2007 NFL Season - Page 2

Yeah, and I think that's what endeared him to Bucs fans -- he was just a down-to-earth guy who busted his ass on every play. The Hall of Fame talk some fans like to indulge in is completely unjustified, but if the Bucs had a ring of honor (and they should), he'd be on it immediately.

As a football fan, I respected him as a player. As a fantasy football player, I hated him because he always seemed to score against me, and usually vulturing TDs away from guys I had on my team.

And after all that, the announcement is that he's on the IR for the season. Which probably does mean he's done for his career, but the team made no announcement to that effect.

Christ, my Jets aren't winning anything with that Patriot team around.

Steely McBeam?!?

Jesus, they should have to give one of the rings back.

Sounds like something from a CHUD vidcap.

Chris Wood, I have been a Miami Dolphin fan since I was 4 years old in 1972. I was the only one in my family to root for the Dolphins til my Dad joined me as Miami Rooter.

Analysts on the NFL Network were discussing some of the top rookies for the 2007 season. Samson Satale now Miami's starting center was among them. On an seemingly unrelated note GM Randy Mueller has issued an edict that no Dolphin cheerleader will be named Delila due the notion that a bad haircut that could sap Samson of his strength.

Right. IIRC he arrived right around the same time as Dungy, so where Dungy was sort of the coach who's identified with the Bucs beginning to resemble an actual NFL franchise, I think to some extent Alstott is regarded as the offensive player who was there for the whole run back to respectability.

I didn't see why he couldn't have been used in a Riggins-esque manner - he was a stud a Purdue - and while the perception of his ability WAY outpaces his production, he does seem like a guy who'd knock heads with you all day on the field and then be willing to split a twelver with you on Sunday night.

Huh? Edgerrin James is a top 5 RB in the NFL. Granted last year he played like a top 15 RB, but that was mostly because of his line being total shit last season, and oh yeah, Denny Green's ATROCIOUS play calling. 1100+ YDS, but only 6 TD's. Respectable, but a far cry from his days in Indy. I just hope Whisenhunt's Run First offense pans out.

Jaguars pick up Sammy Knight yesterday to help mentor their two young safeties (third-year Gerald Sensabaugh and rookie Reggie Nelson). I applaud the move, I've always liked Knight since his turn with the Saints and this can only help stabilize the secondary.

He's not a top 5 guy. Last year exposed him pretty badly. I don't care how bad the play calling is, you can't call yourself a gamebreaking RB without a single run of 20+ yards over an entire season.

Raiders Highlights

Did anyone see the Raiders highlights from this weekend? Culpepper looked bad. He dropped back to pass and I thought he was going to fall over. His back leg just stopped out of nowhere every time! He just looked akward. I don't think I am describing this right, but I am sure you can see the highlights on ESPN.com or NFL.com.

Cry Havok, Culpepper completed 5 of 7 passes in his first game since week 4 of 2006. He even completed a 50 yard pass. Give him time, he will be far more capable in 2007 than Trent Green will be for myfavorite team the Miami Dolphins. John Beck will start by week 9. Daunte is only in Oakland for 2007 as JaMarcus should be ready for the 2008 season.

Saw an ESPN Fantasy Hall of Fame commercial with Jones-Drew. I guess he has no fear of the football gods.

Glad to see Culpepper suck. As for the Dolphins, I'm glad they booed the shit out of Trent Green (actually more shocked that anyone down there cares).

Respectable stats. I must not have payed attention to the box score. I was looking at his footwork and how he scanned the field. And I wanted to see if he was still favoring his bum leg. Thanks for pointing that out to me!

Green could surprise. Beck will get his time in, especially if the Fins season starts to flounder (I thought about not typing that, but could not resist!).

Russell will be playing catch-up for the first half of the season. I like Daunte and I want to see him succeed again, but I just don't see it happening. He just looked uncomfortable in the pocket. JaMarcus will sign late (Hopefully, for Raiders fans at least) and probably see time early, IMHO.

Let's hope McNabb can keep healthy this year. I don't think my heart can take it if he gets hurt again. My Birds need him this year, as we do every year. Here's to the power of positive thinking!

Cry Havok, I love bad puns. The Dolphins will flounder on offense. Hopefully The Raiders will find their lost offense in the ark of their winning history, with JaMarcus Russell. If you get a chance, Hbo produced a great documentary on the Raiders and A's of the 1970's a few years ago. They still air it occasionally.

Jones-Drew is the new darling of Jacksonville. He has eight or nine endorsement deals, from car dealerships to web sites.

Combined local endorsement deals for Fred Taylor and Byron Leftwich? Zero.

I saw them when they first aired. Good stuff. On that same note, Ken Burns' Baseball was on over the weekend here in PA

Who did you want to see start?

Why were you shocked that they cared about the QB? Baseball may be dead in Miami, but they certainly have strong opinions on their Dolphins.

Miami (geographic) fans care about nothing. They cheer when they are doing well, but when things go shitty, it's like a empty church. In all my years of watching the Dolphins, I've never seen a negative reaction like that.

Exchanging Culpepper for Green was like trading a dead pit bull buried in the backyard for one buried in forest.

I want to see John Beck at QB by midseason so we can see why Miami liked him over Brady Quinn.

I'd disagree with that. Football is the game down there. Yeah, it's quiet when they suck, but that's pretty much everywhere. Even Raider Nation has eased up in recent years.

But this one of the bigger NFL franchises of the modern era. They should be much more vocal than they are. One of the bigger issues is that Dolphins fans are pretty spread out in the US.

I hope Beck works out over Quinn, but the way the Dolphins have been run the past few years, I've lost faith.

I'm not in Miami a ton, but when I am there, it seems the Dolphins are the only conversation going on (unless the Heat are in the playoffs, and even then football talk will be mixed in).

Dolphins fans have sort of been lost in the wilderness since Marino retired. For such a storied franchise, it's had no identity since #13 left, and so nothing for fans to get really wrapped up in. Even when Shula had some mediocre teams in the 80s, at least he was still Shula and 17-0 wasn't too far in the past. Now, they do have a defense, but even that's not a dominating unit like the Ravens or the Bears, the kind of group that gives a team an identity. There'll still be talk, but the frenzy of the mid- to late-80s won't return until the Dolphins get some stability at head coach and figure out who they are.

Dealing with Wanny can really take the wind out of a franchise.

I'm still hoping the remaining 1/5th of his moustache will come forward.

Gutt, how long do you think that Chicago will be the cream of the NFC North? Seriously? Is there a small window (i.e. 2-3 more seasons) or a wide-open screen door (5-plus seasons)? I repsect your football opinions, and I don't follow the Bears since it would mean losing some of my standing as a native Michigander.

It's impossible to tell in the modern NFL, but I think Angelo (the GM) has done a pretty spectacular job in getting young, talented players signed long-term. Their receivers are all really young (except for Moose), and they look to be getting a lot better, especially since they finally have a TE with some ability to open the field. They seem to know when to drop players, too. I know everyone was befuddled by the Thomas Jones trade, but his value wasn't getting any higher and he had a more talented guy waiting to take over the position.

If they can lock-up Tommie Harris, Mark Anderson builds off of his rookie year last year, and Grossman develops into a consistent passer, I don't see why they wouldn't be competing for the NFC title for the next 5 years.

As for the NFC North, that's a bit easier because of the way the rest of the division has fallen out. The Pack aren't going to be good for a couple years, I think the Vikings are middle-of-the-road and the Lions are still the Lions. Every year I expect them to get better and they fall on their face.

All that said, I think the Bears are better this year than they were last year, but I expect them to have a worse record, only because their schedule is so much tougher than last years. From what I've seen so far, I really feel good about the team this season.

Are you thinking 11-5 to win the division, then a trip to the NFC title game? (Man, I'd kill for an 8-8 Lions season...) As a lark, what are your NFC playoff projections? I'm thinking Bears, Eagles, Panthers & Niners for the division winners, and the Rams and Saints for the wild card spots, although I think that all the divisions with the exception of the North are ripe with intrigue. Other than the Bears, its quite hard to pick an early favorite.

I think Steve Young made a very appropriate comment on yesterday's monday night countdown. The niners are no longer a secret. EVERYONE knows what they are capable of, so no matter how talented they are, they aren't going to sneak up on any wins this year. I think they are going to compete for the NFC west title, but it isn't going to be a cakewalk, although they have a relatively favorable strength of schedule this year. I would love to see them in the post season though.

I don't like the bears, and I have made that clear earlier, but they have a fucking intense defense that is going to keep them in the mix no matter what their offense does. If Cedric Benson is for real, and they can re-establish the power running game and not rely so much on the pass, they could definitely take it all the way again.

The panthers never live up to expectations, and I see no reason why they will this year either.

Eagles should win a superbowl every year, but injuries get in the way...and I think their window is going to start closing fast.

My pick for the NFC is the Saints. If their offense can stay consistent, they should be able to makeup for any shortcomings on the defensive end. They were one game away from the superbowl last year with rookie flankers, and a raw reggie bush. I think an extra year of experience is going to do wonders. They didn't do much for their defense though, so who knows.

Anyway, I know you asked Gutt but I thought I would chime in as well.

I'm glad ESPN's highlights can tell you how well Russell is performing. Let's not kid ourselves into thinking Culpepper will be the old Culpepper on his seventh day with his new team. He may never be the player he was with the Vikings but he can still be successful. From everything I've read, he's looking solid in practice but there's clearly rust involved. He's getting third string reps and playing with the third stringers but with every practice he's gaining additional reps. In the game (again, on only his seventh day or so with his new team) he did not go 5/7, as someone mentioned, but 5/12 with 3 brutal drops where he threw perfect laser passes to wide open receivers. He looked okay on his rollouts but he had some trouble on snaps. For a guy who's just begun learning a new playbook, he made me optimistic for the what's ahead. He looked far better then the player Miami got last year. He has less then a month to shake off the rust and learn an entire playbook. Hopefully he'll be ready to go by the first week of the season but realistically that may not be the case.

I can't speak for the Miami area, but from 2004 onward many of the Dolphin message boards have been full of profanity-laden tirades against Wanny, Fiedler, and Saban. There's plenty of angry fans. Look at the harsh reaction to the selection of Ginn over Quinn.

Please God let Cameron know what he's doing.

I know where you're coming from with this, and I agree, but it is very hard to be positive on any of the NFC South teams; they've all got holes big enough to drive a truck through. I picked the Panthers over the Saints to win the division based on their secondary talent, feeling that any team that can throw the ball is going to give the Saints fits. I still want and hope that they'll represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but the early lack of a big-play defense scares me.

(And yeah, as a dyed-in-the-wool Lions fan, I don't like the Bears either, but I respect the team and they are the class of the NFC North until someone knocks them off of the dais.)

I know there is a lot of adjustment involved. I was more concerned with how his knee looked. Learning a new system takes time but shaking mental compensations for physical problems can take even longer. We'll see how well Lane Kiffin's scheme works out. Al Davis can be a tad impatient at times

Are you saying the Packers "won't be any good" as "they are and will continue to be shit" or "they won't make that step up into consistent playoff contender"?

Because from where I sit, they certainly aren't much above average, but the rebuilding is being done while keeping the team competitive. They're a good RB from barely noticing when Brett Favre retires.

This seems like it might be the Lions "year" (definition - any other team's "year" would include a deep playoff run; the Lions having a "year" means a winning record and playoff contention into the final week or so) - they've got the horses on offense - 3 killer WRs, competent QB who unfortunately suffers the handicap of being Jon Kitna, and a cast of capable if uninspiring RBs. At the very least they'll be more fun to watch than the 3-yards and a swatch of astroturf/clump of tundra Vikes and Pack.

I'm really hard pressed to make picks for this season. Nobody jumps out at me and makes me think "Yep, they're the team."

Untill Farve goes the Pack won't be a serious contender. He still thinks of himself as the old Farve and isn't.

Unless major injuries happen I'll say the NFC is easier to pick than the NFC. Bears, Carolina, Dallas, Rams for divisions. Saints, 49ers for WC. I think the East is the toughest to call because there are huge QB concers for all teams.

AFC
NE, Baltimore, Indy, SD for division with Cincy and Jets as WC. Think Cutler is too green for Denver in the tough AFC.

And I can say the Raiders, Falcons, Chiefs, Cards, and Miami will fight it out for the #1 pick.

I posted this elsewhere - it was supposed to be a short breakdown of Alstott vs actual Hall of Fame RBs but it turned into fucking War and Peace, in part due to the fact I felt obliged to educate some on WHY older players made the Hall of Fame. Anyway, enjoy:

Alstott vs Hall of Fame RBs:

NO-BRAINERS:

Marcus Allen
Jim Brown
Earl Campbell
Eric Dickerson
Tony Dorsett
Red Grange (he could go in "history lesson" but the fact that it's a familiar name after 80 years says it all)
Franco Harris
Bronko Nagurski
Walter Payton
John Riggins
Barry Sanders
Gayle Sayers
OJ Simpson
Jim Taylor
Thurman Thomas
Jim Thorpe


HISTORY LESSON:
Cliff Battles - all 30s team, 1st player to rush for 100 yds and 200 yds in a game, led league in rushing twice in 6 year career)

Tony Canadeo - 3rd player ever to rush for 1000 yds; retired as NFL's 2nd leading rusher all-time

Larry Csonka - 3 straight 1000 yd seasons; feature back on 3 SB teams; top 5 in rushing yds from 70-73; 8000 career rushing yds

Bill Dudley - led league in rushing; NFL MVP in 1946 - oh by the way fought in WW II in 43 and 44

Clarke Hinkle - ran for 3860 yds - which was good enough to make him the NFL's all time leading rusher at retirement; was apparently a lethal force at LB; All-NFL 4 times in 10 years

John Henry Johnson - retired as #4 all time rusher behind Jims Brown and Taylor and Joe Perry; 2-time 1000 yd rusher when that was relatively rare; top 5 in rushing 62-64

Leroy Kelly - led NFL in rushing 67-68; led league in rushing tds 66-68 and was 2nd in 69 and 72

Lenny Moore - 11000 plus yds from scrimmage, 111 tds

Marion Motley - AAFC's all time leading rusher; 5.7 ypc over AAFC and NFL career; led NFL in rushing in 1950

Joe "The Jet" Perry - 9700 yds rushing; first player with back-to-back 1000 yd seasons; retired as NFL's all-time leading rusher

Steve Van Buren - led league in rushing 47-49; retired as NFL's all-time leading rusher

SUBJECTIVELY AS GOOD/BETTER:

Joe Guyon - numbers for him are scarce - but those I found are unimpressive; his team were about 40-36-5. Not sure exactly how/why he made it

Paul Hornung - if only Alstott could kick - Hornung led the league in scoring from 59-61 and won the NFL MVP in 61 - while serving in the Army. Purely as a RB, he's a marginal candidate IMO

Ollie Matson - 4 time all-NFL; once was traded for 9 players, not that that counts for anything.

George McAfee - special teamer supreme - holds all-time PR average recrod (12.78)

Hugh McElhenny - only one season over 900 yds rushing, never led the league in any significant statistical category

Doak Walker - played 6 yrs, 1500 yds rushing, 12 rushing tds; 4 time all-pro, led league in scoring twice

NOT REALLY COMPARABLE:


Ernie Nevers - all-NFL all 5 seasons of his career; played 1714 of 1740 possible minutes in 1926 season

Ken Strong - single-wing/two-way back

Johnny "Blood" McNally - key part of Green Bay's 29-31 and 36 title teams; retired as one of the NFL's all time top pass receivers

Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans - listed as RB but was more of a single-wing type back - retired with 3100+ yds and 17 tds rushing and 2300+ yds and 25 tds passing the ball; league's leading rusher in 1936

Charely Trippi - played 5 seasons at RB, two at QB, and two years on defense

Well, he got a free pass under Mike Sherman. Nothing was worse than seeing Favre make stupid mistake, go to the sideline, and stand there as the coaches studiously avoided approaching him. Mike McCarthy holds Favre accountable, which is a step up IMO.

I see a lot of NFC talk, but what about the AFC? I still think it's going to be between the Colts and Pats yet again, the Ravens have an aging QB and the defence is not the force of nature it once was and the Chargers..well, they will find a way to choke yet again.. Then you just have the Broncos and Kansas City to look out for...

The Chiefs to look out for? What the cellar of the AFC West? They're a sinking ship.

What about it? Colts vs Pats at some point in the playoffs, winner demolishes whatever team comes out of the NFC. Conversation over.

Speaking of the Chiefs, Trent Green is headed back home in a couple of hours with the Dolphins in tow. I'm hoping he doesn't get hurt too badly.

I'm sure he'll experience yet another "chorus of boos"...

Why in the blue hell was Ronnie Brown on the filed for the opening kickoff. Green was pretty shitty. Go Cleo!