These players are really out of their minds.
Seriously.
I truly believe most of them have no understanding of anything that goes on in the world. I'm going to destroy 4 people on here today. Adrian Peterson, Rashard Mendenhall, Leonard Weaver, and Kevin Mawae.
Adrian Peterson-
You've probably heard his idiotic remark by now. "The NFL...well it's pretty much modern day slavery.". NO YOU IDIOT!! MODERN DAY SLAVERY?! There is an estimated 1.2 million people who would take offense to that, Adrian. 1.2 million...hmmm what could that number represent? Can't be the players...no there are only 1,900 of them. The owners? No...only 32. Hummm...OH! I KNOW!! That's the number of TRUE modern day slaves. You know...those people who will never in their lifetime know what you said...because...they're you know...slaves.
All the way back to the Maurice Clarett case when ESPN was talking about you possibly being the first HS player drafted if he won the case, you understood the rules and regulations of the NFL. That was your desired career choice. I'm sure people idolized you back then. I'm sure people idolize you now. All the glory and fame and wealth you've accumulated. It must be nice to go home to the land YOU own. In the car YOU own. And have time off. And not be forced to work every single day without pay. Oh that's right. You get paid. Let's see how much modern slavery gets paid.
In 2011, if there's football (there may not be thanks to clowns like AP) Adrian Peterson, Zigy Wylf's slave, will be paid $10.2 Million. TEN MILLION, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. Let's put this into perspective. Say someone works for the federal minimum wage, $7.25. That is $7.25 an hour MORE than slaves got. Let's say the worked 40 hours a week for all 52 weeks. No vacations, no sick days. That comes out to $15,080. Now lets take AP's salary and divide it by what someone who makes minimum wage makes in a year. What does that come to??? 676.39 years. It will take someone making minimum wage SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY SIX POINT THREE NINE YEARS to make what he makes in ONE! Hey! Being a slave sounds pretty awesome! Oh and what happens when they become ill? Their employer takes money out of their pocket and pays for healthcare, just like the NFL right? Nope AP, sorry we're in the real world here. Most people don't get to play a childrens game for a living.
Rashard Mendenhall-
Now, it's one thing for AP to speak out of frustration (even though he said it twice and hasn't gone back on his word). It's another thing to blindly follow another players ignorant words and back them up even though the majority of people think he's an idiot for saying them. In the wise words of Rashard Mendenhall, "Learn to LISTEN before passing judgement." And then he goes and blindly agrees with AP, continuing to trivialize a horrific practice that still goes on TO THIS DAY.
This in itself is worse in a way than what AP said. Mendenhall had the time to think about the reaction. He saw how negatively it was taken and he could have drawn better parallels than slavery for the point he and AP were trying to make (I'll explain that later). Let's look at how much this slave makes (working for literally the most player friendly/civil rights friendly owner in the whole league). He doesn't make as much as AP. Oh god...how is he going to live off of...$3 Million a year..? Well put it this way...if he took a minimum wage job, he would have to work for 198.94 years to make what he makes in a year.
Leonard Weaver-
Now I have to admit, he redeemed himself just minutes before I started writing this. He publicly said he watched the clip of him agreeing to the other two players, I mean slaves...sorry...for some reason I keep thinking they play a childrens game for a living. Right, they're slaves. Sorry. He said publicly that he watched the video of him saying the NFL was like slavery made him embarrassed. He still claimed that the NFL was unfair...blah blah blah. I'll get to that after I break down this slave's contract. Wait...I thought the slave was supposed to have no rights...how can slaves sign a contract...
He makes slightly more than Mendenhall (I guess his Masta is better!!). $3.3 Million. Pssssssshhhh...that's nothing! Unless you're working for minimum wage. Then that's 218.83 years to you.
But okay, I can see you guys saying, "oh that's not fair nobody makes minimum wage for their entire life". Fair point, let's use $70,000 a year. You can live comfortably with that.
AP-145.71 years at $70K
Mendenhall-42.86 years (might not sound like a lot, but he'd be able to retire after one year living on $70K per year)
Waver-45.71 (play a year on his plantation--football field--sorry...and you'll have worked 45.71 years in the shoes of a person making $70K)
(I'll rip on Mawae after this--stay tuned)
To be fair, let me explain to you why these guys think the NFL is like modern day slavery since their free education at esteemed universities didn't teach them how to articulate thoughts without resorting to buzz words in attempt to garner sympathy.
-The NFL Draft-This is the biggest one. The players fell that in order to play in the NFL, they are unfairly put on teams without their control. While this is true, there are several ways to circumvent this. First, nobody is forcing you to play football, or even NFL football. There's the CFL, UFL (though you may not even get a check...just ask last year's champs), AFL, afl2. It was the player's choice to pursue this career path. But let's assume that the player has his heart set on playing football and can't go into ANY OTHER career field. What do they do then? Make it clear you don't want to play for certain teams. Eli Manning did this in 2004, John Elway did this. To be fair, technically speaking the draft IS illegal without the CBA, but it is something that helps the league stay competitive. Without it, the league would have a few good teams and the rest garbage. Part of the reason the game is a $9 Billion industry is the fact that come week 1, teams are all 0-0 and teams all have a chance to improve thanks to the draft.
-The Combine-This is often compared to slave auctions. A bunch of scary rich old white men make a bunch of young black men (of course a lot of them are white too, but for argument's sake on their part, it's only blacks) run around in their underwear, get poked and prodded by doctors and take a test. There are a few things wrong with the theory. First off, the combine is VOLUNTARY. If you don't want to get poked and prodded and run and jump and lift weights and get a physical, you don't have to. It only helps you to do it though. See when slaves were auctioned off, the best ones were taken by the richest people and if you couldn't work, you were usually killed (yes...it was legal to kill slaves in some places). The combine HELPS these people make MILLIONS. And do you blame the owners for wanting these multi-million dollar investments to be inspected?? There's no insurance for them when they sink money into prospects who are huge busts (JaMarcus Russell??). Most of these guys have tons of money GUARNATEED. Those awful owners...wanting to make smart investments HOW DARE THEM.
-Racial remarks said by owners/coaches-This one is laughable at best. If those stories are true, then that only means one thing, the individual who said it is an asshole. It doesn't mean that the league itself is full of racist people and they're trying to oppress the blacks and make money off of them and leave them with nothing. The opposite is true.
Finally, Kevin Mawae-
He's not nearly as much of an idiot as the other 3 I mentioned. He technically IS doing his job the way it should be done. It doesn't mean he can't be wrong.
Kevin Mawae was quoted as saying that some of the players won't be able to afford insurance for the lockout. He quoted the price of about $2,400 a family a month for insurance. Okay, Kevin, let's use that number. How about we also use these numbers. League rookie minimum salary? $325K. So for the LOWEST PAID PLAYER IN THE NFL, he HAS TO MAKE $325K. But what about the league average salary?? What's the league average?!?! Surely it HAS to be HORRIBLY LOW!! Well just BASE SALARY (not including signing/incentive bonuses)?? $990,000 (this is the 2009 number, 2010 may be higher). Okay so let's look at this.
1 year of insurance at $2,400 a month/family= $28,800
Amount of insurance an NFL player can buy with 1 year worth of salary at NFL minimum= 11.28 years...for a player who likely didn't contribute much of ANYTHING to the game of football.
Amount of insurance an NFL player who makes the league average can buy after one year of work=35.36 years.
Each insurance payment for the mimumum salaried players is 1/135.42nd of their total annual salary.
Each insurance payment for the average player is 1/412.5th of their annual salary.
Those poor, awful players.
Now look, I don't have a problem with the players trying to get more. It's America and they have EVERY RIGHT to try and maximize their income. My problem is when they try to tug at the emotions of the public. How about they stop for one second and think about this:
The more they make, the more (some) owners have made, which means the more the league has made, which means the more YOU AND ME AND EVERY OTHER FAN HAS PAID OUT OF OUR SALARY THAT MIGHT NOT EVEN TOUCH WHAT THE NFL PLAYERS GET IN A SIGNING BONUS. By the players sobbing and wanting more, it's only going to drive up prices for EVERYTHING. Keep siding with the players, people.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
NFL Labor Dispute 2.0
I haven't written about this in a while, but I feel I should. I'll start with a brief summary of what's going on then get into my usual rant. The NFL and NFLPA*(technically a trade association now) can't agree on squat. Why not?
Well it goes back to 2006. The late Gene Upshaw and the now retired Paul Tagliabue agreed on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. One of the stipulations of the agreement was a change to the way the salary cap worked. Under the previous agreement, the players received 64.5% of all SHARED revenue. Shared revenue is the revenue received from TV deals, league wide ads, licensing agreements, ect. The new deal shaved about $1 Billion off of the $9 Billion pot for the owners to split evenly to use towards capital investment. The rest of the $8 Billion was split 57% players 43% owners. The problem arises from the fact that the number now includes both shared and unshared revenue instead of just shared. Why is that a problem?
Unshared revenue is different for each team. A team like Jacksonville may have a much smaller unshared revenue than the Cowboys, yet they must allocate the same am out of money to the players. The current system is unsustainable to certain teams. The owners need to change this and in order to do so, they need to take some from the players. In 2008, the owners opted out of the CBA for after the 2010 season claiming that the current model is unsustainable. The players responded with this statement: show us your books.
Understandably, the owners didn't feel the need to release every single financial document to the players. What is intriguing though is that the Packers are publicly owned. This means that by law they HAVE to open their books. What came wasn't surprising. They had record revenue, but also low profits. The season before the new CBA, they realized profits of close to $40 Million. This number dwindled. 2008-2009 profits were $20 million. 2009-2010 profits were $9 million. What's going on? Well to see that, we have to go to the player costs. In the same time span, costs have gone from around $110 million to $150 million. Still this evidence wasn't enough. The players demanded to see more. Even after the NFL gave an unprecedented amount of financial data to a 3rd party financial auditor and gave the NFLPA an offer that included several concessions, the NFLPA chose to stop negotiating and decertify.
What is decertification and why is it such a big deal? Decertification is the union ceasing to exist. This is significant because the NFL is protected from antitrust lawsuits because of the union. Because there is no union, they players can now sue the NFL under antitrust law. The NFL is countering that by locking the players out, and submitting a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board claiming the NFLPA was not negotiating in good faith and that the decertification is a sham to gain leverage. This all culminates to an April 6th hearing. If the players win, the lockout could be lifted. There would be football under the last rules while the two sides fight in court. This outcome sounds appealing, but it may drastically change the game. The other outcome would be the union forced to come back to the negotiating table. This will delay things from getting done but would most likely end in a new CBA deal.
Now after that "brief" explanation...on to my rant. Many people think that the players "deserve" everything they get. They deserve more money because they bring in the money. People forget a fundamental detail here. The owners invest their capital. They spend their money on the logos, stadium, marketing, practice facility, transportation, coaching staff, grounds crew, training staff, front office guys, weight room, security, insurance, player pension, player healthcare, retired player pensions and healthcare, scouts, equipment, water boys, taxes...the list goes on. Now remember...this comes out of the OWNER'S pocket.
Without the things above...there is no football. Without the owners providing these things and giving the players a forum to display their talents, they would be really athletic guys working normal jobs. People forget this. They say "the players are partners! Without them there is no football". That's only half true. Sure without them there is no football, but without employees at any job there is no product. But they are not partners. Partners share a financial risk if the company tanks. If a team folds, the players aren't going to help the owner pay his debt. That's all on him.
I'm not saying don't pay the players or that they don't deserve anything or that they don't sacrifice their bodies. They do deserve to be compensated and they do sacrifice their bodies. My point is they don't share the financial risks that the owners do. I don't think it's right to tell the owners, the guys who fun the league, how to spend their money. The player's sense of entitlement needs to stop. The owners have demonstrated a need for reform and the players have given them stubbornness. If the players were really "partners" they would understand this and help the owners out. Instead they're suing them.
Well it goes back to 2006. The late Gene Upshaw and the now retired Paul Tagliabue agreed on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. One of the stipulations of the agreement was a change to the way the salary cap worked. Under the previous agreement, the players received 64.5% of all SHARED revenue. Shared revenue is the revenue received from TV deals, league wide ads, licensing agreements, ect. The new deal shaved about $1 Billion off of the $9 Billion pot for the owners to split evenly to use towards capital investment. The rest of the $8 Billion was split 57% players 43% owners. The problem arises from the fact that the number now includes both shared and unshared revenue instead of just shared. Why is that a problem?
Unshared revenue is different for each team. A team like Jacksonville may have a much smaller unshared revenue than the Cowboys, yet they must allocate the same am out of money to the players. The current system is unsustainable to certain teams. The owners need to change this and in order to do so, they need to take some from the players. In 2008, the owners opted out of the CBA for after the 2010 season claiming that the current model is unsustainable. The players responded with this statement: show us your books.
Understandably, the owners didn't feel the need to release every single financial document to the players. What is intriguing though is that the Packers are publicly owned. This means that by law they HAVE to open their books. What came wasn't surprising. They had record revenue, but also low profits. The season before the new CBA, they realized profits of close to $40 Million. This number dwindled. 2008-2009 profits were $20 million. 2009-2010 profits were $9 million. What's going on? Well to see that, we have to go to the player costs. In the same time span, costs have gone from around $110 million to $150 million. Still this evidence wasn't enough. The players demanded to see more. Even after the NFL gave an unprecedented amount of financial data to a 3rd party financial auditor and gave the NFLPA an offer that included several concessions, the NFLPA chose to stop negotiating and decertify.
What is decertification and why is it such a big deal? Decertification is the union ceasing to exist. This is significant because the NFL is protected from antitrust lawsuits because of the union. Because there is no union, they players can now sue the NFL under antitrust law. The NFL is countering that by locking the players out, and submitting a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board claiming the NFLPA was not negotiating in good faith and that the decertification is a sham to gain leverage. This all culminates to an April 6th hearing. If the players win, the lockout could be lifted. There would be football under the last rules while the two sides fight in court. This outcome sounds appealing, but it may drastically change the game. The other outcome would be the union forced to come back to the negotiating table. This will delay things from getting done but would most likely end in a new CBA deal.
Now after that "brief" explanation...on to my rant. Many people think that the players "deserve" everything they get. They deserve more money because they bring in the money. People forget a fundamental detail here. The owners invest their capital. They spend their money on the logos, stadium, marketing, practice facility, transportation, coaching staff, grounds crew, training staff, front office guys, weight room, security, insurance, player pension, player healthcare, retired player pensions and healthcare, scouts, equipment, water boys, taxes...the list goes on. Now remember...this comes out of the OWNER'S pocket.
Without the things above...there is no football. Without the owners providing these things and giving the players a forum to display their talents, they would be really athletic guys working normal jobs. People forget this. They say "the players are partners! Without them there is no football". That's only half true. Sure without them there is no football, but without employees at any job there is no product. But they are not partners. Partners share a financial risk if the company tanks. If a team folds, the players aren't going to help the owner pay his debt. That's all on him.
I'm not saying don't pay the players or that they don't deserve anything or that they don't sacrifice their bodies. They do deserve to be compensated and they do sacrifice their bodies. My point is they don't share the financial risks that the owners do. I don't think it's right to tell the owners, the guys who fun the league, how to spend their money. The player's sense of entitlement needs to stop. The owners have demonstrated a need for reform and the players have given them stubbornness. If the players were really "partners" they would understand this and help the owners out. Instead they're suing them.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
What's the deal with Eli Manning???
Seriously? What's the deal? I think most people would agree that Eli has the potential of being a top 10 QB. Sometimes he plays like it, others he plays like a bottom 10 QB. Last year he had 31 TDs, which is one of the best but also 25 INTs which was good for dead last in the NFL. It got me thinking...why is that? Is it the receivers or is it him? Well, let's do something unprecedented on DFFPMO and let's look at the game tape. Every multi-INT game Eli had as well as a couple other plays will be dissected here.
Panthers @ Giants Week 1
@ 0:11 Eli Manning is going deep for Hakeem Nicks. With Nicks wide open, Eli airs the ball out and misses high. Yes, technically the ball did hit Nicks in the hands, but to call that ball catchable is a stretch.
Giants @ Indy Week 2
@1:04 Eli has Smith deep. The ball is a hair underthrown and it was picked off. Bad throw by Eli.
Titans @ Giants Week 3
@ 0:04 This is an example of Eli having bad luck. He makes a great read, hits Nicks in the chest and Nicks can't be blamed for it. 100% on Nicks.
@ 0:15 Now if Eli just had the above INT, nobody would be able to fault him. That's not the case. If there was ever an audition for taking over for Brett Favre, this would win it. No room in football for that kind of improvisation unless you truly have the talent to do it.
Giants vs Texans Week 5
Here are both of Eli's interceptions vs the Texans. Both of them, Eli has pressure in his face and the DBs jump the routes.
Giants @ Dallas Week 7
@ 0:08 Here is example number 2 of tipped balls resulting in an INT. This ball was a bit high, but I think in this situation the receiver is to blame for the drop/INT.
@ 0:38 Eli again sails a ball high. This one seems less catchable than the first one. Still I'd say this one is more 50/50 down the middle.
Giants vs Dallas Week 10
@ 0:33 In the redzone, against a Cowboy's defense without Terrance Newman OR Mike Jenkins, Eli decides to go inside on an inside curl. McCann intercepts Eli and it turns into a quick TD. Terrible read.
@ 4:30 Eli throws late and behind over the middle. The receiver had to come back for the ball, and the Cowboys DB was able to make a break on the ball. Easy INT.
Eagles vs Giants week 11
@ 0:24-Eli Manning looking for Nicks on the right side of the field. He telegraphs where the ball is going to be and Samuel easily intercepts the ball.
@ 3:30-Eli makes the right read here, but a horrible throw. Eli is going deep for Hagan but grossly underthrows him. Hagan has to go back and leave his feet for the ball and it is deflected into the hands of Samuel.
Redskins @ Giants Week 13
@2:06 Eli has pressure in his face and heaves a ball into the endzone. London Fletcher drops back into coverage and makes a nice play on the ball. Eli should not have blindly thrown that ball.
Giants @ Vikings Week 14
@ 0:10 Eli is looking for the deep post and underthrows his man. The DB has inside coverage and easily broke on the route to pick the ball off.
@ 0:47 Bad ball by Eli again, throws it right to Asher Allen.
Giants @ Packers Week 16
@ :33 maybe Nicks did continue his route when Manning thought he would stop, very possible.
@ 3:58 you can't make any excuses that's on Eli
@ 4:49 he floated that ball up...totally on Eli
Giants @ Redskins Week 17
@ 0:40 Eli gets picked on a horrible play by the WR. The pass was there for the WR, but he couldn't hang on. Definitely NOT on Eli.
So there are 19 of Eli's 25 interceptions. Of those 19, 2 were 100% not Eli's fault. If you want to use excuses like "he wasn't working with his normal WRs", all but one of them was intended for either Boss, Nicks, Manningham, or Smith. So really the question is why was Eli off so badly this season? That's a good question. He was sacked just 16 times this year, down from 30 in 2009. He also was with the same WRs as last year. Yes some of them missed large amounts of time, but Nicks was over 1,000 yards this year. Something happened to Eli. What do you think happened?
Panthers @ Giants Week 1
@ 0:11 Eli Manning is going deep for Hakeem Nicks. With Nicks wide open, Eli airs the ball out and misses high. Yes, technically the ball did hit Nicks in the hands, but to call that ball catchable is a stretch.
Giants @ Indy Week 2
@1:04 Eli has Smith deep. The ball is a hair underthrown and it was picked off. Bad throw by Eli.
Titans @ Giants Week 3
@ 0:04 This is an example of Eli having bad luck. He makes a great read, hits Nicks in the chest and Nicks can't be blamed for it. 100% on Nicks.
@ 0:15 Now if Eli just had the above INT, nobody would be able to fault him. That's not the case. If there was ever an audition for taking over for Brett Favre, this would win it. No room in football for that kind of improvisation unless you truly have the talent to do it.
Giants vs Texans Week 5
Here are both of Eli's interceptions vs the Texans. Both of them, Eli has pressure in his face and the DBs jump the routes.
Giants @ Dallas Week 7
@ 0:08 Here is example number 2 of tipped balls resulting in an INT. This ball was a bit high, but I think in this situation the receiver is to blame for the drop/INT.
@ 0:38 Eli again sails a ball high. This one seems less catchable than the first one. Still I'd say this one is more 50/50 down the middle.
Giants vs Dallas Week 10
@ 0:33 In the redzone, against a Cowboy's defense without Terrance Newman OR Mike Jenkins, Eli decides to go inside on an inside curl. McCann intercepts Eli and it turns into a quick TD. Terrible read.
@ 4:30 Eli throws late and behind over the middle. The receiver had to come back for the ball, and the Cowboys DB was able to make a break on the ball. Easy INT.
Eagles vs Giants week 11
@ 0:24-Eli Manning looking for Nicks on the right side of the field. He telegraphs where the ball is going to be and Samuel easily intercepts the ball.
@ 3:30-Eli makes the right read here, but a horrible throw. Eli is going deep for Hagan but grossly underthrows him. Hagan has to go back and leave his feet for the ball and it is deflected into the hands of Samuel.
Redskins @ Giants Week 13
@2:06 Eli has pressure in his face and heaves a ball into the endzone. London Fletcher drops back into coverage and makes a nice play on the ball. Eli should not have blindly thrown that ball.
Giants @ Vikings Week 14
@ 0:10 Eli is looking for the deep post and underthrows his man. The DB has inside coverage and easily broke on the route to pick the ball off.
@ 0:47 Bad ball by Eli again, throws it right to Asher Allen.
Giants @ Packers Week 16
@ :33 maybe Nicks did continue his route when Manning thought he would stop, very possible.
@ 3:58 you can't make any excuses that's on Eli
@ 4:49 he floated that ball up...totally on Eli
Giants @ Redskins Week 17
@ 0:40 Eli gets picked on a horrible play by the WR. The pass was there for the WR, but he couldn't hang on. Definitely NOT on Eli.
So there are 19 of Eli's 25 interceptions. Of those 19, 2 were 100% not Eli's fault. If you want to use excuses like "he wasn't working with his normal WRs", all but one of them was intended for either Boss, Nicks, Manningham, or Smith. So really the question is why was Eli off so badly this season? That's a good question. He was sacked just 16 times this year, down from 30 in 2009. He also was with the same WRs as last year. Yes some of them missed large amounts of time, but Nicks was over 1,000 yards this year. Something happened to Eli. What do you think happened?
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
2011 Mock Draft Picks 11-20
11. Houston Texans
Offense
The Houston Texans boasted an impressive offense like always last year. Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson made fantasy owners pretty happy last year. Arian Foster was the surprise of the year and joined Priest Holmes as one of the best undrafted RBs in the history of the league. The offense was not the problem.
Defense
The Texans fielded an embarrassing defense last year, which contributed to their horrible rankings. Mario Williams and Brian Cushing are the two defensive starters who made the biggest impact. The Texans desperately need pass defense help and they may need to reach here.
This is why Houston will select...
Brandon Harris, CB-Miami
The Texans need DB help and fast. Harris can help mitigate the problems that plagued the Texans last year. Case in point: the game vs the Jets.
12. Minnesota Vikings
Offense
The Vikings were average on offense last year. Quarterback Brett Favre seemed to be ineffective and was a large reason the Vikings were so bad last year. He wasn't the only problem, though. Reciever Sidney Rice and Tight End Visanthe Shiancoe were non factors for most of the season as well. The loss of Chester Taylor helped to slightly diminish the effectiveness of Adrian Peterson.
Defense
The Vikings pass defense suffered for much of last year with young DBs manning the secondary. The pass rush came to life the second half of the year, but it wasn't enough as the Vikings had a sub-par year. Ray Edwards is likely leaving in free agency which will hurt the Vikes.
This is why Minnesota will select...
J.J. Watt, DE-Wisconsin
The Vikings usually have a good defensive front and with the loss of perhaps one member of the Williams Wall and Ray Edwards, the Vikings are in the market for some DL help. The secondary needs help too, but a good pass rush will help that.
13. Detroit Lions
Offense
The Lions showed some glimmers of hope this past season. If quarterback Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, the Lions offense may be a dominating force. It's amazing what a couple years without Matt Millen can do to your team.
Defense
The Lions have improved on defense as well. The once porous defense has fixed some of it's holes and is becoming more of a solid unit. Still, the pass defense is hurting.
This is why Detroit will select...
Jimmy Smith, CB-Colorado
Good pick for the Lions if they can get it. With the front 7 playing well, a good secondary will make this defense become a top 10 unit.
14. St. Louis Rams
Offense
The Rams exceeded expectations in 2010. Led by rookie QB Sam Bradford, the Rams were contenders for the NFC West title. The Rams have the least know star in all of sports, Stephen Jackson, at running back and he is able to put up good numbers year after year. The WRs are a problem for STL, however.
Defense
The Rams front few are a solid group. The secondary is lacking a bit, especially after OJ Atogwe left for Washington. The problem is the safety class is extremely weak this year and taking one at 14 is more than a reach.
This is why St. Louis Rams will select...
Torrey Smith, WR-Maryland
This pick will help St. Louis offensively. Bradford lacked weapons most of the year. Smith will help shore up this group.
15. Miami Dolphins
Offense
The Dolphins sputtered on offense last year. The running game couldn't get going, Chad Henne was mediocre at best, and Brandon Marshall was disappointing to say the least. The offensive line continued to play well, however.
Defense
On defense, Cameron Wake was a surprised to most people outside of Miami. The OLB racked up sacks and was in the running for defensive player of the year. The secondary, however, was much more suspect. Benny Sapp was the only player for Miami to intercept more than one ball. He only had 2 interceptions. But the talent well has been sucked dry for defensive backs this early, so look for Miami to go elsewhere.
This is why Miami will select...
Mark Ingram, RB-Alabama
Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams may BOTH be shown the door. Neither had a particularly impressive season. Look for Miami to move on.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars
Offense
Maurice Jones-Drew had another impressive year, but the Jaguars are lacking some top players. QB is a big question mark for Jax as well as WR. Mike Simms Walker was disappointing and David Garrard has been less than stellar.
Defense
The Jaguars need some upgrades on defense. The DBs weren't terrible, but the DL was very average. The Jags had one of the bottom defenses.
This is why Jacksonville will select...
Aldon Smith, DE-Missouri
The Jags need a pass rusher to compliment Aaron Kampman and give them a nice ROI on him. If Kampman can stay healthy, the Jags will have a nice front 4.
17. New England Patriots
Offense
Tom Brady led one of the most ridiculously precise offenses I've ever seen. Throwing only 4 interceptions in 16 games is unheard of. The Pats do lack a full time running back, but BenJarvis Green Ellis is more than serviceable. The receivers are pretty solid as well.
Defense
The Patriots have a young defense. They create lots of turnovers but also give up yardage. The Patriots benefited a lot from this aggressive group of young guys.
This is why New England will select...
Anthony Castonzo, OT-Boston College
The Patriots don't have too many holes, but their offensive tackles are getting up there in age. This is a great opportunity for the Patriots to stockpile a quality offensive tackle.
18. San Diego Chargers
Offense
Philip Rivers continued to make something out of nothing last year. Whatever receivers were given to him, he utilized. Ryan Matthews was a very solid RB and the line held up relatively well.
Defense
The Chargers were one of the better defenses as well last year. If there was a hole that needed to be addressed it would be along the defensive line.
This is why San Diego will select...
Phil Taylor, DT/DE-Baylor
The Chargers will be able to use him for run support and is a good, big body to use in the 3-4.
19. New York Giants
Offense
Please don't kill me for saying this, Giants fans. The fact that you were 10-6 was nothing short of a miracle. Eli Manning had one of the worst seasons of his career tossing tons of INTs. Eli never had time to throw and the WRs, often young and inexperienced, dropped several catchable balls. Some of those drops even turned into interceptions.
Defense
The Giants have plenty of depth here, the problem is staying healthy. The Giants do need a LB, but this class is very weak at that position.
This is why New York will select...
Nate Solder, OT-Colorado
The Giants will get immediate dividends from this pick. Solder is versatile and is an extremely hard working player. He fits the mold of a traditional New York Giant lineman and will be a solid contributor.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Offense
Josh Freeman was a surprise for the Bucs as he was a top contributor. He helped lead the Bucs along with Mike Williams, LeGarrett Blount, and Kellen Winslow Jr. These players create a solid core of players who will be around for years to come in Tampa.
Defense
Geno Hayes and Barrett Ruud were both solid contributors and Aqib Talib led a secondary that forced 19 interceptions in 2010. With rookie Gerald McCoy playing well, this defense looks good as well.
This is why Tampa will take...
Justin Houston, DE/OLB-Georgia
The Bucs have a solid defense, but need more explosive pass rushers. The Bucs will benefit from a player like Houston and he can even help make the secondary stronger.
Offense
The Houston Texans boasted an impressive offense like always last year. Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson made fantasy owners pretty happy last year. Arian Foster was the surprise of the year and joined Priest Holmes as one of the best undrafted RBs in the history of the league. The offense was not the problem.
Defense
The Texans fielded an embarrassing defense last year, which contributed to their horrible rankings. Mario Williams and Brian Cushing are the two defensive starters who made the biggest impact. The Texans desperately need pass defense help and they may need to reach here.
This is why Houston will select...
Brandon Harris, CB-Miami
The Texans need DB help and fast. Harris can help mitigate the problems that plagued the Texans last year. Case in point: the game vs the Jets.
12. Minnesota Vikings
Offense
The Vikings were average on offense last year. Quarterback Brett Favre seemed to be ineffective and was a large reason the Vikings were so bad last year. He wasn't the only problem, though. Reciever Sidney Rice and Tight End Visanthe Shiancoe were non factors for most of the season as well. The loss of Chester Taylor helped to slightly diminish the effectiveness of Adrian Peterson.
Defense
The Vikings pass defense suffered for much of last year with young DBs manning the secondary. The pass rush came to life the second half of the year, but it wasn't enough as the Vikings had a sub-par year. Ray Edwards is likely leaving in free agency which will hurt the Vikes.
This is why Minnesota will select...
J.J. Watt, DE-Wisconsin
The Vikings usually have a good defensive front and with the loss of perhaps one member of the Williams Wall and Ray Edwards, the Vikings are in the market for some DL help. The secondary needs help too, but a good pass rush will help that.
13. Detroit Lions
Offense
The Lions showed some glimmers of hope this past season. If quarterback Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, the Lions offense may be a dominating force. It's amazing what a couple years without Matt Millen can do to your team.
Defense
The Lions have improved on defense as well. The once porous defense has fixed some of it's holes and is becoming more of a solid unit. Still, the pass defense is hurting.
This is why Detroit will select...
Jimmy Smith, CB-Colorado
Good pick for the Lions if they can get it. With the front 7 playing well, a good secondary will make this defense become a top 10 unit.
14. St. Louis Rams
Offense
The Rams exceeded expectations in 2010. Led by rookie QB Sam Bradford, the Rams were contenders for the NFC West title. The Rams have the least know star in all of sports, Stephen Jackson, at running back and he is able to put up good numbers year after year. The WRs are a problem for STL, however.
Defense
The Rams front few are a solid group. The secondary is lacking a bit, especially after OJ Atogwe left for Washington. The problem is the safety class is extremely weak this year and taking one at 14 is more than a reach.
This is why St. Louis Rams will select...
Torrey Smith, WR-Maryland
This pick will help St. Louis offensively. Bradford lacked weapons most of the year. Smith will help shore up this group.
15. Miami Dolphins
Offense
The Dolphins sputtered on offense last year. The running game couldn't get going, Chad Henne was mediocre at best, and Brandon Marshall was disappointing to say the least. The offensive line continued to play well, however.
Defense
On defense, Cameron Wake was a surprised to most people outside of Miami. The OLB racked up sacks and was in the running for defensive player of the year. The secondary, however, was much more suspect. Benny Sapp was the only player for Miami to intercept more than one ball. He only had 2 interceptions. But the talent well has been sucked dry for defensive backs this early, so look for Miami to go elsewhere.
This is why Miami will select...
Mark Ingram, RB-Alabama
Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams may BOTH be shown the door. Neither had a particularly impressive season. Look for Miami to move on.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars
Offense
Maurice Jones-Drew had another impressive year, but the Jaguars are lacking some top players. QB is a big question mark for Jax as well as WR. Mike Simms Walker was disappointing and David Garrard has been less than stellar.
Defense
The Jaguars need some upgrades on defense. The DBs weren't terrible, but the DL was very average. The Jags had one of the bottom defenses.
This is why Jacksonville will select...
Aldon Smith, DE-Missouri
The Jags need a pass rusher to compliment Aaron Kampman and give them a nice ROI on him. If Kampman can stay healthy, the Jags will have a nice front 4.
17. New England Patriots
Offense
Tom Brady led one of the most ridiculously precise offenses I've ever seen. Throwing only 4 interceptions in 16 games is unheard of. The Pats do lack a full time running back, but BenJarvis Green Ellis is more than serviceable. The receivers are pretty solid as well.
Defense
The Patriots have a young defense. They create lots of turnovers but also give up yardage. The Patriots benefited a lot from this aggressive group of young guys.
This is why New England will select...
Anthony Castonzo, OT-Boston College
The Patriots don't have too many holes, but their offensive tackles are getting up there in age. This is a great opportunity for the Patriots to stockpile a quality offensive tackle.
18. San Diego Chargers
Offense
Philip Rivers continued to make something out of nothing last year. Whatever receivers were given to him, he utilized. Ryan Matthews was a very solid RB and the line held up relatively well.
Defense
The Chargers were one of the better defenses as well last year. If there was a hole that needed to be addressed it would be along the defensive line.
This is why San Diego will select...
Phil Taylor, DT/DE-Baylor
The Chargers will be able to use him for run support and is a good, big body to use in the 3-4.
19. New York Giants
Offense
Please don't kill me for saying this, Giants fans. The fact that you were 10-6 was nothing short of a miracle. Eli Manning had one of the worst seasons of his career tossing tons of INTs. Eli never had time to throw and the WRs, often young and inexperienced, dropped several catchable balls. Some of those drops even turned into interceptions.
Defense
The Giants have plenty of depth here, the problem is staying healthy. The Giants do need a LB, but this class is very weak at that position.
This is why New York will select...
Nate Solder, OT-Colorado
The Giants will get immediate dividends from this pick. Solder is versatile and is an extremely hard working player. He fits the mold of a traditional New York Giant lineman and will be a solid contributor.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Offense
Josh Freeman was a surprise for the Bucs as he was a top contributor. He helped lead the Bucs along with Mike Williams, LeGarrett Blount, and Kellen Winslow Jr. These players create a solid core of players who will be around for years to come in Tampa.
Defense
Geno Hayes and Barrett Ruud were both solid contributors and Aqib Talib led a secondary that forced 19 interceptions in 2010. With rookie Gerald McCoy playing well, this defense looks good as well.
This is why Tampa will take...
Justin Houston, DE/OLB-Georgia
The Bucs have a solid defense, but need more explosive pass rushers. The Bucs will benefit from a player like Houston and he can even help make the secondary stronger.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Top 10 QBs?
There's plenty of debate over who should be in the top 10 for QBs. As you guys know by now, I don't go by unquantifiable gauges such as heart, passion, leadership, clutch ability, ect. I feel that those things are all 2nd to production. I am going to rank QBs in each category, there are no parameters to who is in each top 10 other than the QB needs at least 10 starts. I will total the rankings for each player and conclude who the top 10 statistical QBs are.
TD Passes/game
1. Tom Brady-2.25
2. Drew Brees-2.06
2. Peyton Manning-2.06
4. Eli Manning-1.94
5. Philip Rivers-1.88
6. Aaron Rodgers-1.88
7. Matt Cassel-1.80
8. Ryan Fitzpatrick-1.77
9. Matt Ryan-1.75
9. Michael Vick-1.75
% of attempted passes that were TDs
1.Tom Brady-7.3%
2. David Garrard-6.3%
3. Matt Cassell-6.0%
4. Aaron Rodgers-5.9%
5. Eli Manning-5.8%
6. Michael Vick-5.6%
7. Philip Rivers-5.5%
8. Jay Cutler-5.3%
8. Josh Freeman-5.3%
10. Ryan Fitzpatrick-5.2%
Yards/Game
1. Philip Rivers-294.4
2. Peyton Manning-293.8
3. Drew Brees-288.8
4. Kyle Orton-281.0
5. Matt Schaub-273.1
6. Ben Roethlisberger-266.7
7. Aaron Rodgers-261.5
8. Donovan McNabb-259.8
9. Michael Vick-251.5
10. Eli Manning-250.1
Completion %
1. Drew Brees-68.1%
2. Peyton Manning-66.3%
3. Philip Rivers-66.0%
4. Tom Brady-65.9%
5. Aaron Rodgers-65.7%
6. David Garrard-64.5%
7. Matt Schaub-63.6%
8. Eli Manning-62.9%
9. Joe Flacco-62.6%
10. Michael Vick-62.6%
INT/Game
1. Tom Brady-0.25
2. Josh Freeman-0.38
3. Ben Roethlisberger-0.42
4. Matt Cassel-0.47
5. Michael Vick-0.50
6. Matt Ryan-.56
7. Aaron Rodgers-0.60
8. Joe Flacco-0.62
9. Jason Campbell-0.67
10. Kyle Orton-0.69
Yards/Comp
1. Ben Roethlisberger-13.3
2. Philip Rivers-13.2
3. Michael Vick-13.0
4. Aaron Rodgers-12.6
5. Jay Cutler-12.5
5. Kyle Orton-12.5
7. Jason Campbell-12.3
7. Donovan McNabb-12.3
9. Matt Schaub-12.0
9. Tom Brady-12.0
Adjusted Ranks--Final top 10 list for 2010-2011
1. Tom Brady
2. Philip Rivers
3. Drew Brees
3. Peyton Manning
5. Ben Roethlisberger
6. Aaron Rodgers
7. Michael Vick
8. Matt Cassel
9. Eli Manning
10. Kyle Orton
These rankings were created by taking into account the QBs rankings per list as well as the number of times the QB was ranked. Rankings were given by means of consistency. The more a QB appeared, the higher the QB was listed as well as the better the QB was the higher they were listed. Aaron Rodgers appeared on every list, he was 6th because he was never in the top of any of the lists. Brees and Manning only appeared on 3 lists, but they were on the top of those 3, hence why they are ranked higher.
TD Passes/game
1. Tom Brady-2.25
2. Drew Brees-2.06
2. Peyton Manning-2.06
4. Eli Manning-1.94
5. Philip Rivers-1.88
6. Aaron Rodgers-1.88
7. Matt Cassel-1.80
8. Ryan Fitzpatrick-1.77
9. Matt Ryan-1.75
9. Michael Vick-1.75
% of attempted passes that were TDs
1.Tom Brady-7.3%
2. David Garrard-6.3%
3. Matt Cassell-6.0%
4. Aaron Rodgers-5.9%
5. Eli Manning-5.8%
6. Michael Vick-5.6%
7. Philip Rivers-5.5%
8. Jay Cutler-5.3%
8. Josh Freeman-5.3%
10. Ryan Fitzpatrick-5.2%
Yards/Game
1. Philip Rivers-294.4
2. Peyton Manning-293.8
3. Drew Brees-288.8
4. Kyle Orton-281.0
5. Matt Schaub-273.1
6. Ben Roethlisberger-266.7
7. Aaron Rodgers-261.5
8. Donovan McNabb-259.8
9. Michael Vick-251.5
10. Eli Manning-250.1
Completion %
1. Drew Brees-68.1%
2. Peyton Manning-66.3%
3. Philip Rivers-66.0%
4. Tom Brady-65.9%
5. Aaron Rodgers-65.7%
6. David Garrard-64.5%
7. Matt Schaub-63.6%
8. Eli Manning-62.9%
9. Joe Flacco-62.6%
10. Michael Vick-62.6%
INT/Game
1. Tom Brady-0.25
2. Josh Freeman-0.38
3. Ben Roethlisberger-0.42
4. Matt Cassel-0.47
5. Michael Vick-0.50
6. Matt Ryan-.56
7. Aaron Rodgers-0.60
8. Joe Flacco-0.62
9. Jason Campbell-0.67
10. Kyle Orton-0.69
Yards/Comp
1. Ben Roethlisberger-13.3
2. Philip Rivers-13.2
3. Michael Vick-13.0
4. Aaron Rodgers-12.6
5. Jay Cutler-12.5
5. Kyle Orton-12.5
7. Jason Campbell-12.3
7. Donovan McNabb-12.3
9. Matt Schaub-12.0
9. Tom Brady-12.0
Adjusted Ranks--Final top 10 list for 2010-2011
1. Tom Brady
2. Philip Rivers
3. Drew Brees
3. Peyton Manning
5. Ben Roethlisberger
6. Aaron Rodgers
7. Michael Vick
8. Matt Cassel
9. Eli Manning
10. Kyle Orton
These rankings were created by taking into account the QBs rankings per list as well as the number of times the QB was ranked. Rankings were given by means of consistency. The more a QB appeared, the higher the QB was listed as well as the better the QB was the higher they were listed. Aaron Rodgers appeared on every list, he was 6th because he was never in the top of any of the lists. Brees and Manning only appeared on 3 lists, but they were on the top of those 3, hence why they are ranked higher.
Friday, March 4, 2011
18 Game Season
This idea has been floating around for a while. I haven't addressed this yet so I will go into depth with it in many different angles. Let's jump right into it. I'm going to do a list of pros and cons and then explain my position on it...
PROS
More Football
I don't think any fan will argue that the football season goes by too quickly. Every year I find myself looking back nostalgically on week one thinking about how great the season was and how quickly it went by. This past year I was lucky that the Packers won the Super Bowl and played in all 3 playoff games, but some fans aren't that lucky. 20 teams miss the playoffs every year and the fans of those 20 teams have their seasons truncated after 16 games. Some teams get 17 games, some teams get 18, some 19, and some 20. If the league expands to 18 games, it would almost be like every team makes the playoffs.
More Revenue--Bigger Pie
With 2 more regular season games, the cash flow is even higher. This will come at the loss of two preseason games (I will get to that in the "Cons" section). Most teams have season ticket plans where you must also purchase preseason tickets at full price, so the revenue won't come from ticket sales. Where the money will come from, however, is the increased importance of the games. Now that the games have meaning, more people will attend them, purchase concessions, team gear, parking, and so on. This also gives the teams leverage to strike deals with sponsors in the stadium and the NFL leverage to get better TV deals and sponsor deals.
More Chances for Teams to Make the Playoffs
With 18 games, you're now increasing each team's chances of making the playoffs. If you have 4 10-6 teams, you have another 2 weeks to set yourself above the competition. It gives teams a bit of extra breathing room in case they hit a snag like an injury bug or a string of a couple close losses. This may spike overall interest seeing as fans still have hope after 8 games that the teams have another 10 games to right the problems rather than 8.
Expanded Roster Sizes
Everybody loves the story of the low round draft pick or the undrafted free agent becoming a star. Guys like Tom Brady, Jerome Harrison, Arian Foster, Tramon Williams, and Antonio Gates are examples of big time guys with little appreciation coming out of college. With an expanded roster, more of these guys will have a chance to crack the lineup and break the stigma that only big school, top draft picks can play.
CONS
Diminished Product
One problem of expanding the season to 18 games is that you're most likely going to be stretching 16 games worth of quality over 18 games. You're just going to see the top teams continue to win and the bottom teams continue to lose. It's bad enough when teams like Carolina are 2-14, imagine them going 2-16? You may lose overall viewers. The benefit to having 16 games is that every game counts and every game means something. If you move it to 18, you're giving the fans a product that is only marginally better than preseason games. You want to make a product that's superior to preseason.
Now I know a lot of you are saying, "Mike, it's only two games!! How can adding two games diminish the product??" Well look at it this way. Baseball is 162 games. Football is 16. So roughly every 10 baseball games=1 football game. Now if you want to keep that same ratio with 18 games, you would need 182 baseball games. You can imagine if baseball added another 20 games, there would be a lull in the middle of the season when fans wouldn't care as much. You can bet the same is true with football. Part of the captivating qualities of football is that it's winning matters more than almost anything. You're taking away from the quality of the wins by adding more games. This will also eat into the bottom line. Once games start becoming less interesting, less fans will view games making it harder for owners to impose such high prices for games.
Loss of Two Preseason Games
I understand most of you would have this under the "Pros" heading. I disagree though. Fans look at preseason in the perspective of "how entertaining is this to me"? That attitude is the one fans should have. But let's not get past the point of preseason. It has more recently become a bit more entertainment, but there is also plenty of functionality that comes from preseason games. This is a way for teams to see their draft picks and free agents in real, live, game action. You can look good hitting your own guys, but teams want to see you play in real game situations.
From a fan's perspective, you can also see aspects of your team that you wouldn't normally see. It's cool to see a Graham Harrell handing off to Tyrell Sutton in Green Bay. I could imagine the same is true elsewhere. Tony Pike throwing to Brandon LaFell. It's interesting to me. I understand that most people aren't a lunatic like me, but it's nice to imagine once in a while.
Increased Risk of Injury
Now, I'm not delusional. I know that when starters play in preseason, they usually don't go 100%. If you add two more games, you're increasing their playing time by a lot more than that. You'll have to truncate the preseason process from 4 games to 2 games, forcing the starters to play for longer to get better looks. The laws of odds take over after that. Adding another 100+ snaps to a players body will take it's toll. Injuries will likely pile up. You will also be taking away from the player's wage earning years. Every 8 years would be like playing 9 under the current system. It's not much, but that's at least $760,000 you're preventing a player from earning. The players ARE going to get more money for playing more games, but they won't likely make as much as they would have playing for more years.
Scheduling Problems
Under the current system, the schedule is a thing of beauty. Each team plays 16 games so here is the breakdown. Each team plays their own division twice, once home and once away (6). Each division plays one AFC and one NFC division other than their own once. The division rotates each year (8). The remaining two games are played against the two teams in your conference who finished in the same spot in their division as you did in yours, but aren't in the division you're playing.
Example: Giants play the NFC East twice, NFC West, AFC East, and the Saints ( 2nd place NFC South) and Packers (2nd place NFC North).
Now add two more games in there. Do you play two teams from the AFC divisions you don't play? If so, which two? There are three you don't play. How do you determine this, how do you make this work? 16 games and 32 teams. The symmetry is perfect.
Given the two sides, I think I lean more towards NOT adding two games. I love football, but adding two more games would take away more than it would give back. The more games there are, the less demand there are for the games. Think of a baseball game in July. You can get seats for $10, even for a marquee team like the Yankees. I went to DC for a Redskins-Packers game this past year and had seats in the second to last row of the STADIUM. 90,000+ seat stadium. The tickets were $100+. Adding more games will only lower that price as the season moves on. I really hope that they don't agree to more games.
PROS
More Football
I don't think any fan will argue that the football season goes by too quickly. Every year I find myself looking back nostalgically on week one thinking about how great the season was and how quickly it went by. This past year I was lucky that the Packers won the Super Bowl and played in all 3 playoff games, but some fans aren't that lucky. 20 teams miss the playoffs every year and the fans of those 20 teams have their seasons truncated after 16 games. Some teams get 17 games, some teams get 18, some 19, and some 20. If the league expands to 18 games, it would almost be like every team makes the playoffs.
More Revenue--Bigger Pie
With 2 more regular season games, the cash flow is even higher. This will come at the loss of two preseason games (I will get to that in the "Cons" section). Most teams have season ticket plans where you must also purchase preseason tickets at full price, so the revenue won't come from ticket sales. Where the money will come from, however, is the increased importance of the games. Now that the games have meaning, more people will attend them, purchase concessions, team gear, parking, and so on. This also gives the teams leverage to strike deals with sponsors in the stadium and the NFL leverage to get better TV deals and sponsor deals.
More Chances for Teams to Make the Playoffs
With 18 games, you're now increasing each team's chances of making the playoffs. If you have 4 10-6 teams, you have another 2 weeks to set yourself above the competition. It gives teams a bit of extra breathing room in case they hit a snag like an injury bug or a string of a couple close losses. This may spike overall interest seeing as fans still have hope after 8 games that the teams have another 10 games to right the problems rather than 8.
Expanded Roster Sizes
Everybody loves the story of the low round draft pick or the undrafted free agent becoming a star. Guys like Tom Brady, Jerome Harrison, Arian Foster, Tramon Williams, and Antonio Gates are examples of big time guys with little appreciation coming out of college. With an expanded roster, more of these guys will have a chance to crack the lineup and break the stigma that only big school, top draft picks can play.
CONS
Diminished Product
One problem of expanding the season to 18 games is that you're most likely going to be stretching 16 games worth of quality over 18 games. You're just going to see the top teams continue to win and the bottom teams continue to lose. It's bad enough when teams like Carolina are 2-14, imagine them going 2-16? You may lose overall viewers. The benefit to having 16 games is that every game counts and every game means something. If you move it to 18, you're giving the fans a product that is only marginally better than preseason games. You want to make a product that's superior to preseason.
Now I know a lot of you are saying, "Mike, it's only two games!! How can adding two games diminish the product??" Well look at it this way. Baseball is 162 games. Football is 16. So roughly every 10 baseball games=1 football game. Now if you want to keep that same ratio with 18 games, you would need 182 baseball games. You can imagine if baseball added another 20 games, there would be a lull in the middle of the season when fans wouldn't care as much. You can bet the same is true with football. Part of the captivating qualities of football is that it's winning matters more than almost anything. You're taking away from the quality of the wins by adding more games. This will also eat into the bottom line. Once games start becoming less interesting, less fans will view games making it harder for owners to impose such high prices for games.
Loss of Two Preseason Games
I understand most of you would have this under the "Pros" heading. I disagree though. Fans look at preseason in the perspective of "how entertaining is this to me"? That attitude is the one fans should have. But let's not get past the point of preseason. It has more recently become a bit more entertainment, but there is also plenty of functionality that comes from preseason games. This is a way for teams to see their draft picks and free agents in real, live, game action. You can look good hitting your own guys, but teams want to see you play in real game situations.
From a fan's perspective, you can also see aspects of your team that you wouldn't normally see. It's cool to see a Graham Harrell handing off to Tyrell Sutton in Green Bay. I could imagine the same is true elsewhere. Tony Pike throwing to Brandon LaFell. It's interesting to me. I understand that most people aren't a lunatic like me, but it's nice to imagine once in a while.
Increased Risk of Injury
Now, I'm not delusional. I know that when starters play in preseason, they usually don't go 100%. If you add two more games, you're increasing their playing time by a lot more than that. You'll have to truncate the preseason process from 4 games to 2 games, forcing the starters to play for longer to get better looks. The laws of odds take over after that. Adding another 100+ snaps to a players body will take it's toll. Injuries will likely pile up. You will also be taking away from the player's wage earning years. Every 8 years would be like playing 9 under the current system. It's not much, but that's at least $760,000 you're preventing a player from earning. The players ARE going to get more money for playing more games, but they won't likely make as much as they would have playing for more years.
Scheduling Problems
Under the current system, the schedule is a thing of beauty. Each team plays 16 games so here is the breakdown. Each team plays their own division twice, once home and once away (6). Each division plays one AFC and one NFC division other than their own once. The division rotates each year (8). The remaining two games are played against the two teams in your conference who finished in the same spot in their division as you did in yours, but aren't in the division you're playing.
Example: Giants play the NFC East twice, NFC West, AFC East, and the Saints ( 2nd place NFC South) and Packers (2nd place NFC North).
Now add two more games in there. Do you play two teams from the AFC divisions you don't play? If so, which two? There are three you don't play. How do you determine this, how do you make this work? 16 games and 32 teams. The symmetry is perfect.
Given the two sides, I think I lean more towards NOT adding two games. I love football, but adding two more games would take away more than it would give back. The more games there are, the less demand there are for the games. Think of a baseball game in July. You can get seats for $10, even for a marquee team like the Yankees. I went to DC for a Redskins-Packers game this past year and had seats in the second to last row of the STADIUM. 90,000+ seat stadium. The tickets were $100+. Adding more games will only lower that price as the season moves on. I really hope that they don't agree to more games.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Mock Draft Picks 1-10
1) Carolina Panthers
Let's look at the needs for Carolina.
Offensively, the Quarterback position is very young. Still, I don't believe you can justify taking a QB here. I think Carolina sticks with Clausen or Moore here. Nobody on offense besides a QB in this years draft would justify a No. 1 overall selection.
Defensively, the Panthers have several holes. Jon Beason and Captain Munnerlyn are the only two guys I see on the defense worth anything. The defense needs a LOT of work. The best way to start building a defense is with a great defensive line.
Thats is why the Panthers will select...
Nick Fairley, DT Auburn
2) Denver Broncos
Offensively, the Broncos are marginal at QB. With Brady Quinn, Tim Tebow, and Kyle Orton, it's a revolving door of mediocre QBs. The rushing game and the receivers are all pretty solid and Denver boasts a pretty good offensive line. I still don't think the Broncos go offense here.
Defensively, the Broncos were last in the league in defense. That has to change. The Broncos are moving from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and they need personnel for that.
That is why the Broncos will select....
Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemsen
3) Buffalo Bills
Offensively the Bills were either dormant or explosive. Ryan Fitzpatrick was inconsistent but the offense should improve with Steve Johnson emerging as well as a couple guys who spent last year on IR coming back.
Defensively, the bills weren't amazing on defense either. They made plays occasionally but they would never win you a game. The downside of being #3 is that the top 2 defenders are already off the board.
That is why the Bills will select....
Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
4) Cincinnati Bengals
Offensively, the Bengals should just have one giant "?". That sums everything up. Which Cedric Benson will show up? Will Carson Palmer ever suit up for Cincy? Will TO and Ochocinco be back?
Defensively, the Bengals are weak as well. They have a nice core of players, but they are very inconsistent. They need to add some depth for some positions. But there may be more pressing needs on the team.
That is why the Bengals will select...
Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
5) Arizona Cardinals
Offensively, the Arizona Cardinals struggled with the retirement of Kurt Warner and the lack of effort/ability of Matt Leinart. They are in need of a QB badly.
Defensively, the Cards were also pretty bad, but not as bad as the offensive ineptitude.
That is why the Cardinals will select...
Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
6) Cleveland Browns
Offensively, it seems the Browns are sold on Colt McCoy. Peyton Hillis had a solid year at RB. The team lacks options for McCoy however.
Defensively, the Browns are improving and some of their defenders are starting to gel. Joe Haden was a good pickup for the Browns and they are shaping up into a good defense.
That is why the Browns will select...
A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
7) San Francisco 49ers
Offensively, the 49ers have many of the key guys in place. Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, and Frank Gore are great guys to build your team around. There is a slight QB issue in SF, but with Gabbert and Newton off the board, there's no reason to reach here.
Defensively, the 49ers have one of the best LBs in the NFL, Patrick Willis. There aren't many other notable guys on the defense though.
That is why the 49ers will select...
Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
8) Tennessee Titans
Offensively, the Titans have one of the leagues top rushers along with a blossoming WR. The team lacks a top notch TE and a QB.
Defensively, the team lacks a lot of different positions. The defense was one of the main problems for them last year ranking 26th in total yards.
That is why the Titans will select...
Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
9) Dallas Cowboys
Offensively, the Cowboys were outstanding. The Cowboys do need help badly on the offensive line, but the OL class this year is weak.
Defensively, the Cowboys were pathetic. They need a total revamp of the D besides Jenkins, Ware, and Ratliff.
That is why the Cowboys will select...
Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
10) Washington Redskins
Offensively, they have some question marks. McNabb most likely won't be back, nor will Portis. Moss is getting up there in age. They are on the decline.
Defensively, the Redskins have the shell of a good defense. They need to tinker with a few things, but overall it's not a bad unit.
That is why the Redskins will select...
Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
Let's look at the needs for Carolina.
Offensively, the Quarterback position is very young. Still, I don't believe you can justify taking a QB here. I think Carolina sticks with Clausen or Moore here. Nobody on offense besides a QB in this years draft would justify a No. 1 overall selection.
Defensively, the Panthers have several holes. Jon Beason and Captain Munnerlyn are the only two guys I see on the defense worth anything. The defense needs a LOT of work. The best way to start building a defense is with a great defensive line.
Thats is why the Panthers will select...
Nick Fairley, DT Auburn
2) Denver Broncos
Offensively, the Broncos are marginal at QB. With Brady Quinn, Tim Tebow, and Kyle Orton, it's a revolving door of mediocre QBs. The rushing game and the receivers are all pretty solid and Denver boasts a pretty good offensive line. I still don't think the Broncos go offense here.
Defensively, the Broncos were last in the league in defense. That has to change. The Broncos are moving from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and they need personnel for that.
That is why the Broncos will select....
Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemsen
3) Buffalo Bills
Offensively the Bills were either dormant or explosive. Ryan Fitzpatrick was inconsistent but the offense should improve with Steve Johnson emerging as well as a couple guys who spent last year on IR coming back.
Defensively, the bills weren't amazing on defense either. They made plays occasionally but they would never win you a game. The downside of being #3 is that the top 2 defenders are already off the board.
That is why the Bills will select....
Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
4) Cincinnati Bengals
Offensively, the Bengals should just have one giant "?". That sums everything up. Which Cedric Benson will show up? Will Carson Palmer ever suit up for Cincy? Will TO and Ochocinco be back?
Defensively, the Bengals are weak as well. They have a nice core of players, but they are very inconsistent. They need to add some depth for some positions. But there may be more pressing needs on the team.
That is why the Bengals will select...
Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
5) Arizona Cardinals
Offensively, the Arizona Cardinals struggled with the retirement of Kurt Warner and the lack of effort/ability of Matt Leinart. They are in need of a QB badly.
Defensively, the Cards were also pretty bad, but not as bad as the offensive ineptitude.
That is why the Cardinals will select...
Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
6) Cleveland Browns
Offensively, it seems the Browns are sold on Colt McCoy. Peyton Hillis had a solid year at RB. The team lacks options for McCoy however.
Defensively, the Browns are improving and some of their defenders are starting to gel. Joe Haden was a good pickup for the Browns and they are shaping up into a good defense.
That is why the Browns will select...
A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
7) San Francisco 49ers
Offensively, the 49ers have many of the key guys in place. Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, and Frank Gore are great guys to build your team around. There is a slight QB issue in SF, but with Gabbert and Newton off the board, there's no reason to reach here.
Defensively, the 49ers have one of the best LBs in the NFL, Patrick Willis. There aren't many other notable guys on the defense though.
That is why the 49ers will select...
Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
8) Tennessee Titans
Offensively, the Titans have one of the leagues top rushers along with a blossoming WR. The team lacks a top notch TE and a QB.
Defensively, the team lacks a lot of different positions. The defense was one of the main problems for them last year ranking 26th in total yards.
That is why the Titans will select...
Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
9) Dallas Cowboys
Offensively, the Cowboys were outstanding. The Cowboys do need help badly on the offensive line, but the OL class this year is weak.
Defensively, the Cowboys were pathetic. They need a total revamp of the D besides Jenkins, Ware, and Ratliff.
That is why the Cowboys will select...
Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
10) Washington Redskins
Offensively, they have some question marks. McNabb most likely won't be back, nor will Portis. Moss is getting up there in age. They are on the decline.
Defensively, the Redskins have the shell of a good defense. They need to tinker with a few things, but overall it's not a bad unit.
That is why the Redskins will select...
Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
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