's the only guy who can win in that car good for him.
Tony Stewart was getting a lot of shit because he broke his leg in a dirt race last week. I for one am ok with him racing other races during the week as long as it doesn't effect him on Sunday, and since he's been doing it his entire career and he has 3 Cup titles I guess it doesn't effect him, so therefore keep it up Champ.
I'm heading to Kansas City in a few weeks to catch a Royals-Tigers game hope the Royals keep this mini-run their on up and we can see some pennant chase baseball while we're there.
I didn't see this, but I heard about Adam Jones getting a banana thrown at him San Francisco this weekend. If anyone thinks that moron represents the thoughts of Giants fans then they are crazy. I honestly can't believe a town that we all would think is the most open-minded city in all of America would have someone be so blatantly racist. It's sick and if I could apologize to Adam Jones on behalf of the Giants Nation I would.
That's it for this week just a short one today, as football heats up maybe the posts will as well. Twitter @derekbredeson give me a follow.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Loserville
Welcome to Loserville population 1. Since June 1st my 2 favorites the San Francisco Giants worst record and Denny Hamlin can barely finish a race. I haven't had much to write about since then and in fact I feel like these two things have the biggest reason to do with it. I've embraced losers in my days, the Redskins were a joke from 1992 till last year. However, for some reason this year I barely want to watch a race and if the last place Giants happen to be on I can barely watch since they're playing so terrible. I asked myself yesterday after Denny wrecked on lap 15 why I can't handle the losing this year and I came up with this post.
In the last 3 years I've been spoiled. 3 years ago Denny won 8 races, finished 2nd in points and has been a decent chance to win almost every weekend there is a race, except Daytona or Dega. The Giants obviously have won 2 of the last 3 World Series both teams being complete surprises. Last year the Redskins sold the farm got RG III he took them to a division title and the playoffs on a crazy winning streak to end the year. Now let's fast forward to now.
Denny had the accident in California that wasn't his fault. Hurt his back, missed some races, first race back he gets out of the car and it soon wrecks. That should've been a sign of things to come. I think since the end of May he has one top 20. The Giants were in the top of division at the end of May, since then worst team in baseball, with injuries and poor pitching piling up. I think the cherry on top of all of this is RG III coming back from having his knee rebuilt and the way things are going for me now I don't like his chances of making it this season.
Which brings me to the bigger question why all the sudden can't I handle the losing. I live among Cubs fans I should be able observe and learn from them. My best friend is a Dale Jr. fan he's been losing for years. I'm a self-admitted front runner and from my days as a kid the teams I picked were good, Michigan, Redskins, and Bulls. In fact first baseball game I can remember is the Giants in the World Series in 1989. But as I stated above I've dealt with losing my whole life so why now the problems. I honestly think it's the doom of the NFL season ahead of me, the Redskins have never had expectations and all the sudden they have some. I'm not excited at all for football. I haven't prepped for fantasy which I usually am by now. I think this RG III knee injury thing is really bringing me down and the unknown of his status if weighing on my sports watching. The fact my other favorites are underperforming doesn't help but I do feel fearing football starting is hurting me.
The Giants have shown some signs of getting out of this funk, the pitchers have been better than what they were just now the team can't score any runs. Worst part is this is basically the same team as last year, just missing Angel Pagan from the line up and Ryan Vogelsong from the rotation, both on the DL. They didn't trade any of the pieces at the deadline and sound like they want to make Hunter Pence a Giant for a long time, that'll help and whatever Tim Lincecum decides to do after the season I hope he comes back. I guess they can go for 3 in 5 years.
Denny on the other hand, for him the season is a total loss, he has no chance at the Chase. The team is trying their crazy set-ups in his car, hence why he can't finish races b/c his car is so jacked up. My only hope is he can win a race this season or maybe steal a few wins in the Chase. I hope he doesn't jack his back any more and can come back next year stronger.
I guess I'm starting to feel like a Cub fan, wait till next year blah blah blah. Either way I'll have to get over it and maybe remember the good times, I mean it wasn't all that long ago and the Giants are still the reigning champs. As football gets closer maybe I'll start writing more, in the meantime follow me on the twitter @derekbredeson and keep a close eye on the baseball races with all these suspensions things might get shaken up a bit.
In the last 3 years I've been spoiled. 3 years ago Denny won 8 races, finished 2nd in points and has been a decent chance to win almost every weekend there is a race, except Daytona or Dega. The Giants obviously have won 2 of the last 3 World Series both teams being complete surprises. Last year the Redskins sold the farm got RG III he took them to a division title and the playoffs on a crazy winning streak to end the year. Now let's fast forward to now.
Denny had the accident in California that wasn't his fault. Hurt his back, missed some races, first race back he gets out of the car and it soon wrecks. That should've been a sign of things to come. I think since the end of May he has one top 20. The Giants were in the top of division at the end of May, since then worst team in baseball, with injuries and poor pitching piling up. I think the cherry on top of all of this is RG III coming back from having his knee rebuilt and the way things are going for me now I don't like his chances of making it this season.
Which brings me to the bigger question why all the sudden can't I handle the losing. I live among Cubs fans I should be able observe and learn from them. My best friend is a Dale Jr. fan he's been losing for years. I'm a self-admitted front runner and from my days as a kid the teams I picked were good, Michigan, Redskins, and Bulls. In fact first baseball game I can remember is the Giants in the World Series in 1989. But as I stated above I've dealt with losing my whole life so why now the problems. I honestly think it's the doom of the NFL season ahead of me, the Redskins have never had expectations and all the sudden they have some. I'm not excited at all for football. I haven't prepped for fantasy which I usually am by now. I think this RG III knee injury thing is really bringing me down and the unknown of his status if weighing on my sports watching. The fact my other favorites are underperforming doesn't help but I do feel fearing football starting is hurting me.
The Giants have shown some signs of getting out of this funk, the pitchers have been better than what they were just now the team can't score any runs. Worst part is this is basically the same team as last year, just missing Angel Pagan from the line up and Ryan Vogelsong from the rotation, both on the DL. They didn't trade any of the pieces at the deadline and sound like they want to make Hunter Pence a Giant for a long time, that'll help and whatever Tim Lincecum decides to do after the season I hope he comes back. I guess they can go for 3 in 5 years.
Denny on the other hand, for him the season is a total loss, he has no chance at the Chase. The team is trying their crazy set-ups in his car, hence why he can't finish races b/c his car is so jacked up. My only hope is he can win a race this season or maybe steal a few wins in the Chase. I hope he doesn't jack his back any more and can come back next year stronger.
I guess I'm starting to feel like a Cub fan, wait till next year blah blah blah. Either way I'll have to get over it and maybe remember the good times, I mean it wasn't all that long ago and the Giants are still the reigning champs. As football gets closer maybe I'll start writing more, in the meantime follow me on the twitter @derekbredeson and keep a close eye on the baseball races with all these suspensions things might get shaken up a bit.
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