Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate announced today that they're entering the NFL Draft. It's a good decision by both of them; there's no reason to risk your professional future. When you have a chance to go make NFL millions, you do it. You don't want to be like Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham, two Oklahoma stars who could have potentially been first round picks a year ago but came back for another year. Both suffered through injuries, and now both come with serious question marks to NFL teams. You've got to strike while the iron is hot.
I think Clausen is a first round pick, and personally I like him better than any other QB who could be in this draft. I think he does everything Sam Bradford does, except better. And he's a better, more polished passer than Jake Locker. Maybe Locker can throw a football further (although Clausen has plenty of arm strength), and Locker is definitely a better athlete, but Locker isn't nearly as accurate as Clausen. My only criticism of Clausen is his lack of mobility, but I don't think it's a huge problem. Otherwise he's a great passer, and I would love to have him at the pro level.
I'm not sure what to make of Tate. He was obviously a great college player, and his run-after-catch ability reminds me of Greg Jennings. I don't think his straight-line speed is tremendous, and he's not very tall at 5'11", but he's got strong hands and he runs with the physicality of a RB in the open field. I think he's probably a 2nd or 3rd round pick, and we'll see how he runs at the Combine and his pro day.
In coaching news, the names now are Cincinnati's Brian Kelly and Stanford's Jim Harbaugh. Between those two, I would definitely choose Kelly. What he's done at Cincinnati is remarkable (seriously, an undefeated season at Cincy?), and he's been a success everywhere he's gone. My only concern is his Cincy teams aren't that good defensively, and I was hoping Notre Dame would go with a defensive coach. But with TCU's Gary Patterson now off the table, the best available coach probably is Kelly, and I could not argue with that hire at all. Harbaugh's done a pretty good job at Stanford as well, but his personality is abrasive and I wonder how he would fit in with the Notre Dame culture. I know he's made comments critical of Michigan before, and he ran up the score against USC a couple weeks ago. I feel like his personality is not a good fit for this school. Kelly is an Irish-Catholic, which makes him a natural fit.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Other thoughts
* I've been one of Vince Young's biggest critics, and rightfully so; he threw 9 TDs and 17 INTs a couple years ago. But he looks greatly improved this season, and a 99 yard drive to win the game is unbelievable. You know what the real story in Tennessee is, though? The turnaround on defense. That teams was horrid on defense earlier this year. Tom Brady threw 5 TDs in the 2nd quarter against them, and teams were getting big plays against them every week. Now they're playing much better and keeping teams to around 20 points, which gives their offense a chance to win. It's hard to believe a team can change so much in a span of 5 games, but Tennessee has done a complete 180. Vince Young has given them a spark on offense, Chris Johnson is the best back in football, and their defense is playing much better. I still have a hard time believing they'll make the playoffs (going from 0-6 to 10-6 would be unprecedented), but they've at least made it interesting. Hard to believe after they lost to New England 59-0.
* After watching the Texans blow a 17-0 and then 20-7 halftime lead, I thought, "I would hate to be a fan of the Texans." Then I remembered that I root for the Texans of college football, Notre Dame. The Texans just keep finding ways to lose. Kris Brown misses field goals that can send consecutive games to overtime, then they dominate the Colts for a half and blow it in the 2nd half. They just cannot get over the hump, and just like Notre Dame I don't think their coach is going to survive this. This is the second straight year that Houston has been so close and yet so far away. Since Kubiak can't get them over the hump, I expect them to find a new coach who will.
* A week after thinking that maybe Jay Cutler really does suck, I went back to feeling bad for him today. That offensive line is horrid. Yes, that deserves italics. Orlando Pace is an absolute stiff; Jared Allen doesn't often use a bull rush, but today he was consistently pushing Pace into Cutler's lap. They open no holes in the run game for Matt Forte. And Jerry Angelo has given him a bunch of catch-and-run receivers who have no capability of going up and getting a football. Those guys will not a catch pass downfield unless Cutler drops it right in there. I like their rookie Johnny Knox, but the rest of those receivers are replaceable. Get Cutler a Brandon Marshall-type, please; or for Minnesota's sake, don't. They can just keep tackling those underneath routes.
* I have fun watching players, and then wondering why teams passed them up in the draft, or took other players ahead of them from the same position. For example, I saw Sidney Rice make more big plays today for Minnesota, and I was reminded that the Dolphins drafted Ted Ginn Jr. 9th overall that year. In retrospect, that is absolutely insane. Look at Darrius Heyward-Bey and tell me he's better than fellow rookies Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin, Percy Harvin, Kenny Britt, Hakeem Nicks, Mike Wallace or Johnny Knox. You would have to be extremely biased to think he's even close to any of them. Or how about Cincinnati improving greatly while getting absolutely nothing out of their first round pick, Andre Smith? Sometimes I wonder why we care so much about the draft when it's so obviously a crapshoot. Oh yeah, I do know; because it's fun.
* Speaking of Cincinatti, they must have the best run-blocking offensive line in the league. First Cedric Benson resurrects his carrer there, now Larry Johnson rushes for 100 yards, and an unknown rookie named Bernard Scott has ran well the past couple of weeks. It just doesn't matter who they put at RB, that team can run the football. It's quite amazing really, since most people probably couldn't name one of their lineman, and frankly I hardly can. This is like the Chiefs a few years ago, when they went from Priest Holmes to Larry Johnson to Derrick Blaylock and hardly skipped a beat.
* I don't want to pick on Raheem Morris too much, since it's not his fault that Tampa Bay promoted him too quickly to head coach. But Tampa Bay is tied with Cleveland and St. Louis for worst record in the league, and there is no way that talent-wise Tampa Bay should be down with those teams. I feel pretty confident in saying that if Jon Gruden were still coach they would not be 1-10 right now. They have more talent than the Browns and Rams, as well as the Lions and probably the Chiefs. And if you're ever wondering what signals there are for a coach who's in over his head, it's when he fires both of his coordinators in a season as Morris has this season.
* After watching the Texans blow a 17-0 and then 20-7 halftime lead, I thought, "I would hate to be a fan of the Texans." Then I remembered that I root for the Texans of college football, Notre Dame. The Texans just keep finding ways to lose. Kris Brown misses field goals that can send consecutive games to overtime, then they dominate the Colts for a half and blow it in the 2nd half. They just cannot get over the hump, and just like Notre Dame I don't think their coach is going to survive this. This is the second straight year that Houston has been so close and yet so far away. Since Kubiak can't get them over the hump, I expect them to find a new coach who will.
* A week after thinking that maybe Jay Cutler really does suck, I went back to feeling bad for him today. That offensive line is horrid. Yes, that deserves italics. Orlando Pace is an absolute stiff; Jared Allen doesn't often use a bull rush, but today he was consistently pushing Pace into Cutler's lap. They open no holes in the run game for Matt Forte. And Jerry Angelo has given him a bunch of catch-and-run receivers who have no capability of going up and getting a football. Those guys will not a catch pass downfield unless Cutler drops it right in there. I like their rookie Johnny Knox, but the rest of those receivers are replaceable. Get Cutler a Brandon Marshall-type, please; or for Minnesota's sake, don't. They can just keep tackling those underneath routes.
* I have fun watching players, and then wondering why teams passed them up in the draft, or took other players ahead of them from the same position. For example, I saw Sidney Rice make more big plays today for Minnesota, and I was reminded that the Dolphins drafted Ted Ginn Jr. 9th overall that year. In retrospect, that is absolutely insane. Look at Darrius Heyward-Bey and tell me he's better than fellow rookies Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin, Percy Harvin, Kenny Britt, Hakeem Nicks, Mike Wallace or Johnny Knox. You would have to be extremely biased to think he's even close to any of them. Or how about Cincinnati improving greatly while getting absolutely nothing out of their first round pick, Andre Smith? Sometimes I wonder why we care so much about the draft when it's so obviously a crapshoot. Oh yeah, I do know; because it's fun.
* Speaking of Cincinatti, they must have the best run-blocking offensive line in the league. First Cedric Benson resurrects his carrer there, now Larry Johnson rushes for 100 yards, and an unknown rookie named Bernard Scott has ran well the past couple of weeks. It just doesn't matter who they put at RB, that team can run the football. It's quite amazing really, since most people probably couldn't name one of their lineman, and frankly I hardly can. This is like the Chiefs a few years ago, when they went from Priest Holmes to Larry Johnson to Derrick Blaylock and hardly skipped a beat.
* I don't want to pick on Raheem Morris too much, since it's not his fault that Tampa Bay promoted him too quickly to head coach. But Tampa Bay is tied with Cleveland and St. Louis for worst record in the league, and there is no way that talent-wise Tampa Bay should be down with those teams. I feel pretty confident in saying that if Jon Gruden were still coach they would not be 1-10 right now. They have more talent than the Browns and Rams, as well as the Lions and probably the Chiefs. And if you're ever wondering what signals there are for a coach who's in over his head, it's when he fires both of his coordinators in a season as Morris has this season.
This may not be a bold statement
Or maybe it is, since the '98 Vikings went 15-1, but this is the best Vikings team I've ever seen. I feel confident in saying that after today. That '98 team had one of the best, most dynamic offenses in NFL history, but it also had a fatal flaw; it wasn't very good on defense. That team's defense took advantage of the opponent getting behind early, which allowed Jimmy Hitchcock to intercept 7 passes. But when push came to shove, they couldn't stop Atlanta. Chris Chandler led an 80 yard drive to tie the NFC Championship Game, and then took Atlanta down the field to win the game in OT.
This team's defense, in an understatement, is better. This defense can win a Super Bowl; they rush the passer, stop the run and are even getting good secondary play without Antoine Winfield. There hasn't been a team yet to really take advantage of this, besides Baltimore (the first game that Winfield got injured). You need a good defense to win a Super Bowl, and this team has it.
What really separates this team, though, is that it also has a good offense. And good offense might also be an understatement; it might be great. Have I ever been more wrong about a player than I was about Favre? Probably not; he's been about 100X better than I thought he'd be. Peterson is actually not having that great of a season, but he's always dangerous. But then there's the developments in the receiving corps. Sidney Rice has zoomed right past becoming a good receiver and is a great receiver. Percy Harvin is impressive as well (another player I was wrong about). And Berrian was already a good receiver, and still is. Shiancoe became a good TE last season and has continued that. Chester Taylor is one of the league's better backup RBs. Understatement; this team has a lot of weapons.
So what is this team missing? The special teams are greatly improved. Ryan Longwell is a good, dependable kicker. Offense, defense, special teams? Check, check, check. The only weakness on this team is Childress' game management skills (he learned at the feet of Andy Reid, and it shows), but hopefully Favre's command of this offense will overwhelm that. I'm telling you, that '98 team was fantastic but the elephant in the room was always what would happen when the defense had to make a play. I no longer worry about that. Now my biggest worry is the head coach will challenge stupid plays, or punt on 4th and inches from the opponent's 40. It's a significant step forward. I think an NFC Championship Game between the Vikings and Saints would be a great game.
This team's defense, in an understatement, is better. This defense can win a Super Bowl; they rush the passer, stop the run and are even getting good secondary play without Antoine Winfield. There hasn't been a team yet to really take advantage of this, besides Baltimore (the first game that Winfield got injured). You need a good defense to win a Super Bowl, and this team has it.
What really separates this team, though, is that it also has a good offense. And good offense might also be an understatement; it might be great. Have I ever been more wrong about a player than I was about Favre? Probably not; he's been about 100X better than I thought he'd be. Peterson is actually not having that great of a season, but he's always dangerous. But then there's the developments in the receiving corps. Sidney Rice has zoomed right past becoming a good receiver and is a great receiver. Percy Harvin is impressive as well (another player I was wrong about). And Berrian was already a good receiver, and still is. Shiancoe became a good TE last season and has continued that. Chester Taylor is one of the league's better backup RBs. Understatement; this team has a lot of weapons.
So what is this team missing? The special teams are greatly improved. Ryan Longwell is a good, dependable kicker. Offense, defense, special teams? Check, check, check. The only weakness on this team is Childress' game management skills (he learned at the feet of Andy Reid, and it shows), but hopefully Favre's command of this offense will overwhelm that. I'm telling you, that '98 team was fantastic but the elephant in the room was always what would happen when the defense had to make a play. I no longer worry about that. Now my biggest worry is the head coach will challenge stupid plays, or punt on 4th and inches from the opponent's 40. It's a significant step forward. I think an NFC Championship Game between the Vikings and Saints would be a great game.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Les is mor...onic? Yeah, we'll go with that
Everyone is apalled with LSU's clock management at the end of their loss Saturday to Ole Miss. But you know what? We've been here before. I'll cut and paste:
LSU had 3:13 left, and they put themselves in good position to kick a game winning field goal on Auburn's 22 yard line. However, with a chance to make the kick and a timeout, LSU coach Les Miles chose to gamble (as he has so often during the year) and go for a touchdown. It turned out as he planned however, as LSU won on Matt Flinn's 22 yard pass to Demetrius Byrd. Miles later said he thought he had plenty of time, and reviews of the play verified that the pass was caught with 4 seconds remaining but the clock ran until the referee signaled TD with 1 second remaining.
Mike Holmgren is still upset that the Seahawks lost Steve Hutchinson back in 2006, and I can't blame the guy. Reading his account of what happened, Seattle GM Tim Ruskell comes off as a bumbling idiot (and judging by Seattle's results the past few years, that seems fair) and there was no reason for the Seahawks to lose Hutchinson. Holmgren thought they were going to franchise him, but instead they placed the transition tag on him, which gives them right of first refusal but no compensation. Does Minnesota sign Hutchinson if they have to surrender a first round pick or two? Probably not. But since there was no compensation involved, they signed Hutchinson to a poison pill contract that Seattle couldn't match. Holmgren says that he thought they were going to franchise Hutchinson, and there's no reason they shouldn't have. They wanted to re-sign the guy, and probably would have matched Minnesota's offer if not for it's poison pill. Seattle blew this big time, and somehow Ruskell still has a job. And don't even mention the Deion Branch trade...
LSU had 3:13 left, and they put themselves in good position to kick a game winning field goal on Auburn's 22 yard line. However, with a chance to make the kick and a timeout, LSU coach Les Miles chose to gamble (as he has so often during the year) and go for a touchdown. It turned out as he planned however, as LSU won on Matt Flinn's 22 yard pass to Demetrius Byrd. Miles later said he thought he had plenty of time, and reviews of the play verified that the pass was caught with 4 seconds remaining but the clock ran until the referee signaled TD with 1 second remaining.
This was back in 2007 during LSU's championship season. He risked a game-winning 40 yard field attempt to try a pass into the end zone. Had the clock run out, or something disastrous happened, Miles would have been murdered back then. But since it worked out, it was simply referred to as "controversial." Any LSU fans who were surprised by what happened on Saturday should have been reminded of what happened back in 2007; I know I remembered.
A Good Link I Found
http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2009/11/23/mike-homgren-is-still-not-pleased-about-seattle-losing-steve-hutchinson/Mike Holmgren is still upset that the Seahawks lost Steve Hutchinson back in 2006, and I can't blame the guy. Reading his account of what happened, Seattle GM Tim Ruskell comes off as a bumbling idiot (and judging by Seattle's results the past few years, that seems fair) and there was no reason for the Seahawks to lose Hutchinson. Holmgren thought they were going to franchise him, but instead they placed the transition tag on him, which gives them right of first refusal but no compensation. Does Minnesota sign Hutchinson if they have to surrender a first round pick or two? Probably not. But since there was no compensation involved, they signed Hutchinson to a poison pill contract that Seattle couldn't match. Holmgren says that he thought they were going to franchise Hutchinson, and there's no reason they shouldn't have. They wanted to re-sign the guy, and probably would have matched Minnesota's offer if not for it's poison pill. Seattle blew this big time, and somehow Ruskell still has a job. And don't even mention the Deion Branch trade...
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Is it wrong to revel in a team's slump?
Because I am enjoying Denver's current 4-game losing streak. I sensed all along that this team wasn't actually any good (remember that fluky win over Cincinnati? That's the only thing currently keeping them over .500), and they have really looked bad recently. San Diego just outclassed them today; it didn't feel like San Diego beat the shit out of them, as much as they were just simply better and over the course of the game showed them.
Even though I didn't mention it at the time, I knew subconsciously that McDaniels' celebration of that win over New England was a bad sign. As a coach, you cannot treat a win during the regular season as more than it is, and he celebrated like they had won the Super Bowl. I knew that was a bad sign, and now looks extremely foolish. I also knew their defense wasn't as good as it was playing, and they've come back to Earth. The fact is, this team never was a 6-0 caliber team, and now San Diego has officially passed them for the division lead.
Before the season started, I thought Denver was in a for a terrible 6-10 type season, and I was off. And maybe this is purely selfish on my part, but I don't care. This is not a playoff team, and it feels good to have that feeling justified during the season. I felt stupid when they started 6-0, but now that they're 6-4 I feel better.
One last thought; for as long as I live, I'll never understand why Kyle Orton was healthy enough to come in in the 2nd quarter, but not healthy enough to start. Huh? Is Josh McDaniels so arrogant that he thinks he can voluntarily play his backup QB and still beat San Diego? If you have a player healthy enough to play, then play him. That decision screams of unbridled arrogance, and I don't care what McDaniels has for an explanation, I will never accept it. Either you're starting QB can start, or he can't play.
Even though I didn't mention it at the time, I knew subconsciously that McDaniels' celebration of that win over New England was a bad sign. As a coach, you cannot treat a win during the regular season as more than it is, and he celebrated like they had won the Super Bowl. I knew that was a bad sign, and now looks extremely foolish. I also knew their defense wasn't as good as it was playing, and they've come back to Earth. The fact is, this team never was a 6-0 caliber team, and now San Diego has officially passed them for the division lead.
Before the season started, I thought Denver was in a for a terrible 6-10 type season, and I was off. And maybe this is purely selfish on my part, but I don't care. This is not a playoff team, and it feels good to have that feeling justified during the season. I felt stupid when they started 6-0, but now that they're 6-4 I feel better.
One last thought; for as long as I live, I'll never understand why Kyle Orton was healthy enough to come in in the 2nd quarter, but not healthy enough to start. Huh? Is Josh McDaniels so arrogant that he thinks he can voluntarily play his backup QB and still beat San Diego? If you have a player healthy enough to play, then play him. That decision screams of unbridled arrogance, and I don't care what McDaniels has for an explanation, I will never accept it. Either you're starting QB can start, or he can't play.
I just noticed...
That I use the phrase "but you know what?" a lot. It probably comes across as annoying, and I didn't notice it until just now. But you know what? I enjoy asking myself questions, and then answering them as if it's Barbara Walters asking me.
By the way, Chicago has now taken a 12-10 lead over the Eagles, and I really can't overstate how amazing this is, considering I haven't seen Chicago hardly do anything on offense. It feels like they're down about 17-3, and instead they're winning. Cutler could play an awful game and still win, which would be a nice turn after all the criticism he takes for losing. I always enjoy when these "to the victor go the spoils" type people then have to defend an awful performance from a QB who wins. Go ahead and tell me that winning from a QB is all that matters, after Rex Grossman turns the ball over 6 times in a win over Arizona.
Cutler has had a lot of strong performances in his career that came in losing efforts, so it would be nice to see his critics then praise him for a "hard fought"victory, or some such, over Philadelphia when he's obviously been terrible tonight.
By the way, Chicago has now taken a 12-10 lead over the Eagles, and I really can't overstate how amazing this is, considering I haven't seen Chicago hardly do anything on offense. It feels like they're down about 17-3, and instead they're winning. Cutler could play an awful game and still win, which would be a nice turn after all the criticism he takes for losing. I always enjoy when these "to the victor go the spoils" type people then have to defend an awful performance from a QB who wins. Go ahead and tell me that winning from a QB is all that matters, after Rex Grossman turns the ball over 6 times in a win over Arizona.
Cutler has had a lot of strong performances in his career that came in losing efforts, so it would be nice to see his critics then praise him for a "hard fought"victory, or some such, over Philadelphia when he's obviously been terrible tonight.
Have I overrated Jay Cutler?
So I'm watching the Eagles-Bears on Sunday night, and Jay Cutler just looks terrible. His passes are sailing all over, and he missed Greg Olsen and Devin Hester on back-to-back plays that would have been TDs. Cutler's struggles this season are well-documented, with 17 INTs already. Normally I ignore knee jerk reaction-type criticism (Peyton Manning used to get criticized, and by the time he retires he may be the best QB who ever played), but Cutler is becoming difficult to defend. Have I overrated Cutler in the past?
There's no doubt Cutler has always thrown a few too many INTs, and that's just how it's going to be with this guy. Maybe when he's 40 he'll have a Favre-like awakening and all of a sudden become a caretaker (seriously, I keep waiting for Favre to start throwing it to the other team and it just hasn't happened) but right now you just have to deal with a few INTs. 17 in 9 games, of course, is more than a few. But you know what? I'm willing to overlook the INTs, and say that maybe a few of them were flukes, and hey shit happens. But his inaccuracy tonight is startling, and it looks like he's afraid to just throw the ball. This is not the same QB who played so well for Denver last year, and looked like a future great player.
It really has me wondering what's going on. I've stated before that I don't like Chicago's talent, and that hasn't changed. That offensive line sucks, and those receivers are subpar. But you know what? Tom Brady posted an 87 rating in 2006 with his leading receivers being Reche Caldwell and Troy Brown. Whatever the circumstances, you suck it up and play. Excuses are of no use in the NFL.
So is Cutler just simply slumping, or is he just not as good as I thought? I've never thought that Cutler was a great player, as much as I thought he would be. But he has not progressed, and rather has regressed. Like I said, I can forgive the INTs if he's firing strikes otherwise, but he's not. He doesn't look the same at all, and if I didn't know who he was I'd probably be saying that this guy sucks. I haven't seen a guy regress this badly in awhile.
There's no doubt Cutler has always thrown a few too many INTs, and that's just how it's going to be with this guy. Maybe when he's 40 he'll have a Favre-like awakening and all of a sudden become a caretaker (seriously, I keep waiting for Favre to start throwing it to the other team and it just hasn't happened) but right now you just have to deal with a few INTs. 17 in 9 games, of course, is more than a few. But you know what? I'm willing to overlook the INTs, and say that maybe a few of them were flukes, and hey shit happens. But his inaccuracy tonight is startling, and it looks like he's afraid to just throw the ball. This is not the same QB who played so well for Denver last year, and looked like a future great player.
It really has me wondering what's going on. I've stated before that I don't like Chicago's talent, and that hasn't changed. That offensive line sucks, and those receivers are subpar. But you know what? Tom Brady posted an 87 rating in 2006 with his leading receivers being Reche Caldwell and Troy Brown. Whatever the circumstances, you suck it up and play. Excuses are of no use in the NFL.
So is Cutler just simply slumping, or is he just not as good as I thought? I've never thought that Cutler was a great player, as much as I thought he would be. But he has not progressed, and rather has regressed. Like I said, I can forgive the INTs if he's firing strikes otherwise, but he's not. He doesn't look the same at all, and if I didn't know who he was I'd probably be saying that this guy sucks. I haven't seen a guy regress this badly in awhile.
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