1. Cam Newton will be a better professional quarterback than Andrew Luck. I say this not to spite Mr. Luck or to discourage any fans of teams that want him, but Cam seems to be one of those rare guys with the “it” factor and has so much higher of a ceiling than Luck does. Plus, he’s already shown me something in the league. 2. My All-Rookie Team:
QB Cam Newton, Carolina
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| Denarius Moore |
RB Mark Ingram, New Orleans
RB DeMarco Murray, Dallas
WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati
WR Denarius Moore, Oakland
WR Dane Sanzenbacher, Chicago
TE Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota
OL Nate Solder, New England
OL Stefen Wisniewski, Oakland
OL Mike Pouncey, Miami
OL Danny Watkins, Philadelphia
OL Tyron Smith, Dallas
DE Jabaal Sheard, Cleveland
DT Marcell Dareus, Buffalo
DT Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets
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| Aldon Smith |
DE Adrian Clayborn, Tampa Bay
OLB Aldon Smith, San Francisco
MLB Greg Jones, New York Giants
OLB Von Miller, Denver
DB Patrick Peterson, Arizona
DB Chris Culliver, San Fran
DB Rahim Moore, Denver
DB Chimdi Chekwa, Oakland
K Dan Bailey, Dallas
3. I think the Bengals will be an elite team in less than five years. Super Bowl-champion elite, not “win the division and lose at home” elite. Super Bowl elite. Get ready, Cincy.
4. I think Todd Haley deserves Coach of the Year if the Chiefs make the playoffs. If they go from 0-2 and losing their best offensive and defensive players and getting destroyed on the field in the process to making the playoffs for the second straight year, how on earth DON’T you give Haley the award? I know Jim Harbaugh has been excellent and will deservedly win it in all likelihood, even with the lockout and minimal time for him to meet his players, but the 49ers play in an even worse division than Kansas City. That and they have had relatively few major injuries to deal with. It’s still a big “if” for the Chiefs to make the playoffs, given Matt Cassel’s inconsistency and the fact that both Oakland and San Diego can both go on hot streaks as easily as Kansas City can go cold.
5. We can all agree that the Raiders gave up too much for Carson Palmer. But he’s played better than any Raiders QB since Rich Gannon won the MVP. He gives them stability and will allow their deep stable of young wideouts- Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and T.J. Housmandzadeh to grow and blossom as NFL players. I’m particularly impressed with Moore. How he was a 5th round pick is beyond my comprehension. Ford is a dynamic athlete and makes at least 1-3 explosive plays per game. DHB is still a work in progress, but he’s really growing, too. Toss in their smashmouth running game, featuring three distinctly different styles of runners (four if you count fullback Marcel Reese as a running back), and a solid offensive line and this is a team primed to explode. The run defense needs work, but they're starting to look the like the Raiders of old.
6. I think that the NFL MVP (non-Aaron Rodgers, because he’s winning it), is EASILY Eli Manning, who’s put up his best season so far. Yeah, Brady and Brees are trendier, but given that Eli hasn’t had all of his weapons and the Giants’ defense has had issues with injuries all year, you have to put Eli in the convo, at least Top 5. (For me, top two.)
7. I propose a three-way splitting of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award between Darrelle Revis, Jared Allen, and DeMarcus Ware. They’ve been that good. Since their positional responsibilities and team successes are so varied, it’s fair to put them all together. Luckily this list will be weeded out as teams improve (Jets) and decline (Cowboys/Vikings.)
8. If the Vikings leave Minnesota, it won’t be long before their worst fears are realized.
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| Brooks Reed |
9. Lost in the shuffle of excellent rookie QB’s is the abundance of excellent rookie OLB’s. I can think of four easily that deserve acclaim- Aldon Smith (49ers), Ryan Kerrigan (Redskins), Brooks Reed (Texans), Von Miller (Broncos). The teams that got them struck absolute gold. All four will challenge for sack leadership in the league in the next few years.
10. Speaking of Brooks Reed, it’s scary to think what Green Bay would look like with him and Clay Matthews playing opposite each other. The Packers were projected by many (including yours truly) to take Reed, but they passed and went offensive line instead.
11. The Broncos’ game plan against Kansas City might’ve been old-school and kind of admirable in a rugged sense of the term, but let’s see it for what it really was- the Broncos’ only reliable way of moving the ball consistently on offense. Where I'm from, we call that a gimmick.
Folks, that’s all the proof you need that Mr. Tebow belongs at FB or H-back. His own coaches gameplan around his talents. Almost every QB in the league would have won that game. Hell, I bet half of the QB’s in BCS conferences could’ve probably won that game.
Folks, that’s all the proof you need that Mr. Tebow belongs at FB or H-back. His own coaches gameplan around his talents. Almost every QB in the league would have won that game. Hell, I bet half of the QB’s in BCS conferences could’ve probably won that game.
12. I think Steve Smith should be disqualified from the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Not because he hasn’t rebounded in a big way, but because he wasn’t injured last year. The guy who really deserves this is a guy coming off a season-ending injury. Not sure who that’d be yet.
13. The Lions are the NFL’s dirtiest team. They make the Steelers and Ravens look like the Colts.
14. How many bad losses will the Buccaneers take before they finally realize that a huge part of Josh Freeman’s success was due to the balance their offense had with LeGarrette Blount last year? Get him the ball 20+ times a game and watch the field open up for their offense.
15. I think a team that wants to mentor a young QB the right way and to ensure solid, consistent growth would do themselves good by hiring Chris Weinke. Teams like Cleveland, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas City (when they draft a QB next year), Seattle, or the Jets would be nice fits for him. (Particularly Minnesota, given the Florida State connection at QB.) Heck, even the Bay Area has a few young QBs that could really use solid mentoring (Terrelle Pryor and Colin Kaepernick).
16. Speaking of Kaepernick, I’ll be extremely interested in him with this 49ers team next year, should they go that route in 2012-13. I have a feeling this 2011 crop of rookie QB's will be one for the record books. Almost like the NFL’s version of the 2003 LeBron-Melo-Wade-Bosh NBA draft.
17. Jim Irsay needs to shut the hell up on Twitter. Stop tweeting about your team’s inner dynamics. You’re the CEO of the franchise- act like one. You don't see Bill Gates clowning around on twitter.
18. I don’t expect the NFL to have two games as much fun to watch happening simultaneously as the November 5 LSU-Alabama and Kansas State-Oklahoma State games were for a very long time.
19. Green Bay Packers- Perfect in record only. They remind me of the 2009 Saints- major offense, turnover-creating defense.
20. San Francisco 49ers- Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman are easily the two best linebackers that share a team. They’re both 3-down players, too. This is huge in their 3-4 defensive scheme.
21. Baltimore Ravens- Beating up on the Steelers never felt so good, right? To follow it up with a turd of a game like the one against Seattle is simply unacceptable for a team that might need 3 wins to get to the Super Bowl. Can’t be consistent? Then go home- that’s the name of the game. Hard for me to trust Baltimore 100%.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers- Make it two straight years they’ve been punked by Joe Flacco at Heinz Field in the regular season. They better hope that trend ends soon, or this old team will end up looking like the Vikings- aging roster and one or two young studs on offense.
23. New York Giants- Speaking of back-to-back punkings, had to be fun for Eli to pull another rabbit out against Tom Brady again. I trust them in a high-pressure road playoff game more than any other team in the league, bar none.
24. Houston Texans- They call plays like they’re going to kill Arian Foster. Luckily for him, he’s got Ben Tate making big plays while giving him a breather. I’d like them a lot more if they more reliable secondary receiving options after Andre Johnson. Right now their passing offense is dump offs to Foster or Owen Daniels. Not going to cut it in January, boys. Once they get Andre Johnson back, watch out. Their defense is filthy. Brooks Reed isn’t getting enough love in a stacked OLB rookie class.
25. New England Patriots- I think you’re looking at a Colts-esque team if they lost Tom Brady. Sure, their backup QBs are better than Indy’s, but otherwise, they’d be at their absolute best an 8-win team without Brady hiding their deficiencies.
26. Cincinnati Bengals- 2011 is going to be all about getting Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, and that defense enough experience to prime them for a nice run. The timing for this couldn’t be better- they’ve drafted well, acquired high draft picks (thanks, Hue Jackson), and their prime divisional opponents’ windows are closing. This creates a power rift and creates an opening for a hungry team like the Bengals to hop in. This situation reminds me a ton of the early 1990’s Cowboys. You can figure who their Troy Aikman is and who their Michael Irvin is. Rookie Clint Boling can be Nate Newton and Jermaine Gresham will be Jay Novacek.
Hopefully they can add some more pieces around those players (namely a quality rushing attack and some more targets for Dalton) and keep the defense intact.
27. New Orleans Saints- Do they have any elite talents on this team besides Drew Brees? Nope. That’s how good Brees has been. If you didn’t think of him in the Top 5 Best Players in the NFL class, you ought to, because he has been ridiculously good for them.
Hopefully they can add some more pieces around those players (namely a quality rushing attack and some more targets for Dalton) and keep the defense intact.
27. New Orleans Saints- Do they have any elite talents on this team besides Drew Brees? Nope. That’s how good Brees has been. If you didn’t think of him in the Top 5 Best Players in the NFL class, you ought to, because he has been ridiculously good for them.
28. Chicago Bears- I think the Bears would be near winless without Jay Cutler. (Bonus thought- Mr. Cutler, for all his critics (fair or not) is easily the most underrated and toughest QB in the NFL. No one has a better arm and willingness to make the big throw.)
29. Atlanta Falcons- I don’t know what to make of Atlanta. One week they’re getting killed by the Bears, the next they’re pulling a rabbit out of their hat against Philly. Then they’re getting squashed by the Packers again. Luckily Tampa Bay can’t get their act together.
30. Detroit Lions- Well, that’s more like what I expected from the Lions. I’m very interested to see how the league handles Matthew Stafford’s egregious facemask/helmet grab “tackle.” In a league that protects QBs far more than necessary, I bet he’ll get a slap on the wrist. The guy he tackled (D.J. Moore) got ejected for fighting back and will get a nice big fine. That’s fair, I guess. Read up at Pro Football Talk.
31. New York Jets- Those trash-talking footsteps you hear are Rex Ryan’s boys charging up the standings. How high they go will be a matter for the inconsistent Mark Sanchez to determine.
32. Buffalo Bills- My original thoughts after the Jets game were, “I think the Jets are a terrible matchup for the Bills, but that’s not too far from what the Bills really are as a team.” After the Dallas game, I’m sure that’s who they really are.
33. Oakland Raiders- Losing to Tim Tebow at home had to be embarrassing. Carson Palmer’s showings aren’t all bad despite the turnovers- his arm has looked stronger than it did in Cincinnati last year and it’s refreshing to get to see what Oakland’s track stars at WR look like with a competent QB at the helm. They’ve become a really entertaining team to watch. I’d like to see more Taiwan Jones when Darren McFadden isn’t playing, though.
34. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- They need to realize that Josh Freeman is too young to be “the guy” for them all the time. Their wide receivers have struggled. The best remedy? A heavy dose of LeGarrette Blount. I think balancing out their offense would do wonders for them offensively. When they’ve run the ball well, they’ve won games- the Saints home upset comes to mind.
35. Kansas City Chiefs- What happened to all that Arrowhead momentum against Miami and Denver? They might have sealed their fate with those losses because their schedule is not kind down the stretch.
36. Dallas Cowboys- Dez Bryant is a major distraction on the field for this team. The Cowboys would have done well to avoid that kind of personality, but Jerry Jones wanted his next Michael Irvin. Troy Aikman ain’t walking through that door, Jerry.
37. Philadelphia Eagles- Just like last year, Philly’s problem is that they can’t dink-and-dunk you down the field. It’s either a bunch of 8-20 yard runs by Vick and McCoy with a few 20-yard deep throws, or a drive that gets snuffed out. That and they’re as soft as a baby’s bottom. Smashmouth teams push them around.
38. San Diego Chargers- Some people think he’s injured, but I’m fairly (>60%) certain I’ve figured out Rivers’ problem. Though he would never admit it, I bet you $20 that the sixth Rivers child is a major reason he’s struggled. Hard to stay awake when you got a newborn screaming all night long, I imagine. His home-road splits suggest that leaving San Diego for the road hasn’t helped though. He’s posted a 104-163 attempts, 1,293 yards, 7 TD:7 INT cumulative stat line at home compared to an 89 of 142, 1,176, 4:7 road line. What gives?
39. Tennessee Titans- I wish I could say I know what’s happened to Chris Johnson. I can’t. I’m chalking to up a combination of fatigue, complacency, dislike of the current regime, and a general lack of motivation this year.
40. Carolina Panthers- In a league devoid of high-profile stars like the NBA has, the Panthers (and Cam) would do well to milk Mr. Newton’s success as an NFL as much as possible- the guy has rare charisma and charm. Designer NFL cleats would be a neat trend to start. They wouldn’t be Air Jordans, but I bet Under Armour or Reebok would do something with Cam if he proposed it. I don’t know how well they’d sell, though.
41. Washington Redskins- Can we finally now admit that Mike Shanahan’s perceived success as an NFL head coach is directly tied to the fact that he had John Elway and Terrell Davis to kick it off? Seriously, every one of his other teams haven’t even been close to Super Bowl contenders. This one sure isn’t.
42. Minnesota Vikings- Christian Ponder has managed to cast a ray of hope on what has otherwise been a depressing year for the Vikings. As it is with everyone, how they draft over the next few years will make or break them under Leslie Frazier. Contrary to public opinion, the first place the Vikings should go in the draft is not at wide receiver to get a weapon for Ponder- it should be at offensive line. Thankfully this NFL draft has a few top-notch offensive linemen projected to be available
43. Cleveland Browns- They might be the most boring NFL team in the league. Does anyone care that they have a Top-5 defense statistically?
44. Jacksonville Jaguars- Were it not for Cleveland, they’d be the most uninspiring team to watch on TV. If they were smart, they’d let Blaine Gabbert throw it 50 times a game and see what he’s got. Their defense has been surprisingly good. They can probably afford to draft a WR early next year.
45. St. Louis Rams- I thought Steve Spagnuolo would have them on a faster track up by now. Really had high hopes for them.
46. Seattle Seahawks- They can’t run and they can’t pass. Other than that, things are looking up for the Seahawks. Doug Baldwin has been a nice find off the undrafted college free agent scrapheap. You’ve never heard of their best player, Chris Clemons, who should be a Pro Bowler this year. (Start voting, Seahawks fans.)
47. Arizona Cardinals- The Kevin Kolb trade is/was/will continue to be an abysmal failure. At least they didn’t pony up as much for him as the Raiders did for Carson Palmer.
48. Denver Broncos- Skip Bayless can rant all he wants about Tim Tebow’s “clutch gene” (the concept of which is total b.s. to begin with), but if they’re drafting Top 5 next year and Matt Barkley (2nd-best case) or Andrew Luck (wildest dreams-case) is staring them in the face, they won’t hesitate to draft him. Tebow might be the nicest guy ever and whatever else FOX’s Thom Brennaman has to say about him, but he is a locker room cancer, as far as I am concerned. His very presence elicits such a powerful media and fan response that it is a constant threat to team chemistry and being the only guy your teammates get asked about can’t really help when you’re not winning a ton. The two Johns (Elway and Fox) need to blow up this Josh McDaniels-created mess and rebuild the franchise in their own image, just as Fox did in Carolina.
49. Miami Dolphins- If they had gone 0-16, the Dolphins would have been the best winless team in the history of the NFL. The last two teams to do so, the 1976 Bucs and 2008 Lions, were talent-deficient teams and nobody was terribly surprised that they went winless. Of course, the ’76 Bucs were an expansion team and the ’08 Lions were just plain terrible. This Miami team has way more talent than either of those teams do, but for whatever reason, they just can’t seem to play 60 minutes’ worth of good football. A huge amount of blame for this season rests not on the current goat of choice, Tony Sparano, but on the team ownership, who openly flirted with Jim Harbaugh in the offseason and in doing so, stripped Sparano of any authority he had in the locker room. Is anybody really surprised that this happened after Bill Parcells left the team’s front office?
