Everyone who knows me personally or who reads this blog regularly has probably figured out one thing about me. I AM NOT AFRAID TO HAVE AN OPINION, OR TO TAKE RISKS AND MAKE BOLD STATEMENTS!!!! Personally, I think playing both sides of an issue for fear of being wrong is WEAK! As far as the bold statements that I often make goes, you win some and you lose some. Fortunately, I can say that I am right WAAAYYYYY more than I am wrong. By any estimation, I am usually right about 90% of the time (I will make another BOLD statement when I announce my scrub of the week). However, there is one prediction that I have made for five straight years, and have been wrong for four of those five years. That is until now! Since the start of the 2004 NFL Season, I have picked the Arizona Cardinals to win the NFC West. As most of you know, the Cardinals were kind enough to make me look like an idiot for four straight seasons. I wasn’t going to let the fact that they have been terrible since the beginning of time deter me from my beliefs, so once again when I made my pre-season picks for this seasons, I picked the Arizona Cardinals to win the NFC West for the fifth consecutive year. I am proud to say that this year, I don’t look like an idiot because they finally did it. Not only did they win the NFC West, they are now in the SUPER BOWL!!!! They might have let me down in the past, but when they finally came through, THEY REALLY CAME THROUGH!!!!
That’s right boys and girls, the ARIZONA CARDINALS ARE IN THE SUPER BOWL! Take a minute and let that sink in. No one, and I mean no one outside of their locker room believed that this would ever happen (and truthfully, I'm not even sure about everyone in that locker room). Like I said, I picked them to win the division, but making the Super Bowl never entered my mind. If I were a betting man, I would have surely bet that the Chicago Cubs would win a World Series before this happens. Everyone is surprised because they ARE the Cardinals. You know, the NFL franchise that everyone associates with being losers. Prior to this year, they have been battling with the Detroit Lions for the title of MOST PATHETIC FRANCHISE IN NFL HISTORY (that competition is clearly over, Detroit has that title all to themselves). However, if you take a close look at their roster, they certainly have enough talent to be where they are today. They have a 92 year old quarterback who must be drinking from Bobby Boucher’s magic water bottle, because he is playing like he did in St. Louis (Brett Favre has to be jealous). He may be old enough to remember when Astro-Turf was cutting edge technology, but we can’t forget that he is a future Hall of Famer and has made two previous Super Bowl appearances (with one win) and is a two-time NFL MVP. He is definitely a baller. It doesn’t hurt that his starting receivers are two of the best in the game today. Anquan Boldin is GREAT and Larry Fitzgerald is well LARRY FITZGERALD(I can’t think of an adjective that would do him justice). To make the situation even more ridiculous, their third receiver (who is essentially a starter, since they use a lot of three receiver sets), Steve Breaston, also had over 1,000 yards receiving this season. And people wonder why Larry Fitzgerald doesn’t see more double and triple team coverage. They have 3 RECEIVERS THAT WENT OVER 1,000 YARDS! YOU CAN’T DOUBLE ANYONE! Also, just in case you stop paying attention and decide not to defend the run, they have Edgerrin James (#11 on the all-time career rushing list) in the backfield. Just to keep you honest.
That’s just the offense. The defense is just as star-studded. They have a tremendous secondary, which is lead by Adrian Wilson (the most underrated defensive player in the NFL). Next to him is Antrel Rolle, who is also a baller. Roderick Hood is a good corner, and the rookie on the other side of him is just spectacular. I am referring to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (DRC). Darnell Docket and Karlos Dansby lead a front seven that has been playing out of their minds since the start of the playoffs.
To tell you the truth, I really can’t put my finger on why they suddenly put it all together and played to their talent level. Could it be the power of the dread-locks? Don’t just dismiss that theory. Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald, Darnell Dockett, and Tim Hightower (back-up running back) have all played great and they all have dreadlocks. Or, could it be the fact that they play in the coolest stadium in all of sports (they have a retractable field, which allows them to play on natural grass inside of a dome). Could the reason for their success be Matt Leinart’s superb clipboard holding skills (he does wear that baseball cap well). Maybe it’s the uniforms. They are the second best in the NFL (behind the Atlanta Falcons).
I think I know what it is. It’s great no non-sense coaching from Ken Whisenhunt and his staff, combined with the determination of a team that is tired of letting STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! down. Therefore, they are playing to their potential and enjoying the fruits of all of their hard work. The scary thing is that this is a relatively young team. The only key players whose best days aren’t ahead of them are Warner, James, and defensive end Bertrand Berry. This team has tasted success, and I think they like it. Obviously Warner is nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career (he probably has two years left), so if Matt Leinart or Quarterback to be Drafted Later can pick up where he leaves off, the sky is the limit.
ENJOY THE SUPER BOWL! GO CARDINALS!
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: BARACK OBAMA (United States of America) - Was there any doubt? I know that he isn't an athlete, coach, or front office executive, but any African-American who can become PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is definitely qualified to be my BALLER OF THE WEEK! (please check out the end of this entry)
SCRUB: Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN) - I know that this is an unusual choice for SCRUB OF THE WEEK, but in my mind he deserves it this week. First of all, I am a HUGE MEL KIPER JR. FAN and I truly believe that he is the best draft prognosticator in the business (a business that he invented). However, I must take issue with his initial Mock Draft for 2009. He has the Kansas City Chiefs taking USC Quarterback Mark Sanchez with the third pick in the draft. Are you kidding me? If any team takes Sanchez that high in this draft, they will live to regret it. I know that teams are impressed with the performances of Matt Ryan and Joe Flaco in their rookie seasons, but they should not expect the same from Sanchez. I just don't see what he is seeing (I will detail all of the flaws in his game as we get closer to the draft). True enough he was a good college player on a great team, but that doesn't always transfer well to the NFL. Don't get me wrong, he is not the next Alex Smith (he isn't that bad). But if he lives up to his potential, he should end up being about as good as Joey Harrington. The Chiefs just hired Scott Pioli as their new General Manager and he is no idiot. He was Bill Belichick's right hand man in New England and he is also the son-in-law of Bill Parcell. That should pretty much tell you that he won't be doing anything stupid in the draft. I trust that he knows better than handcuffing his team by selecting a terrible quarterback with the third pick of the draft. My congratulations to Sanchez if he get's drafted that high. If that happens sit back and count your STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! and hope that you don't have to get of the field any time soon.
NOW FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK, TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP BELOW AND EXPERIENCE THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT TO EVER OCCUR IN MY LIFETIME!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! WILL BE BACK NEXT WEEK
I hope that everyone enjoyed Championship Sunday as much as I did. I was also fortunate enough to attend the Kentucky - Georgia college basketball game (I love my wife). For those of you that don't already know, I AM A HUGE KENTUCKY BASKETBALL FAN!
Get ready for the Super Bowl. It should be a good one. I AM PREDICTING THAT THE CARDINALS WILL SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!
Unfortunately I was very busy this weekend and was not able to post anything new. However, I will have something new for next week, so stay tuned!
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Jodie Meeks (University of Kentucky) - Meeks had 54 points in Kentucky's victory at Tennessee on Tuesday night. We must also credit Tennessee Head Coach, Bruce Pearl, for not understanding the concept of the halftime adjustment. Meeks had 26 in the first half! He went on to add another 28 to that total in the second half. Which means that Pearl just couldn't find an answer for him. For that performance, he definitely deserves to be the BALLER OF THE WEEK!
SCRUB: Joe Flaco (Baltimore Ravens) - I know that Flaco is a rookie and has played reasonably well this season, but in a game like this you simply have to play better. The defense played well enough to win, but Flaco simply couldn't make a play when they needed it. He finished the game with a stat line that reads 13 - 30 passing for 141 yards. He also had zero touchdowns and 3 interceptions. I know that he is young and will without a doubt get better, but this week HE WAS A SCRUB!!!!
Get ready for the Super Bowl. It should be a good one. I AM PREDICTING THAT THE CARDINALS WILL SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!
Unfortunately I was very busy this weekend and was not able to post anything new. However, I will have something new for next week, so stay tuned!
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Jodie Meeks (University of Kentucky) - Meeks had 54 points in Kentucky's victory at Tennessee on Tuesday night. We must also credit Tennessee Head Coach, Bruce Pearl, for not understanding the concept of the halftime adjustment. Meeks had 26 in the first half! He went on to add another 28 to that total in the second half. Which means that Pearl just couldn't find an answer for him. For that performance, he definitely deserves to be the BALLER OF THE WEEK!
SCRUB: Joe Flaco (Baltimore Ravens) - I know that Flaco is a rookie and has played reasonably well this season, but in a game like this you simply have to play better. The defense played well enough to win, but Flaco simply couldn't make a play when they needed it. He finished the game with a stat line that reads 13 - 30 passing for 141 yards. He also had zero touchdowns and 3 interceptions. I know that he is young and will without a doubt get better, but this week HE WAS A SCRUB!!!!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
DEATH OF THE QUARTERBACK
Without a doubt, the most important position on the football field is the quarterback. If you don’t believe me, just take a look around the NFL. The teams that get good consistent play from their quarterbacks (i.e. the Colts, Patriots, Chargers, Eagles, and Steelers) are regular post-season participants, while the teams that are inconsistent at that position struggle to make the playoffs with any regularity (i.e. the 49er’s, Chiefs, Raiders, Bills, and the infamous Lions). Of course, as with anything else there are some exceptions. For instance, Baltimore’s defense has traditionally been good enough to overcome the lack of a consistent quarterback. On the other end of the spectrum, there are players like Drew Brees and Jay Cutler who aren’t annually competing for a playoff spot simply because their teams have terrible defenses. Whatever the case may be, it is fair to say that in the NFL the quarterback is usually the difference between a winning team and a losing team. Even in Baltimore’s case, the quarterback has to be good enough to stay out of the way of the defense.
With this thought in mind, I am sad to announce that in the coming years the quality of quarterback play in the NFL will decline tremendously. I am placing the blame for this on one group of people, COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES! Gimmick offenses are the new flavor of the month in college football. You have the “Spread (running) Option” of West Virginia, the “Spread (passing & running) Option” of Florida, and the glorified “Run – and – Shoot” of Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Add to that the “Triple Option” of Georgia Tech, the “Snap it to Pryor and Get Out of the Way” of Ohio State, and you have a host of teams that put quarterbacks on the field who never truly learn to read a defense and go through progressions. The list goes on, because I didn’t even bother to mention the host of teams who run some copycat form of one of these offenses (with no success at all).
Obviously, there are several reasons why these gimmick offenses have become so popular in college football. For example, the reason that West Virginia and Florida run their versions of the “Spread Option” is to simply keep the ball in the hands of their best players as much as possible. In the case of both teams, that player is the quarterback. As far as the “Run – and – Shoot” offense, teams simply have more good receivers than the opposition has defensive backs. The triple option on the other hand is a fairly safe offense and is hard for opponents to prepare for, because there aren’t many teams at the highest level of college football who run such an offense. As for Ohio State, they run the “Snap it to Pryor and Get Out of the Way” for two reasons. The first of which is that Terrell Pryor is a great athlete and the second is that Coach Sweater-vest (Jim Tressel) doesn’t have any offensive imagination.
All of these offenses are fine and well in the college game, and I don’t fault the coaches for doing what they feel will give their teams the best chance to win. However, they are doing kids who dream of playing quarterback in the NFL a huge disservice and all but ensuring that NFL teams will have to spend extra time teaching new quarterbacks the basics of playing the position.
One would think that at the professional level, coaches would not have to spend time teaching quarterbacks how to do such basic things as take a snap from under center, go through progressions, or identify a defensive formation. However, the under-development of these skills in college football will dictate that NFL quarterback coaches spend a lot of time working with the quarterback on these things. A lot of college quarterbacks go their entire college career without taking a single snap from under center. Taking a snap from center is a mandatory requirement in the NFL because your footwork has to be on point in order for the timing of routes to work and because being in shotgun all the time severely limits the amount of running plays at your disposal. The other problem with the gimmick offenses is that the majority of them are one-read offenses. This basically means that the quarterback has a predetermined receiver that he is supposed to pass the ball to, and if that receiver is not open he should keep the ball and run it himself. That is another philosophy that simply won’t work in the NFL, because good NFL defensive coordinators usually scheme to take away your first option on most pass plays. Therefore it is very important that the quarterback learns to go through his progressions and get to his second, third, or even fourth receiver. Oh, by the way he needs to be able to do this is about four seconds. If you are an NFL quarterback and you don’t have the speed of Michael Vick; running is not an option, it is only to be done as a last resort. Teams really don’t like their quarterbacks running around because they make too much money to risk injury taking open field hits and because defensive ends in the NFL run like college running backs, so the chances of them catching you are very high. In short, if an NFL team tried to run Florida’s, West Virginia’s, or Georgia Tech’s offense, they would have to change its name. It wouldn’t be called an “option”, it would be called INJURED RESERVE!!!! NFL defensive players and coaches would LOVE to play against these offenses, and the shelf life of quarterbacks would be greatly reduced.
Most of the college football fans that I know enjoy the college game because of the excitement associated with seeing so many completely different offensive styles. I on the other hand, enjoy the precision of NFL offenses. Moderately skilled college quarterbacks can have a great deal of success in that game because receivers are allowed to routinely get wide open in their routes. A college receiver is open when he has the defender beat by five yards or so. Therefore it isn’t hard to get him the ball. On the other hand, a receiver in the NFL is open if he is running even with the defender, but has inside position. The NFL quarterback is expected to be able to not only get him the ball, but get him the ball IN STRIDE! At the rate that the college game is going, there will be very few quarterbacks entering the league in the coming years who are talented enough to even attempt such a throw. The Tennessee Titans are already realizing that they wasted the third overall draft pick in the 2006 draft on a quarterback who can’t throw the football (in my opinion his passing has not improved one bit since he arrived at the University of Texas). Trust me, other teams learned from their mistake, which is why Tim Tebow or Pat White won’t be drafted early to play quarterback. Ohio State’s Terrell Pryor is very similar to what Young was at Texas, which means he has a lot of work to do if he plans on ever being an NFL quarterback. He has plenty of time, and I hope he is successful.
I am not saying that every NFL quarterback has to be a classic drop-back passer in the mold of Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Tom Brady, and Carson Palmer. In fact I would love to have a duel threat lead my team (i.e. Donovan McNabb, Steve Young, Michael Vick, and even David Garrard), as long as they are truly a duel threat and not a player that couldn’t throw a football in an ocean like Young and (currently) Pryor.
I believe that two of these “gimmick” quarterbacks have bright NFL futures at the position. The two players that I am a referring to are Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. They are in the minority of those who seem to actually be able to go through progressions and are also very accurate with their passes. The simply have to learn to take snaps from under center and get their footwork together.
Year in and year out, the best rookie NFL quarterbacks come from colleges that play a “Pro-Style” offense. Look at Matt Ryan and Joe Flaco. That was also the case with Phillip Rivers, Ben Rothlisberger, and Eli Manning, all of whom were in the 2004 draft and were still alive in the playoffs this past weekend. Jay Cutler belongs in this group as well. This will also be the case with this year’s draft, where Matthew Stafford (from Georgia) is likely to be the first quarterback taken. He comes from a “Pro-Style” offense and has proto-type NFL size and a rocket arm. He already knows how to take a snap from under-center and read a defense. Although there have been some busts who came from traditional offenses, there have been very few that have been successful from “gimmick offenses”.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) - Fitzgerald had 8 catches for 166 yards and 1 touchdown while leading the Cardinals to the NFC Championship game by crushing the Carolina Panthers 33-13.
SCRUB: Jake Delhomme (Carolina Panthers) - Delhomme helped lead the Arizona Cardinals to the NFC Championship game by completing a very Favre like 5 passes to thier defensive backs. Just for good measure he also lost a fumble.
With this thought in mind, I am sad to announce that in the coming years the quality of quarterback play in the NFL will decline tremendously. I am placing the blame for this on one group of people, COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES! Gimmick offenses are the new flavor of the month in college football. You have the “Spread (running) Option” of West Virginia, the “Spread (passing & running) Option” of Florida, and the glorified “Run – and – Shoot” of Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Add to that the “Triple Option” of Georgia Tech, the “Snap it to Pryor and Get Out of the Way” of Ohio State, and you have a host of teams that put quarterbacks on the field who never truly learn to read a defense and go through progressions. The list goes on, because I didn’t even bother to mention the host of teams who run some copycat form of one of these offenses (with no success at all).
Obviously, there are several reasons why these gimmick offenses have become so popular in college football. For example, the reason that West Virginia and Florida run their versions of the “Spread Option” is to simply keep the ball in the hands of their best players as much as possible. In the case of both teams, that player is the quarterback. As far as the “Run – and – Shoot” offense, teams simply have more good receivers than the opposition has defensive backs. The triple option on the other hand is a fairly safe offense and is hard for opponents to prepare for, because there aren’t many teams at the highest level of college football who run such an offense. As for Ohio State, they run the “Snap it to Pryor and Get Out of the Way” for two reasons. The first of which is that Terrell Pryor is a great athlete and the second is that Coach Sweater-vest (Jim Tressel) doesn’t have any offensive imagination.
All of these offenses are fine and well in the college game, and I don’t fault the coaches for doing what they feel will give their teams the best chance to win. However, they are doing kids who dream of playing quarterback in the NFL a huge disservice and all but ensuring that NFL teams will have to spend extra time teaching new quarterbacks the basics of playing the position.
One would think that at the professional level, coaches would not have to spend time teaching quarterbacks how to do such basic things as take a snap from under center, go through progressions, or identify a defensive formation. However, the under-development of these skills in college football will dictate that NFL quarterback coaches spend a lot of time working with the quarterback on these things. A lot of college quarterbacks go their entire college career without taking a single snap from under center. Taking a snap from center is a mandatory requirement in the NFL because your footwork has to be on point in order for the timing of routes to work and because being in shotgun all the time severely limits the amount of running plays at your disposal. The other problem with the gimmick offenses is that the majority of them are one-read offenses. This basically means that the quarterback has a predetermined receiver that he is supposed to pass the ball to, and if that receiver is not open he should keep the ball and run it himself. That is another philosophy that simply won’t work in the NFL, because good NFL defensive coordinators usually scheme to take away your first option on most pass plays. Therefore it is very important that the quarterback learns to go through his progressions and get to his second, third, or even fourth receiver. Oh, by the way he needs to be able to do this is about four seconds. If you are an NFL quarterback and you don’t have the speed of Michael Vick; running is not an option, it is only to be done as a last resort. Teams really don’t like their quarterbacks running around because they make too much money to risk injury taking open field hits and because defensive ends in the NFL run like college running backs, so the chances of them catching you are very high. In short, if an NFL team tried to run Florida’s, West Virginia’s, or Georgia Tech’s offense, they would have to change its name. It wouldn’t be called an “option”, it would be called INJURED RESERVE!!!! NFL defensive players and coaches would LOVE to play against these offenses, and the shelf life of quarterbacks would be greatly reduced.
Most of the college football fans that I know enjoy the college game because of the excitement associated with seeing so many completely different offensive styles. I on the other hand, enjoy the precision of NFL offenses. Moderately skilled college quarterbacks can have a great deal of success in that game because receivers are allowed to routinely get wide open in their routes. A college receiver is open when he has the defender beat by five yards or so. Therefore it isn’t hard to get him the ball. On the other hand, a receiver in the NFL is open if he is running even with the defender, but has inside position. The NFL quarterback is expected to be able to not only get him the ball, but get him the ball IN STRIDE! At the rate that the college game is going, there will be very few quarterbacks entering the league in the coming years who are talented enough to even attempt such a throw. The Tennessee Titans are already realizing that they wasted the third overall draft pick in the 2006 draft on a quarterback who can’t throw the football (in my opinion his passing has not improved one bit since he arrived at the University of Texas). Trust me, other teams learned from their mistake, which is why Tim Tebow or Pat White won’t be drafted early to play quarterback. Ohio State’s Terrell Pryor is very similar to what Young was at Texas, which means he has a lot of work to do if he plans on ever being an NFL quarterback. He has plenty of time, and I hope he is successful.
I am not saying that every NFL quarterback has to be a classic drop-back passer in the mold of Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Tom Brady, and Carson Palmer. In fact I would love to have a duel threat lead my team (i.e. Donovan McNabb, Steve Young, Michael Vick, and even David Garrard), as long as they are truly a duel threat and not a player that couldn’t throw a football in an ocean like Young and (currently) Pryor.
I believe that two of these “gimmick” quarterbacks have bright NFL futures at the position. The two players that I am a referring to are Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. They are in the minority of those who seem to actually be able to go through progressions and are also very accurate with their passes. The simply have to learn to take snaps from under center and get their footwork together.
Year in and year out, the best rookie NFL quarterbacks come from colleges that play a “Pro-Style” offense. Look at Matt Ryan and Joe Flaco. That was also the case with Phillip Rivers, Ben Rothlisberger, and Eli Manning, all of whom were in the 2004 draft and were still alive in the playoffs this past weekend. Jay Cutler belongs in this group as well. This will also be the case with this year’s draft, where Matthew Stafford (from Georgia) is likely to be the first quarterback taken. He comes from a “Pro-Style” offense and has proto-type NFL size and a rocket arm. He already knows how to take a snap from under-center and read a defense. Although there have been some busts who came from traditional offenses, there have been very few that have been successful from “gimmick offenses”.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) - Fitzgerald had 8 catches for 166 yards and 1 touchdown while leading the Cardinals to the NFC Championship game by crushing the Carolina Panthers 33-13.
SCRUB: Jake Delhomme (Carolina Panthers) - Delhomme helped lead the Arizona Cardinals to the NFC Championship game by completing a very Favre like 5 passes to thier defensive backs. Just for good measure he also lost a fumble.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
SAN DIEGO WE MAY HAVE A PROBLEM!
I would like to start by thanking the National Football League for a very exciting weekend of football. The NFL postseason is the best in all of sports. It’s better than the NBA (too many teams make the playoffs), College Football (the bowl system is stupid and absolutely sucks), Major League Baseball (just plain boring), and the National Hockey League (does that league still exist?). The only sport whose postseason comes close to the excitement of the NFL’s is college basketball. Although March Madness is awesome, I still think that the NFL system is the best. That may simply be because I like the NFL better than I like college basketball.
While watching the Chargers and the Colts playoff game last night (an excellent football game by the way), I couldn’t help but notice how Darren Sproles completely took over the game and beat the Colts virtually single-handedly. He had 328 all-purpose yards (total rushing, recieving, and return yards). This made me wonder how AJ Smith (the Chargers General Manager) is going to handle the running back situation next season. This will have to be addressed because Darren Sproles is in a contract year, which means that he will be a free-agent when their playoff run ends. The knock on Sproles has always been that he is too small to be a feature back in the NFL. He made the league as a kick-returner, and has proven that he is so much more. Although, we don’t know if his diminutive frame (he is listed at 5’6” & 181 lbs.) can hold up for a full sixteen games schedule of 20 carries per game, he showed us last night that he is tough enough to be a feature back in spots when called upon and possibly a starter in a two back system.
This poses and interesting dilemma for the Chargers, who brilliantly drafted him in the fourth round on the 2005 NFL draft (you remember that stellar draft, THE GREAT Alex Smith was the 1st overall pick). He made a little over $1.1 million this season and will definitely be getting a raise this off-season. The Chargers on the other hand are reliving the Michael Turner situation of a year ago. Turner was a great backup to LaDanian Tomlinson for four seasons. Once he became a free-agent, the Chargers had no choice but to let him go because it didn’t make any sense for them to pay a backup running back starting running back money, especially when he is playing behind the great LaDanian Tomlinson. It seemed to be an easy decision in the case of Turner. However, the Sproles decision will be a much tougher one to make. For starters, he is a GREAT return man on special teams. He is also a GREAT third down back. On top of all of that, he has also proven to be a good every down running back. Not to mention the unmentionable question that is in the back of the mind of the members of the Chargers front office as well as all Charger fans. That question is, HOW MUCH DOES LADANIEN TOMLINSON HAVE LEFT IN THE TANK?
I am in no way questioning Tomlinson’s ability because he still had over 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, but I am questioning his durability. For the second straight year, Tomlinson has been essentially ineffective in a playoff game due to injury. This basically shows that the wear and tear that he endures year in and year out takes a toll on his body. Come playoff time, he just doesn’t have anything left. The point of this entry is not to question Tomlinson’s toughness, because he is very tough. He has taken a pounding in his eight year career (over 2,600 regular season carries) and is arguably the best back in the league during that time and is in the conversation when discussing the best running backs ever. We must remember that he is fast approaching the “magical” running back age of 30. All football fans know, that once a running back turns 30 years old his career usually begins to take a nose-dive. Although there are some exceptions, Tomlinson is appearing to be the rule and not one of the rare exceptions.
I don’t know how much longer Tomlinson plans to play, but it seems as though it is time for the Chargers to implement a full-time two-back system. This will keep Tomlinson fresh for the playoffs. Tomlinson has been a workhorse his entire career and probably wouldn’t be thrilled with the prospect of splitting carries, but he must realize that it is best for him long-term and will allow him to actually be on the field when the games really count. If the Chargers elect to go in this direction, only one question remains. Is Darren Sproles the 2 in a potential Tomlinson-Sproles 1-2 punch? I’m sure they would love for him to be, but his play (especially Saturday night) has all but assured that they will have to over-pay to keep him because he will have plenty of suitors.
There are those who believe that it is possible for Tomlinson to join the long list of running backs who have retired earlier than expected. I have no idea if there is any truth to that, but if there is, the Chargers better make sure they have a suitable replacement. There is a chance that Sproles could be that guy or at least a part of the tandem that is that guy. If they think that he is, they will have to pay dearly.
To sum it all up, Sproles just made himself a lot of STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! on Saturday night.
****ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT NOTE****
I would like to say CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ATLANTA FALCONS AND THE MIAMI DOLPHINS and the fans of those teams. What they did this season was truly remarkable. There isn't a person on this planet that thought they would have a combined total of 11 wins this season, and they EACH MANAGED TO WIN 11 GAMES!!!! I know that there are no moral victories in the NFL, but each of these teams had seasons to be proud of and that will be remembered for a long time.
To the fans of those teams, DON'T HANG YOUR HEADS BECAUSE OF THE PLAYOFF LOSS. It was a great season. Enjoy it and look forward to next year. YOU GOTTA LOVE THE NFL!!!!
While watching the Chargers and the Colts playoff game last night (an excellent football game by the way), I couldn’t help but notice how Darren Sproles completely took over the game and beat the Colts virtually single-handedly. He had 328 all-purpose yards (total rushing, recieving, and return yards). This made me wonder how AJ Smith (the Chargers General Manager) is going to handle the running back situation next season. This will have to be addressed because Darren Sproles is in a contract year, which means that he will be a free-agent when their playoff run ends. The knock on Sproles has always been that he is too small to be a feature back in the NFL. He made the league as a kick-returner, and has proven that he is so much more. Although, we don’t know if his diminutive frame (he is listed at 5’6” & 181 lbs.) can hold up for a full sixteen games schedule of 20 carries per game, he showed us last night that he is tough enough to be a feature back in spots when called upon and possibly a starter in a two back system.
This poses and interesting dilemma for the Chargers, who brilliantly drafted him in the fourth round on the 2005 NFL draft (you remember that stellar draft, THE GREAT Alex Smith was the 1st overall pick). He made a little over $1.1 million this season and will definitely be getting a raise this off-season. The Chargers on the other hand are reliving the Michael Turner situation of a year ago. Turner was a great backup to LaDanian Tomlinson for four seasons. Once he became a free-agent, the Chargers had no choice but to let him go because it didn’t make any sense for them to pay a backup running back starting running back money, especially when he is playing behind the great LaDanian Tomlinson. It seemed to be an easy decision in the case of Turner. However, the Sproles decision will be a much tougher one to make. For starters, he is a GREAT return man on special teams. He is also a GREAT third down back. On top of all of that, he has also proven to be a good every down running back. Not to mention the unmentionable question that is in the back of the mind of the members of the Chargers front office as well as all Charger fans. That question is, HOW MUCH DOES LADANIEN TOMLINSON HAVE LEFT IN THE TANK?
I am in no way questioning Tomlinson’s ability because he still had over 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, but I am questioning his durability. For the second straight year, Tomlinson has been essentially ineffective in a playoff game due to injury. This basically shows that the wear and tear that he endures year in and year out takes a toll on his body. Come playoff time, he just doesn’t have anything left. The point of this entry is not to question Tomlinson’s toughness, because he is very tough. He has taken a pounding in his eight year career (over 2,600 regular season carries) and is arguably the best back in the league during that time and is in the conversation when discussing the best running backs ever. We must remember that he is fast approaching the “magical” running back age of 30. All football fans know, that once a running back turns 30 years old his career usually begins to take a nose-dive. Although there are some exceptions, Tomlinson is appearing to be the rule and not one of the rare exceptions.
I don’t know how much longer Tomlinson plans to play, but it seems as though it is time for the Chargers to implement a full-time two-back system. This will keep Tomlinson fresh for the playoffs. Tomlinson has been a workhorse his entire career and probably wouldn’t be thrilled with the prospect of splitting carries, but he must realize that it is best for him long-term and will allow him to actually be on the field when the games really count. If the Chargers elect to go in this direction, only one question remains. Is Darren Sproles the 2 in a potential Tomlinson-Sproles 1-2 punch? I’m sure they would love for him to be, but his play (especially Saturday night) has all but assured that they will have to over-pay to keep him because he will have plenty of suitors.
There are those who believe that it is possible for Tomlinson to join the long list of running backs who have retired earlier than expected. I have no idea if there is any truth to that, but if there is, the Chargers better make sure they have a suitable replacement. There is a chance that Sproles could be that guy or at least a part of the tandem that is that guy. If they think that he is, they will have to pay dearly.
To sum it all up, Sproles just made himself a lot of STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! on Saturday night.
****ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT NOTE****
I would like to say CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ATLANTA FALCONS AND THE MIAMI DOLPHINS and the fans of those teams. What they did this season was truly remarkable. There isn't a person on this planet that thought they would have a combined total of 11 wins this season, and they EACH MANAGED TO WIN 11 GAMES!!!! I know that there are no moral victories in the NFL, but each of these teams had seasons to be proud of and that will be remembered for a long time.
To the fans of those teams, DON'T HANG YOUR HEADS BECAUSE OF THE PLAYOFF LOSS. It was a great season. Enjoy it and look forward to next year. YOU GOTTA LOVE THE NFL!!!!
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