We’ve all heard the clichés, “Defense Wins Championships” and “To win you have to be able to run the ball.” While both of those clichés still hold true, in today’s NFL you have got to be able to move the ball through the air if you want to be successful. Other than the 2000 Baltimore Ravens (which is an exception because they had the greatest defense in NFL history), no team has been able to get to the Super Bowl without having at least an average passing attack. Take last season for example. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense relied on their quarterback, wide receivers, and tight end to get to and eventually win the Super Bowl (they finished 23rd in rushing). The Cardinals on the other hand, finished the regular season 9-7, but got hot in the playoffs thanks to the performances turned in by Kurt Warner and their all-world receivers (ranked 32nd in rushing).
Throughout history, there have been many wide receivers that have made their quarterbacks seem to be much better than they were. What would we think of Daunte Culpepper if he never played with Randy Moss or Cris Carter? Imagine Joe Montana and Steve Young without Jerry Rice. Also, would Troy Aikman be in the Hall of Fame without Michael Irvin? Just food for thought. A lot of people view receivers as attention seeking, self-centered Diva’s (much like another player I won’t mention). Which is true in a lot of cases, but you just can’t win without them.
Which NFL team has the best set of receiver and tight ends? To find out, scroll down and check out STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’S!!!! 2009 RECEIVER RANKINGS.
#1 Arizona Cardinals – Larry Fitzgerald is the second best receiver in the NFL, so needless to say, he IS A LEGIT #1 RECEIVER. Opposite him is Anquan Bolden, who would be the #1 receiver on any team in the league other than the Patriots, Texans, Lions, and Colts. Their third receiver is Steve Breaston, who is good enough to be the #1 target on a bad football team. If you don’t believe me, just imagine him on the Rams or 49ers. He would definitely be the go to guy. Ben Patrick is also a very good tight end. Long story short, this set of receivers is a quarterback’s dream. I can’t name one NFL team that has three shut down corners. Because of that, this group is unstoppable. By the way, all three receivers topped 1,000 receiving yards last season. You can’t defend all of them straight up, and if you decide to focus on one person, the other three will kill you. GOOD LUCK TO THE DEFENSES THAT HAVE TO FACE THEM THIS SEASON!!!!
#2 New England Patriots – RANDY MOSS IS THE BEST RECEIVER IN NFL HISTORY!!!! That is a fact, and it is not debatable. He can do things on a football field that have never been done before, and will never be done again. Alongside him is Wes Welker, the luckiest receiver in NFL history. Because Moss faces two and sometimes three defenders on every play, Welker gets to run around in the slot against linebackers and backup defensive backs. Without Moss, Welker would be nothing but a glorified punt returner that can occasionally get open in the slot (think Tim Dwight). That being said, Welker is great at what he does and takes full advantage of his opportunities. He has great hands and is very dependable. His only flaw is that he cannot consistently get open against front line defensive backs, but thanks to Moss he doesn’t have to. The only reason that this group is ranked #2 instead of #1 is that Joey Galloway is no more than a name at this point in his career. Age and injuries has caught up with him. He is no Steve Breaston. However, the tight end duo of Ben Watson and Chris Baker will also be highly effective.
#3 Indianapolis Colts – No Marvin Harrison, no problem. They have been training Anthony Gonzalez to replace Harrison when the time came, and now is that time. Don’t get me wrong, Harrison is a Hall of Famer, and Gonzalez will not come close to his career accomplishments. However, I do think that Gonzo will be able to replace Harrison’s recent production. Truthfully, there won’t be any pressure on Gonzalez because he will be the team’s third option on pass routes. Reggie Wayne is a beast to cover and Dallas Clark is a top five tight end. This group has been consistently doing it for so long. They don’t really do anything fancy. They line up in virtually the same place every play and they rarely, if ever, send a man in motion. They simply out execute their opponents every week. No gimmicks, just execution.
#4 Green Bay Packers – I bet the Diva would love to play with this group. Although there isn’t a superstar among the bunch, they are all excellent players. Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are great, and James Jones is an excellent third option. They are also two deep at tight end with absolute studs. Donald Lee has already shown the world what he can do. But keep an eye out for second year pro Jermichael Finley. He will be a beast this year. Aaron Rodgers is one lucky man. He may have had to put up with the Favre headache for several years, but it looks like good things do indeed come to those who wait.
#5 Buffalo Bills – This will be a terrible football team this season, but their receivers are awesome. As much as I hate T.O. off the field, on the field he is going to give opposing defensive coaches headaches this year. That’s because you just can’t focus on him. Lee Evans is as much a threat to beat you deep as he is. They also have Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish who are also very capable receivers. It’s too bad that the defense won’t be able to stop anyone, the quarterback is average at best, and they play in a division with the Patriots and Dolphins. If those things weren’t the case, we would expect big things out of the Bills this year. Honestly I don’t think that Trent Edwards will be able to consistently get the ball to these playmakers, so their stats won’t reflect their talent. But they are indeed among the most talented group in the league.
#6 Cincinnatti Bengals – When Chad OchoCinco is focused, he is among the best wide receivers in the league. And guess what, HE IS FOCUSED!!!! Opposite Chad will be Laveraneus Coles, who is the definition of dependable professional. I know plenty of you reading this will doubt Chad, but be careful what you say because he will have you eating those words at the end of the season (if Carson Palmer stays healthy). When he’s focused he sleeps at the facility and works out and practices like a maniac. So beware, BECAUSE HE IS FOCUSED!!!! Also, keep an eye on rookie tight end Chase Coffman. He is legit.
#7 Pittsburgh Steelers – Truthfully, this team does not have a legit #1 receiver. However they do have two playmakers who always make the play when it is absolutely needed. When they need to get open, they find a way. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are both clutch and are also good enough to keep defenses honest. While they control the outside, Heath Miller roams the middle of the field and is also always open when needed. This may not be the most talented group in the NFL, but they are arguably the most dependable.
#8 Houston Texans – You are familiar with Andre Johnson, right? He is the third best receiver in the league (some people may even say second). Frankly, this would be a top ten group if Freddie Mitchell and Mike Williams were playing with him. Instead he has the solid Andre Davis opposite him, and a very good tight end in Owen Daniels.
#9 Philadelphia Eagles – I never thought I would ever say this, but Donavan McNabb actually has some legit receivers in Philadelphia. Truthfully adding a player the caliber of Anquan Boldin would have made this offense unstoppable, but they still have enough weapons to be very good this year. Although Desean Jackson has a mental lapse every now and then, he is a legit threat. Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett may not be anything special, but they are dependable targets. What will make this group go will be the speed of rookie Jeremy Macklin. If you thought Jackson was good, wait until you see this guy in action. Jason Avante will also be a big contributor this season. They still have the ever-disappointing and underachieving Reggie Brown on the roster, but they have enough talent to overcome his lack of production. This team will make a run for the Super Bowl this season, and the receivers will help lead the way.
#10 Dallas Cowboys – No T.O., no problem. Will they miss T.O.’s production? Probably. Do they have enough on the roster to make that up? Yes they do. If Dallas is smart, they will be primarily a running team that makes a lot of passes to the tight end off of play action. I mention the tight ends because Jason Whitten is among the best in the league, and Martellus Bennett is very good and would be the unquestioned starter on more than half of the teams in the league. Although Roy Williams is not T.O., he is still better than most #1 options in the league today. Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin will also be good enough. The receivers are very good and the tight ends are great. That makes them #10.
#11 Carolina Panthers – Steve Smith has been one of the best receivers in league since 2003, and I don’t expect that to change this season. You really can’t double him because the Panther running game is so darn good. Needless to say, he eats single coverage alive. I am yet to see the corner that can shut him down one on one. Muhsin Muhammad is amazingly still reliable opposite him, and if they get anything out of Dwyane Jarrett, the league had better watch out. All this group needs is a quarterback, but we will talk about that next week.
#12 Atlanta Falcons – I can honestly say that I saw this beginning to happen two years ago. RODDY WHITE IS A LEGIT #1 NFL RECEIVER. Even more amazing, Michael Jenkins has developed into a slightly below average #2 receiver. Which one is the biggest surprise? All jokes aside, White will demand special attention from defenses all season. However, they can’t focus too much on him, because the best pass catching tight end in NFL history has just joined the Falcons. Tony Gonzalez was the missing piece to making this offense a force to be reckoned with. The fact that defenses first priority when facing the Falcons will and should be stopping the run, this group will run wild and make a lot of big plays. Just think, if Michael Jenkins steps his game up and becomes an average #2 receiver, they could be in the top ten next year.
#13 Minnesota Vikings – While it may be true that this group is nowhere near as good as the Packers receivers (9 spots worst to be exact), it is also true that the Packers don’t have a guy as fast as Percy Harvin. Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice don’t scare anyone. There isn’t a defensive coordinator in the league that has ever lost sleep trying to figure out how to defend those two. Harvin on the other hand will cause headaches. I bet we find out what the official headache medicine of the NFL is this season. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe is also a very good player. He is in a great situation to explode this year because he has Harvin to his outside and Adrian Peterson behind him (it should be illegal to have that much speed on the field at one time). Look for him to make the Pro Bowl this year.
#14 San Diego Chargers – Antonio Gates is the unquestioned #1 receiver on this team. This used to be a really good thing because the actual receivers were terrible. Now, Gates is the #1 receiver because he is THAT GOOD and not because the receivers are horrible. Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, and Eric Parker have all proven to be reliable targets for the newly rich Phillip Rivers. Rivers will throw for over 4,000 yards this season, and fortunately Gates won’t have to have 3,549 receiving yards.
#15 Seattle Seahawks – Talent wise, this group should be ranked higher. But based on actual production, this is about right. Nate Burleson and Deion Branch have both failed to duplicate the success they had with their former teams. TJ Houshmandzadeh will be a welcome addition and John Carlson is a solid tight end, but this group as a whole doesn’t get me too excited.
#16 Detroit Lions – Calvin Johnson is the only reason they are in the top twenty. Bryant Johnson is nothing more than a journeyman and Brandon Pettigrew is an unproven rookie tight end (albeit with a lot of potential).
#17 Washington Redskins – Yes, Santana Moss is very good. But he is no Calvin Johnson, which is why they ranked below the Lions. Chris Cooley is also a heck of a player at tight end. As for the rest of the receivers, Antwaan Randle El is what he is, and the two second year players had very forgettable rookie seasons. I hope Clinton Portis has his big boy shoulder pads on, because it will all be all on him this season.
#18 New Orleans Saints – It’s amazing that Drew Brees threw for so many yards last season, because his receivers are nothing special. They don’t have a legit number one, and don’t really scare anyone. I guess this means that Drew Brees is so accurate that you can’t drop the ball.
#19 New York Giants – Now this team is hard to place. There are those who say that they have a lot of depth at receiver. That is not how I view the situation. To me, it looks as though they have a lot of bodies but no one has proven anything. Steve Smith played very well last year opposite the idiot that shot himself, but can he do that when the coverage is actually rolled to him? I don’t know. They also have Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon, Sinorice Moss, and rookie Hakeem Nicks. That is a lot of names, but can any of them step up and be the go to guy without Burress on the field. We will see, but until then, they will remain at #19.
#20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Antonio Bryant is finally playing up to all of the promise that he showed in college at Pitt. Kellen Winslow is also a heck of a football player, a head-case for sure, but also a great football player. Everyone else is pretty bad. It won’t matter much because this is going to be a REALLY BAD FOOTBALL TEAM THIS SEASON.
#21 Chicago Bears – Greg Olsen is legit a tight end, but can any of the receivers actually play receiver? Devin Hester may be the world’s richest freeze tag player, but can he really run a shallow cross and actually catch the ball? Can he drive the cornerback off of him and then run a comeback route? I don’t know, you don’t know, and Jay Cutler doesn’t know. We will all find out together. What we do know is that Hester is fast, but we don’t know if he will have the ball in hand while running.
#22 Denver Broncos – This group would undoubtedly be ranked higher if Brandon Marshall (more on him later in the blog) actually wanted to play for the team this season. He doesn’t, so they are ranked 22nd. Eddie Royal and Tony Scheffler are nice players but Marshall is the engine that makes this offense go. Jay Cutler really wanted out of Denver and he got his way. But he will really miss playing with Brandon Marshall. Or will he? Might they be reunited?
#23 Baltimore Ravens – I am beginning to think that this team is allergic to wide receivers. Derrick Mason is old, Mark Clayton is decent at best, and Todd Heap and LJ Smith are injured more than Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill. Although the defense is great and the running game very good, the Ravens are going to have to make some plays through the air at some point if they plan on being contenders. Truthfully, I’m not sure if these guys can do it.
#24 Tennessee Titans – This is another team that is allergic to wide receivers. Their tight ends are really the stars of their passing game. Bo Scaife is a nice player and Fat Albert (Has anyone see Alge Crumpler lately? He looks like Grady Jackson’s mini-me.) They did add Nate Washington from Pittsburgh and drafted Kenny Britt from Rutgers. That being said, I still think that Chris Johnson will face 8 and 9 man fronts all season long.
#25 Miami Dolphins – Ted Ginn Jr. may turn out to be a NFL receiver after all. Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo really turned some heads last season. Was it a fluke or are they legit? I will have to see before I rank them any higher.
#26 Jacksonville Jaguars – Torry Holt is pretty much it. I don’t know why he signed there because this is not a good football team. Former first-round bust Troy Williamson is also trying to revive his career.
#27 New York Jets – None of these guys scare me. Jerricho Cotchery is decent and Dustin Keller is an average tight end, but everyone else might as well be blocking dummies. I’m assuming that David Clowney is historically great in the pre-season because I heard an announcer call him “Mr. August” after scoring a pre-season touchdown. That must be true because he has a grand total of one regular season reception during his two year career.
#28 Cleveland Browns – Watching Braylon Edwards play football is like watching Lamar Odom play basketball. You can’t help but wonder how good he could be if he actually tried. He has all of the talent in the world, but just isn’t committed to becoming great. Who knows how he will play this season. Mike Furrey and David Patton don’t scare anyone. Hopefully rookies Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie will be able to contribute early (which is doubtful).
#29 Kansas City Chiefs – New coach Todd Haley was the offensive coordinator for the Cardinals last season. Now he is the head coach of the Chiefs. Do you think he sees a difference in the receivers? Todd, you can click you heels together all you want but Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are not walking through that door.
#30 St. Louis Rams – Donnie Avery, Ronald Curry, Laurent Robinson, and Randy McMichael. Anyone scared? I didn’t think so. All I have to say is that Steven Jackson had better get ready to face 12 men in the box every play. Yes, I said 12. I am also counting the back judge because there will be no deep passes for him to officiate. Therefore he can get in the way, close to the line of scrimmage as well.
#31 San Francisco 49ers – Michael Crabtree has not signed yet, and it really doesn’t matter. Because this team will run the ball 65 times a game this season. If you had a bad quarterback, bad receivers, and a bad tight end, what would you do?
#32 Oakland Raiders – Is anyone really surprised? If Darrius Heyward-Bey is the answer, I would love for someone to tell me what the question was.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER AND SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Brandon Marshall (Denver Broncos) – Do you think that Josh McDaniels regret ever agreeing to become the Head Coach of the Denver Broncos. It has been a nightmare from day one (most of which was his own doing). First he runs Jay Cutler (check in next week to see where he ranks among NFL quarterbacks) out of town, and now he is in a bitter feud with star receiver Brandon Marshall. Marshall obviously wants out of Denver. If McDaniels didn’t know that before, he found out when Marshall showed up to practice in his pajama pants, shoulder pads, jersey, helmet, and cleats. I know that this should not make him the Baller of the Week and I usually don’t condone this type of behavior, but he wins the award because the entire situation was simply HILARIOUS!!!! He has also been simply knocking the ball down instead of catching it during passing drills. Needless to say, he was later suspended for conduct detrimental to the team.
SCRUB: Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers?) – Michael Crabtree (10th overall pick in the draft) has yet to sign with the San Francisco 49ers. In the NFL, the order in which you were drafted usually determines how the value of your contract will compare with the other draft picks. Basically, the higher you are drafted, the more money you make. It is basically a slotting system, which means that the #6 pick will be paid somewhere between the #5 and #7 picks. Crabtree was drafted 10th and is reportedly looking for a contract that is higher than the #7 pick (Darrius Heyward-Bey) because he feels as though he is a better player. He is in fact a better player than Heyward-Bey, but Heyward-Bey was drafted three spots ahead of him. The 49ers are reportedly offering him a deal that is worth somewhere between what the #9 and #11 picks got.
Don’t get me wrong, I am usually always in support of players getting more money. But in this case, Crabtree is being an idiot. You were drafted where you were drafted. Sign the contract and play football. You haven’t proven one thing in the NFL, and you play a position that has a high bust rate. Although we all think that you will be a good if not great player, no one really knows. Also, unless you grew up ridiculously wealthy making somewhere between $25 million and $28.5 million over the next five years should make you pretty happy. Also, do you really think that people want to see another spoiled athlete hold out because he feels entitled to receive more money, while people are losing their jobs left and right? Sign the contract and play. If you don’t, what are you going to do all year? Be a brain surgeon?
One more thing to think about since you've got a lot of time on your hands. THE NFL SEASON WILL GO ON WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
ALL I NEED IS ONE STOP
I was tempted to do my quarterback ranking this week, but I decided to wait two more weeks for the Diva to finally decide if she really is going to play this season. Although the rest of the world is sick and tired of him (especially me), I must commend Brett Favre’s self-deprecating sense of humor. (Please see clip below.)
Instead, we will discuss my favorite side of the ball this week. THE DEFENSE!!!!
Eleven guys working together to cause destruction and bodily harm to the offense is the beauty that is defensive football. Everyone knows that I love the NFL, but what I like most about it is the defensive side of the football. The NFL is a marketing machine and they are very good at selling their product to the casual sports fan. They often make rules that will hurt defenses and allow offenses to run freely and score more points. For instance, you can’t touch a receiver more than five yards from the line of scrimmage. That was created to allow receivers to get a nearly free release and get downfield to make big plays. They have also made rules protecting quarterbacks to the point that they cannot be hit above the shoulders, below the knees, in the arm, from behind, while throwing, or while looking for a receiver. In today’s ultra-quarterback friendly NFL, the only way to get a sack is to untie the QB’s shoelaces and hope that he trips.
That being said, the great defenses are still able to bring the pain and wreak havoc all over the football field. They give opposing quarterbacks and coordinators fits and cause many sleepless nights. Can you imagine how whichever scrub starts in Cleveland is going to feel before playing the Steelers and Ravens twice this season? Trust me they will have at least four sleepless Saturday nights this season. A great defense dictates to the offense what they must do. The NFL has some great ones, but there are also some terrible ones. If you are curious to see who fits into each category, scroll down and check out STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’s!!!! 2009 Defensive Rankings.
#1 Pittsburgh Steelers – Truthfully I have never been a Steelers fan, and for the life of me, I can’t tell you why. I have never held a personal grudge against any of their players (although I did think that Joey Porter was an idiot when he said that he didn’t like playing against Peyton Manning because he forced you think too much). I had a great deal of respect for Bill Cowher, and I am a huge supporter of Omar Epps, I mean Mike Tomlin on the sideline. Yet for some reason, I have never really liked this team. I am also a big fan of three of their current players. The first being the toughest receiver in NFL history, Hines Ward (he’s a favorite, but not a Hall of Famer). The other two play on the side of the ball that I am discussing in this entry. They would be Lawrence Timmons (I am a huge Florida State fan), and the other being none other than the second best safety in the NFL Troy Polamalu. That being said, they are entering the season as my top ranked defense. Casey Hampton leads a very good defensive line. Their linebackers, led by James Harrison are GREAT (as they always are in Steel town). As for the secondary, Ryan Clark & Troy Polamalu are the second best set of safeties in the league (behind Ed Reed and whoever they choose to put beside him in Baltimore), but their corners are far from shut down defenders. Their average corners (Deshea Townsend & William Gay) are the weakest link in this defense. That shouldn’t matter much when the front seven applies so much pressure and you have great safeties covering the back end. To top it all off, they also have a brilliant coach calling the shots. Dick LeBeau might just be the first ever assistant coach elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
#2 Baltimore Ravens – All REAL FOOTBALL FANS should circle November 29th and December 27th on their calendars. On those dates, my #1 & #2 ranked defenses will go head to head, and it will be a blood bath. The Ravens defense has been great for a historically long period of time. General Manager Ozzie Newsome has managed to keep a core group of guys together while sprinkling in the perfect mix of role players. They are led by THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NFL (Safety Ed Reed), Terrell Suggs, and future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. They are truly the rock of a team that has never really had a consistent offense. I know they lost coordinator Rex Ryan, but I honestly don’t think that will matter one bit. On this team the players make the coach, not the other way around. If you don’t believe me, answer this one question. What do Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan, Jack Del Rio, Mike Smith, Mike Singletary, and Rex Ryan all have in common? The answer is that they are/were all NFL Head Coaches, who at one time was a defensive coach for the Baltimore Ravens. So, does the coach make the players, or do the players make the coach? The only reason that I have them ranked #2 instead of #1 is because they lost Bart Scott and Jim Leonard. Truthfully they will be great without them, but they will still be missed in crunch time against the Steelers.
#3 Tennessee Titans – Again, not a big fan of the Titans but I must call a spade a spade. This defense is the truth. I know that they lost Albert Haynesworth, and that they don’t have a tackle on their roster nearly as good. But they still have a very good rotation of defensive ends (Jevon Kearse, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Jacob Ford), and solid tackles. The linebackers are rock solid, but their secondary is filled with BALLERS!!!! Cortland Finnegan, Nick Harper, Chris Hope, and Michael Griffin will make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks and receivers.
#4 Minnesota Vikings – This is easily the best four-man defensive front in football. As a matter of fact, I would like to make a Public Service Announcement to the teams that will play them this season. YOU CAN’T RUN THE FOOTBALL AGAINST THEM, SO DON’T TRY! (They gave up less than 80 rushing yards per game last season.) Any defense that can completely take away one phase of the oppositions offense, will be successful. Also, it is a good idea to avoid third and long situations against them. In case you forgot, Jared Allen is a beast coming off of the edge. The sad thing is that if you slide the protection his way, someone else WILL beat you.
#5 San Diego Chargers – The players on this defense have absolutely jaw-dropping athletic ability. The two outside linebackers (Shawne Merriman & Shaun Phillips) look like they were built in some sort of lab or something. They also have the best 3-4 nose tackle in the game in Jamal Williams. They also have arguably the best athlete in the league at cornerback. I am referring to Antonio Cromartie. Last season Merriman was injured and Antonio Cromartie was a bit banged up both physically and mentally (he played with a broken hip and let’s just say that he was thinking about all of his kids, by all of those women, in all of those different states). They are both back to full strength, so the league had better watch out.
#6 New York Jets – Not only did Rex Ryan go to New York, but he brought two of his star pupils with him. That’s right, the Jets defense will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Kris Jenkins is holding down the middle of the line. They also have the best linebacker in the NFL that no one has heard of. That would be David Harris. If you didn’t recognize the name, I will say it a little slower for you. His name is D-A-V-I-D H-A-R-R-I-S. He is a true baller, and people will realize just how good he is this year. As for the secondary, they will be a lot of fun to watch this year. Darrelle Revis is one his way to becoming a shut-down corner, and he has Lito Sheppard playing opposite him. They also have a great pair of safeties behind them in Jim Leonhard and Kerry Rhodes (Ed Reed Jr.). They will produce a lot of turnovers.
#7 Arizona Cardinals – They have ballers all over the field. They have Darnell Dockett on the defensive line, Karlos Dansby at linebacker, and a secondary that consists of Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Bryant McFadden, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
#8 New York Giants – Aaron Ross and Corey Webster are good corners and their linebackers are decent. But those characteristics don’t make a top ten defense. They are in the top ten because of the pass rushers they possess. It truly is an embarrassment of riches. Just imagine facing this foursome on third and long; Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Canty, and Rocky Bernard. That is only if they are playing straight up. If they decide to blitz you better find blockers for Michael Boley and/or Mathias Kiwanuka. Remember this is the same team that made the Patriots offensive line look like the high school team that Brett Favre works out with. Scientific research has shown that quarterbacks hate pressure, and guess what, they bring a lot of it.
#9 Washington Redskins – This was the best unspectacular defense in the NFL last season. Believe it or not, they were the NFL’s 4th ranked defense last season. That was in spite of having only 13 interceptions and 24 sacks all season. They have added some playmakers to an already solid defense. The biggest addition (both literally and figuratively) is Albert Haynesworth. If he lives up to his contract, the rest of the league is in trouble. They also drafted Brian Orakpo with their first round pick. Trust me, he will be in the running for Rookie of The Year.
#10 Dallas Cowboys – Demarcus Ware = 20 sacks.
#11 Miami Dolphins – If you are calling an offensive play, how do you block both Jason Taylor and the most intellectual player in the NFL (Joey Porter)? Bill Parcells knows the 3-4 defense very well, and it shows by how he built this one so fast. They will have young corners, but the pass rush should help them out a great deal. They also have Gibril Wilson, who is one heck of a safety.
#12 Carolina Panthers – They will go as Julius Pepper goes. Look for him to have a heck of a year this season. He has $16.7 reasons to be a beast this year. On top of that, this is also a contract year. In other words, look for Peppers and the Panthers defense to be very good this season.
#13 Philadelphia Eagles – If this team has safeties that actually belonged in the NFL, they would be much higher on this list. I hope Asante and Sheldon Brown are ready because they will not get any help all season from the back end of the defense. (Please don’t say they will miss Brian Dawkins, because he was just as bad as those other clowns last season.) Too bad Michael Vick doesn’t play safety, because he would surely help.
#14 Indianapolis Colts – They have two great pass rushers, very good linebackers, and good corners. But none of that will mean a thing if Bob Sanders is not healthy. He is the key to everything they do, in defending against the pass as well as the run. So basically they are what Bob allows them to be. I sure hope he stays healthy. Without him, they can’t get to the AFC title game and lose to the Patriots.
#15 Cincinnati Bengals – SURPRISE! Are they higher than you expected? I think that Marvin Lewis & Mike Zimmer have finally gotten this defense right. They will be a fast and hard-hitting defense that will create a lot of turnovers. This team will be a lot better than people think this year, and the defense is a big reason why.
#16 New England Patriots – They have a good defensive scheme, but some of the components are old enough to have voted for Jimmy Carter. They have been getting younger and younger each year, but they aren’t done yet. As long as Teddy Bruschi and Shawne Springs are starters, I just can’t put them in the top ten. That being said they will still be good enough to make enough plays to ensure that the offense carries the team to the Super Bowl.
#17 Chicago Bears – How the mighty have fallen. It’s a good thing that they traded for quarterback Jay Cutler, because their days of controlling the ball on offense and having their defense win games are over. This defense was once great, but now they are average. Tommie Harris is without a doubt the key to this defense. When he is healthy (which is about as often as Steven Jackson is healthy), he absolutely dominates opposing offensive lines. Lance Briggs is still a great player also. Age and injury have caught up with Brian Urlacher, and the rest of the defense just isn’t as good as they once were. They used to be top five, but now they will hover around mediocrity all year. It will be Jay Cutler and Matt Forte that will win games for them, not the defense.
#18 Oakland Raiders – Last year MeAngelo Fall (aka DeAngelo Hall) got a chance to see what a real shutdown corner looks like. NNAMDI ASOMUGHA IS THE BEST CORNER IN THE NFL! If you don’t believe me, watch a Raiders game and watch the opposing quarterback avoid throwing his way the entire game. I haven’t seen respect like this since Champ Bailey was in his prime. Asomugha is so good that, offenses chose to focus on exposing MeAngelo last season. They were successful. MeAngelo was fired midway through the season. They also have two very good linebackers in Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard. They will be decent this year, especially considering that they added Greg Ellis to play defensive end.
#19 Houston Texans – Is this the year the Texans finally make the playoffs? (I will tell you in a couple of weeks.) If so, their defense will have to play better. They have a superstar in DeMeco Ryans, and a stud at defensive end in Mario Williams (admit it, we were all wrong about him). Dunta Robinson is also a very good corner, but the rest of the defense leaves a lot to be desired. If Houston is going to finally make the playoffs this year, they will have to play above their talent level.
#20 Seattle Seahawks – They drafted Aaron Curry, but lost Julian Peterson, which put them right back where they started. They also lost Rocky Bernard, and you really can’t count on Patrick Kerney or Marcus Trufant to stay healthy all season. They still have some good players and should be competitive in most games. Personally, I hope that they don’t and that Jim Mora has a miserable season. I’m just not a fan.
#21 Green Bay Packers – This defense has too much talent to be as bad as they were a year ago. They were so bad that the team decided not only to switch defensive coordinators, but to also implement an entire new defensive philosophy. Coach Dom Capers has brought his version of the 3-4 of the defense to the land of the Cheeseheads. I hope that they can turn things around in a hurry, because the offense is very good. The back end of the defense will be fine with Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Nick Collins, and Atari Bigby. But the front seven has a lot of work to do.
#22 New Orleans Saints – If this defense could just be average, the Saints would be a Super Bowl contender. Unfortunately they are ranked #22, which means that they are six spots below average. New coordinator Gregg Williams will make a huge difference. They also have some very good players such as Jonathan Vilma, Tracey Porter, Randall Gay, Rod Coleman, and rookie Malcolm Jenkins. However, they still have the most talented, under-performing duo at defensive end in the entire NFL. Will Smith and Charles Grant should be much better than they are. They are also likely to miss four games, which makes matters even worse. While I do expect this defense to be better than they were last year, I still don’t think they will be good enough to be considered average. Believe it or not, it is entirely possible that this team could miss the playoffs again. All because of the defense.
#23 Atlanta Falcons – Are we ready to call Jamal Anderson a bust yet? Just imagine how good this defense would be if he was as good as a slightly below average player. Then offensive lines could focus on John Abraham. If Abraham had any help, he could easily be a twenty sack guy. I must say that I am extremely happy that Keith Brooking, the first down tackling machine, has left the city. He has been replaced by Mike Peterson, which is a definite upgrade. However, the Falcons will struggle because they failed to keep two budding defensive stars on the roster. Although Thomas Demitroff has done nothing that we should second guess up to this point, I often wonder why he allowed Michael Boley and Dominique Foxworth to leave via free agency. They did not exactly break the bank, and the Falcons could afford to match or even surpass both of those contracts. They will regret those decisions. Abraham is the only proven commodity on the defensive line, and let’s face it, he is due for an injury (not wishing it on him, just looking at history). The linebacker group is solid, although they would be great with Boley. There are a lot of questions in the secondary. Is Chris Houston a #1 corner? Is Brett Grimes (feisty as he may be) a #2 corner? Will the safeties be any good? Too many questions to have ranked any higher. Remember, they weren’t exactly the Ravens last year and they lost their second and third best defensive players (Boley & Foxworth). However, they will play hard and not get blown out of too many games.
#24 San Francisco 49ers – They have some good players, but not enough. Mike Singletary will do the best that he can with the talent that he has. Patrick Willis is a stud, but Nate Clements is over-paid and over-rated. Takeo Spikes is just old and not very good anymore.
#25 Buffalo Bills – Former Falcon Brian Scott has a chance to start at safety. Need I say more to explain why they are ranked this low. This one player negates all of the positive things that I planned to say about this defense.
#26 Jacksonville Jaguars – It is not going to be fun playing defense in Jacksonville this season. You have to face Peyton Manning, Andre Johnson, and Chris Johnson twice each. In addition to that you also have to deal with high powered offenses of the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. Oh, and one more thing, YOU’RE NOT THAT GOOD!!!! Good luck, you are going to need it. (Jack, it’s time to dust off the resume. Because you my friend, have a bad football team on your hands).
#27 Cleveland Browns – Shaun Rogers and Eric Wright are legitimate NFL players. Too bad they are the only two.
#28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – This unit is either too old or too unproven at basically every position. It will be a long year in Tampa. They are in the wrong division to have a bad defense.
#29 St. Louis Rams – Can Steve Spagnuolo create the pressure he did with the Giants. The answer is NO, and THEY WILL STRUGGLE! On the bright-side, running backs will be stopped as soon as they cross the first-down marker this season. That is because they drafted THE NEXT KIETH BROOKING, in middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Am I the only one that sees the similarities?
#30 Detroit Lions – Any success that they have this season will be the result of scheme and effort. They do have two talented players on defense in Ernie Simms and Julian Peterson, but the star of this defense will be new head coach Jim Schwartz. I’m sure that Lions fans are hoping their defense can one day be as good as the one in Nashville. Well they have the man that built the Titans on their sideline now, so we will see what he can do.
#31 Kansas City Chiefs – At least they aren’t last, but they are behind Detroit.
#32 Denver Broncos – Josh McDaniel was smart enough to run off a franchise quarterback, when he was inheriting the league’s worst defense. That was smart. Then you replaced him with a quarterback whose skill set says that you play it safe on offense and let your defense win the games. BUT YOUR DEFENSE SUCKS!!!! This guy is definitely not winning Coach Of The Year. Champ Bailey is still good, but past his prime. DJ Williams is also a good player, but the defensive line can’t get any pressure on the quarterback. This means that it will be a long year in Denver. They won’t be able to score on offense and they CERTAINLY WON’T BE ABLE TO STOP TEAMS FROM SCORING ON DEFENSE!!!! You must remember that this team had the #2 ranked offense in the league last season, and MISSED THE PLAYOFFS!!!! And guess what, they did not make any upgrades from that defensive unit.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Usain Bolt (Jamaican Track Team) – Bolt not only won three gold medals at the Track & Field World Championships, he also set two new world records. This guy is amazing. He is easily the fastest human on earth. What is really scary is that none of his races are ever close. All I can say is WOW!
SCRUB: Josh McDaniel (Head Coach of the Denver Broncos) – That quarterback you replaced Jay Cutler with threw THREE INTERCEPTION IN HIS FIRST PRE-SEASON ACTION! That was a great trade. I know it is only pre-season, but it is Kyle Orton. Do you expect him to suddenly turn into Peyton Manning when the regular season starts? Don’t hold your breath! I know that you didn’t throw the picks, but I am still blaming you because you are the one that brought him here. If you didn’t make him a Denver Bronco, there is no way that he throws those picks for the Denver Broncos. I used to have a hard time deciding if Mike Tice or Marty Mornhinweg were the dumbest coaches in NFL history. But you have taken that title from both of them, WITHOUT COACHING ONE REGULAR SEASON GAME!!!! By the way, your best player (Brandon Marshall) also wants out. Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Guess what, the offense in Denver was great before you arrived. Why didn’t you try to run off the defensive players instead? That would have been more productive. If you don’t win the Super Bowl this year (and trust me, you won’t), the people of Denver will do their best to run you out of town.
Instead, we will discuss my favorite side of the ball this week. THE DEFENSE!!!!
Eleven guys working together to cause destruction and bodily harm to the offense is the beauty that is defensive football. Everyone knows that I love the NFL, but what I like most about it is the defensive side of the football. The NFL is a marketing machine and they are very good at selling their product to the casual sports fan. They often make rules that will hurt defenses and allow offenses to run freely and score more points. For instance, you can’t touch a receiver more than five yards from the line of scrimmage. That was created to allow receivers to get a nearly free release and get downfield to make big plays. They have also made rules protecting quarterbacks to the point that they cannot be hit above the shoulders, below the knees, in the arm, from behind, while throwing, or while looking for a receiver. In today’s ultra-quarterback friendly NFL, the only way to get a sack is to untie the QB’s shoelaces and hope that he trips.
That being said, the great defenses are still able to bring the pain and wreak havoc all over the football field. They give opposing quarterbacks and coordinators fits and cause many sleepless nights. Can you imagine how whichever scrub starts in Cleveland is going to feel before playing the Steelers and Ravens twice this season? Trust me they will have at least four sleepless Saturday nights this season. A great defense dictates to the offense what they must do. The NFL has some great ones, but there are also some terrible ones. If you are curious to see who fits into each category, scroll down and check out STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’s!!!! 2009 Defensive Rankings.
#1 Pittsburgh Steelers – Truthfully I have never been a Steelers fan, and for the life of me, I can’t tell you why. I have never held a personal grudge against any of their players (although I did think that Joey Porter was an idiot when he said that he didn’t like playing against Peyton Manning because he forced you think too much). I had a great deal of respect for Bill Cowher, and I am a huge supporter of Omar Epps, I mean Mike Tomlin on the sideline. Yet for some reason, I have never really liked this team. I am also a big fan of three of their current players. The first being the toughest receiver in NFL history, Hines Ward (he’s a favorite, but not a Hall of Famer). The other two play on the side of the ball that I am discussing in this entry. They would be Lawrence Timmons (I am a huge Florida State fan), and the other being none other than the second best safety in the NFL Troy Polamalu. That being said, they are entering the season as my top ranked defense. Casey Hampton leads a very good defensive line. Their linebackers, led by James Harrison are GREAT (as they always are in Steel town). As for the secondary, Ryan Clark & Troy Polamalu are the second best set of safeties in the league (behind Ed Reed and whoever they choose to put beside him in Baltimore), but their corners are far from shut down defenders. Their average corners (Deshea Townsend & William Gay) are the weakest link in this defense. That shouldn’t matter much when the front seven applies so much pressure and you have great safeties covering the back end. To top it all off, they also have a brilliant coach calling the shots. Dick LeBeau might just be the first ever assistant coach elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
#2 Baltimore Ravens – All REAL FOOTBALL FANS should circle November 29th and December 27th on their calendars. On those dates, my #1 & #2 ranked defenses will go head to head, and it will be a blood bath. The Ravens defense has been great for a historically long period of time. General Manager Ozzie Newsome has managed to keep a core group of guys together while sprinkling in the perfect mix of role players. They are led by THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NFL (Safety Ed Reed), Terrell Suggs, and future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. They are truly the rock of a team that has never really had a consistent offense. I know they lost coordinator Rex Ryan, but I honestly don’t think that will matter one bit. On this team the players make the coach, not the other way around. If you don’t believe me, answer this one question. What do Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan, Jack Del Rio, Mike Smith, Mike Singletary, and Rex Ryan all have in common? The answer is that they are/were all NFL Head Coaches, who at one time was a defensive coach for the Baltimore Ravens. So, does the coach make the players, or do the players make the coach? The only reason that I have them ranked #2 instead of #1 is because they lost Bart Scott and Jim Leonard. Truthfully they will be great without them, but they will still be missed in crunch time against the Steelers.
#3 Tennessee Titans – Again, not a big fan of the Titans but I must call a spade a spade. This defense is the truth. I know that they lost Albert Haynesworth, and that they don’t have a tackle on their roster nearly as good. But they still have a very good rotation of defensive ends (Jevon Kearse, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Jacob Ford), and solid tackles. The linebackers are rock solid, but their secondary is filled with BALLERS!!!! Cortland Finnegan, Nick Harper, Chris Hope, and Michael Griffin will make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks and receivers.
#4 Minnesota Vikings – This is easily the best four-man defensive front in football. As a matter of fact, I would like to make a Public Service Announcement to the teams that will play them this season. YOU CAN’T RUN THE FOOTBALL AGAINST THEM, SO DON’T TRY! (They gave up less than 80 rushing yards per game last season.) Any defense that can completely take away one phase of the oppositions offense, will be successful. Also, it is a good idea to avoid third and long situations against them. In case you forgot, Jared Allen is a beast coming off of the edge. The sad thing is that if you slide the protection his way, someone else WILL beat you.
#5 San Diego Chargers – The players on this defense have absolutely jaw-dropping athletic ability. The two outside linebackers (Shawne Merriman & Shaun Phillips) look like they were built in some sort of lab or something. They also have the best 3-4 nose tackle in the game in Jamal Williams. They also have arguably the best athlete in the league at cornerback. I am referring to Antonio Cromartie. Last season Merriman was injured and Antonio Cromartie was a bit banged up both physically and mentally (he played with a broken hip and let’s just say that he was thinking about all of his kids, by all of those women, in all of those different states). They are both back to full strength, so the league had better watch out.
#6 New York Jets – Not only did Rex Ryan go to New York, but he brought two of his star pupils with him. That’s right, the Jets defense will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Kris Jenkins is holding down the middle of the line. They also have the best linebacker in the NFL that no one has heard of. That would be David Harris. If you didn’t recognize the name, I will say it a little slower for you. His name is D-A-V-I-D H-A-R-R-I-S. He is a true baller, and people will realize just how good he is this year. As for the secondary, they will be a lot of fun to watch this year. Darrelle Revis is one his way to becoming a shut-down corner, and he has Lito Sheppard playing opposite him. They also have a great pair of safeties behind them in Jim Leonhard and Kerry Rhodes (Ed Reed Jr.). They will produce a lot of turnovers.
#7 Arizona Cardinals – They have ballers all over the field. They have Darnell Dockett on the defensive line, Karlos Dansby at linebacker, and a secondary that consists of Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Bryant McFadden, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
#8 New York Giants – Aaron Ross and Corey Webster are good corners and their linebackers are decent. But those characteristics don’t make a top ten defense. They are in the top ten because of the pass rushers they possess. It truly is an embarrassment of riches. Just imagine facing this foursome on third and long; Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Canty, and Rocky Bernard. That is only if they are playing straight up. If they decide to blitz you better find blockers for Michael Boley and/or Mathias Kiwanuka. Remember this is the same team that made the Patriots offensive line look like the high school team that Brett Favre works out with. Scientific research has shown that quarterbacks hate pressure, and guess what, they bring a lot of it.
#9 Washington Redskins – This was the best unspectacular defense in the NFL last season. Believe it or not, they were the NFL’s 4th ranked defense last season. That was in spite of having only 13 interceptions and 24 sacks all season. They have added some playmakers to an already solid defense. The biggest addition (both literally and figuratively) is Albert Haynesworth. If he lives up to his contract, the rest of the league is in trouble. They also drafted Brian Orakpo with their first round pick. Trust me, he will be in the running for Rookie of The Year.
#10 Dallas Cowboys – Demarcus Ware = 20 sacks.
#11 Miami Dolphins – If you are calling an offensive play, how do you block both Jason Taylor and the most intellectual player in the NFL (Joey Porter)? Bill Parcells knows the 3-4 defense very well, and it shows by how he built this one so fast. They will have young corners, but the pass rush should help them out a great deal. They also have Gibril Wilson, who is one heck of a safety.
#12 Carolina Panthers – They will go as Julius Pepper goes. Look for him to have a heck of a year this season. He has $16.7 reasons to be a beast this year. On top of that, this is also a contract year. In other words, look for Peppers and the Panthers defense to be very good this season.
#13 Philadelphia Eagles – If this team has safeties that actually belonged in the NFL, they would be much higher on this list. I hope Asante and Sheldon Brown are ready because they will not get any help all season from the back end of the defense. (Please don’t say they will miss Brian Dawkins, because he was just as bad as those other clowns last season.) Too bad Michael Vick doesn’t play safety, because he would surely help.
#14 Indianapolis Colts – They have two great pass rushers, very good linebackers, and good corners. But none of that will mean a thing if Bob Sanders is not healthy. He is the key to everything they do, in defending against the pass as well as the run. So basically they are what Bob allows them to be. I sure hope he stays healthy. Without him, they can’t get to the AFC title game and lose to the Patriots.
#15 Cincinnati Bengals – SURPRISE! Are they higher than you expected? I think that Marvin Lewis & Mike Zimmer have finally gotten this defense right. They will be a fast and hard-hitting defense that will create a lot of turnovers. This team will be a lot better than people think this year, and the defense is a big reason why.
#16 New England Patriots – They have a good defensive scheme, but some of the components are old enough to have voted for Jimmy Carter. They have been getting younger and younger each year, but they aren’t done yet. As long as Teddy Bruschi and Shawne Springs are starters, I just can’t put them in the top ten. That being said they will still be good enough to make enough plays to ensure that the offense carries the team to the Super Bowl.
#17 Chicago Bears – How the mighty have fallen. It’s a good thing that they traded for quarterback Jay Cutler, because their days of controlling the ball on offense and having their defense win games are over. This defense was once great, but now they are average. Tommie Harris is without a doubt the key to this defense. When he is healthy (which is about as often as Steven Jackson is healthy), he absolutely dominates opposing offensive lines. Lance Briggs is still a great player also. Age and injury have caught up with Brian Urlacher, and the rest of the defense just isn’t as good as they once were. They used to be top five, but now they will hover around mediocrity all year. It will be Jay Cutler and Matt Forte that will win games for them, not the defense.
#18 Oakland Raiders – Last year MeAngelo Fall (aka DeAngelo Hall) got a chance to see what a real shutdown corner looks like. NNAMDI ASOMUGHA IS THE BEST CORNER IN THE NFL! If you don’t believe me, watch a Raiders game and watch the opposing quarterback avoid throwing his way the entire game. I haven’t seen respect like this since Champ Bailey was in his prime. Asomugha is so good that, offenses chose to focus on exposing MeAngelo last season. They were successful. MeAngelo was fired midway through the season. They also have two very good linebackers in Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard. They will be decent this year, especially considering that they added Greg Ellis to play defensive end.
#19 Houston Texans – Is this the year the Texans finally make the playoffs? (I will tell you in a couple of weeks.) If so, their defense will have to play better. They have a superstar in DeMeco Ryans, and a stud at defensive end in Mario Williams (admit it, we were all wrong about him). Dunta Robinson is also a very good corner, but the rest of the defense leaves a lot to be desired. If Houston is going to finally make the playoffs this year, they will have to play above their talent level.
#20 Seattle Seahawks – They drafted Aaron Curry, but lost Julian Peterson, which put them right back where they started. They also lost Rocky Bernard, and you really can’t count on Patrick Kerney or Marcus Trufant to stay healthy all season. They still have some good players and should be competitive in most games. Personally, I hope that they don’t and that Jim Mora has a miserable season. I’m just not a fan.
#21 Green Bay Packers – This defense has too much talent to be as bad as they were a year ago. They were so bad that the team decided not only to switch defensive coordinators, but to also implement an entire new defensive philosophy. Coach Dom Capers has brought his version of the 3-4 of the defense to the land of the Cheeseheads. I hope that they can turn things around in a hurry, because the offense is very good. The back end of the defense will be fine with Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Nick Collins, and Atari Bigby. But the front seven has a lot of work to do.
#22 New Orleans Saints – If this defense could just be average, the Saints would be a Super Bowl contender. Unfortunately they are ranked #22, which means that they are six spots below average. New coordinator Gregg Williams will make a huge difference. They also have some very good players such as Jonathan Vilma, Tracey Porter, Randall Gay, Rod Coleman, and rookie Malcolm Jenkins. However, they still have the most talented, under-performing duo at defensive end in the entire NFL. Will Smith and Charles Grant should be much better than they are. They are also likely to miss four games, which makes matters even worse. While I do expect this defense to be better than they were last year, I still don’t think they will be good enough to be considered average. Believe it or not, it is entirely possible that this team could miss the playoffs again. All because of the defense.
#23 Atlanta Falcons – Are we ready to call Jamal Anderson a bust yet? Just imagine how good this defense would be if he was as good as a slightly below average player. Then offensive lines could focus on John Abraham. If Abraham had any help, he could easily be a twenty sack guy. I must say that I am extremely happy that Keith Brooking, the first down tackling machine, has left the city. He has been replaced by Mike Peterson, which is a definite upgrade. However, the Falcons will struggle because they failed to keep two budding defensive stars on the roster. Although Thomas Demitroff has done nothing that we should second guess up to this point, I often wonder why he allowed Michael Boley and Dominique Foxworth to leave via free agency. They did not exactly break the bank, and the Falcons could afford to match or even surpass both of those contracts. They will regret those decisions. Abraham is the only proven commodity on the defensive line, and let’s face it, he is due for an injury (not wishing it on him, just looking at history). The linebacker group is solid, although they would be great with Boley. There are a lot of questions in the secondary. Is Chris Houston a #1 corner? Is Brett Grimes (feisty as he may be) a #2 corner? Will the safeties be any good? Too many questions to have ranked any higher. Remember, they weren’t exactly the Ravens last year and they lost their second and third best defensive players (Boley & Foxworth). However, they will play hard and not get blown out of too many games.
#24 San Francisco 49ers – They have some good players, but not enough. Mike Singletary will do the best that he can with the talent that he has. Patrick Willis is a stud, but Nate Clements is over-paid and over-rated. Takeo Spikes is just old and not very good anymore.
#25 Buffalo Bills – Former Falcon Brian Scott has a chance to start at safety. Need I say more to explain why they are ranked this low. This one player negates all of the positive things that I planned to say about this defense.
#26 Jacksonville Jaguars – It is not going to be fun playing defense in Jacksonville this season. You have to face Peyton Manning, Andre Johnson, and Chris Johnson twice each. In addition to that you also have to deal with high powered offenses of the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. Oh, and one more thing, YOU’RE NOT THAT GOOD!!!! Good luck, you are going to need it. (Jack, it’s time to dust off the resume. Because you my friend, have a bad football team on your hands).
#27 Cleveland Browns – Shaun Rogers and Eric Wright are legitimate NFL players. Too bad they are the only two.
#28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – This unit is either too old or too unproven at basically every position. It will be a long year in Tampa. They are in the wrong division to have a bad defense.
#29 St. Louis Rams – Can Steve Spagnuolo create the pressure he did with the Giants. The answer is NO, and THEY WILL STRUGGLE! On the bright-side, running backs will be stopped as soon as they cross the first-down marker this season. That is because they drafted THE NEXT KIETH BROOKING, in middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Am I the only one that sees the similarities?
#30 Detroit Lions – Any success that they have this season will be the result of scheme and effort. They do have two talented players on defense in Ernie Simms and Julian Peterson, but the star of this defense will be new head coach Jim Schwartz. I’m sure that Lions fans are hoping their defense can one day be as good as the one in Nashville. Well they have the man that built the Titans on their sideline now, so we will see what he can do.
#31 Kansas City Chiefs – At least they aren’t last, but they are behind Detroit.
#32 Denver Broncos – Josh McDaniel was smart enough to run off a franchise quarterback, when he was inheriting the league’s worst defense. That was smart. Then you replaced him with a quarterback whose skill set says that you play it safe on offense and let your defense win the games. BUT YOUR DEFENSE SUCKS!!!! This guy is definitely not winning Coach Of The Year. Champ Bailey is still good, but past his prime. DJ Williams is also a good player, but the defensive line can’t get any pressure on the quarterback. This means that it will be a long year in Denver. They won’t be able to score on offense and they CERTAINLY WON’T BE ABLE TO STOP TEAMS FROM SCORING ON DEFENSE!!!! You must remember that this team had the #2 ranked offense in the league last season, and MISSED THE PLAYOFFS!!!! And guess what, they did not make any upgrades from that defensive unit.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Usain Bolt (Jamaican Track Team) – Bolt not only won three gold medals at the Track & Field World Championships, he also set two new world records. This guy is amazing. He is easily the fastest human on earth. What is really scary is that none of his races are ever close. All I can say is WOW!
SCRUB: Josh McDaniel (Head Coach of the Denver Broncos) – That quarterback you replaced Jay Cutler with threw THREE INTERCEPTION IN HIS FIRST PRE-SEASON ACTION! That was a great trade. I know it is only pre-season, but it is Kyle Orton. Do you expect him to suddenly turn into Peyton Manning when the regular season starts? Don’t hold your breath! I know that you didn’t throw the picks, but I am still blaming you because you are the one that brought him here. If you didn’t make him a Denver Bronco, there is no way that he throws those picks for the Denver Broncos. I used to have a hard time deciding if Mike Tice or Marty Mornhinweg were the dumbest coaches in NFL history. But you have taken that title from both of them, WITHOUT COACHING ONE REGULAR SEASON GAME!!!! By the way, your best player (Brandon Marshall) also wants out. Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Guess what, the offense in Denver was great before you arrived. Why didn’t you try to run off the defensive players instead? That would have been more productive. If you don’t win the Super Bowl this year (and trust me, you won’t), the people of Denver will do their best to run you out of town.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
GIVE ME THE ROCK & LET ME DO MY THING
As you all know the 2009 football season is around the corner (25 days to be exact), which can only mean one thing. It’s time for STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’s ANNUAL POSITIONAL RANKINGS! This is a lot of fun for me, because these rankings are not based on last year’s numbers or any other statistical criteria. They are simply based on my opinion of what the player will do in the upcoming season. I simply ask myself, “If I was starting a team today, who would I want in this position?” Over the next couple of weeks, I will be ranking all 32 teams according to their Defenses, Receivers (including Tight Ends), and the all important Quarterback. However, those rankings will have to wait. Because this week, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE RUNNING BACKS! These are the guys who simply tell their coaches to, “Give me the rock & let me do my thing!”
Feel free to use these as well as the forthcoming rankings for your fantasy football draft, FREE OF CHARGE! When you win your league, just be sure to (as rapper Drake titled his upcoming classic album), THANK ME LATER!
Now for the rankings:
#1 Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – Was there any doubt? If you don’t think that Peterson is the best running back in the game right now, you should just stop watching football, because YOU OBVIOUSLY DON’T UNDERSTAND THE GAME! He is the total package. He has the speed of Devin Hester, the power of Earl Campbell, and the shiftiness of Marshall Faulk. THIS GUY IS SPECIAL! He is a once every ten years type talent. If he stays healthy all season, HE WILL GAIN OVER 2,000 YARDS RUSHING THIS SEASON!!!! This season really has a chance to be special for Peterson, because the Vikings actually have another weapon on offense. Defenses also have to keep an eye on the equally fast Percy Harvin, who will line up all over the place and be a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. That being said, Peterson has an outside shot of topping Eric Dickerson single-season rushing yards record of 2,105. He is so much better than everyone else, that I had a hard time deciding who I would put at #2. After much though, I finally decided….
#2 Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – Putting anyone else at #2 just didn’t seem fair. He is just too good to say that anyone is the second best running back.
#3 Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – This is not a typo. He is actually this good.
#4 Brian Westbrook (Philadelphia Eagles) – It’s amazing that one back can do as much for his team as the Eagles ask of Westbrook. He is simply the engine that makes them go. He can easily rush for 2,000 yards AND have another 500 – 800 receiving yards. He is the most complete back the league has seen since Future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk. The Saints should really study Westbrook, because he is the model for what Reggie Bush should be.
#5 Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) – People thought that I was out of my mind ranking him so high last year (I had him ranked 12th going into last season) considering that he had a grand total of 1,257 rushing yards in his four seasons as LaDanian Tomlinson’s back up in San Diego. But obviously I was on to something. He is a beast. He is a power back with very good speed. He should put up big numbers this year considering that the Falcons have a passing game that must be respected. The mere presence of Tony Gonzalez will help Turner immensely.
#6 DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers) – Up until last season, Williams had been having a slightly better than average NFL career. He was considered a reliable back, but nothing special. Then the Carolina Panthers drafted Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams WOKE UP! He showed that he is definitely a player that teams must fear and game plan for. He also has the advantage of splitting carries with another top-notch running back in Stewart. This keeps him fresh, which allowed him to absolutely explode during the latter portion of the seasons. He reminds me a lot of Turner; only his is a little bit faster, but not quite as powerful.
#7 Marion Barber (Dallas Cowboys) – Looking at the Cowboys roster, it is obvious what their offensive strategy will be this season. THEY WILL RUN THE BALL!!!! The Diva that cries when he doesn’t get the ball is someone else’s headache now, which will allow the offense to focus on what they do best. Run the football and throw it off play-action to the tight end. They have three very good and very different running backs. The best of the bunch (and also my personal favorite) is Marion “The Barbarian” Barber. He is a beast. He actually tackles defenders. He runs with reckless abandon, and never avoids contact. He will be the heartbeat of this team this season, and cause the hearts of the defenders responsible for tackling him to skip a beat.
#8 Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans) – His speed is absolutely sick. He took the league by storm last year, by seemingly coming out of nowhere. This year that will not be the case, because stopping him will be priority #1 for every defense that the Titans face this season. Unfortunately for the defenses, it won’t matter. You can prepare for him all you want, but you still won’t be able to catch him. He is simply too fast.
#9 Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders) – I am expecting the Raiders to win 8 games this year, and McFadden is the main reason why. Just watch him this season; he is going to have a breakout year. Not only is he a great runner, he also has great hands and will catch a good number of passes this year. He will also throw a touchdown pass or two. All of those things only complement the fact that he will be a GREAT running back in this league for many years to come.
#10 Clinton Portis (Washington Redskins) – This is my guy. He is simply an excellent football player. He always picks the right hole and rarely gets tackled for a loss. He is also excellent at picking up blitzes, and is tough as nails (I guess they raise them that way at THE U). The thing I like most about Portis is that you know what you are going to get from him year in and year out. That is 1,500 yards. He is a great all-around football player.
#11 LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) – Was once the unquestioned best back in the league. Then age and injury began to trip him up. I still think that he has a lot left in the tank, and I also think that he will have a vintage LT season this year. Granted, he won’t have another season like 2006, but he will still be good for about 1,300 yards and around 15 touchdowns. He may no longer be THE BEST back in the league, but he is certainly still ONE OF THE BEST backs in the NFL.
#12 Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) – This guy is a machine. Just give him the rock and let him work. He is an interesting back because he doesn’t do anything special, and he doesn’t have jaw-dropping physical ability or blazing speed. But somehow he always manages to have solid numbers when the game is over. This year should be big for him because he is playing with a REAL QUARTERBACK in Jay Cutler, that defenses must respect. He won’t see a lot of eight man fronts, which means that he should run wild. Look for big things from Mr. Forte.
#13 Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams) – It is really unfortunate for Jackson that his team has a less than average quarterback and worst receivers than a good high school team. This means that he will face 8 to 9 man fronts all season. He is their only weapon, and trust me, if I can see that fact so can defensive coordinators around the league. That being said, Jackson is a freight train. The power and speed combination that he possesses is second only to Adrian Peterson. He also has great hands, which is really surprising for a back his size. Although the Ram’s will be terrible this season, he will at least make them watchable and mildly competitive.
#14 Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos) – Although he is playing for the dumbest coach in NFL history (that even includes Mike Tice), I expect big things from the rookie. He is a bundle of energy that seemed to never wear down at Georgia. He has great moves in the hole, very good speed, and he is MUCH STRONGER than he looks. He will undoubtedly get the undivided attention of defenses because his quarterback is a dumb downed version of Trent Dilfer, who is jealous of Chad Pennington’s arm. Thanks to Head Coach Josh McDaniels, HIS NAME ISN’T CUTLER. That being said, I still fully expect this rookie to take the league by storm.
#15 Joseph Addia (Indianapolis Colts) – Addia is a very smart and talented player that has proven not to be very durable. Along with a high football IQ, Addia is also a great receiver out of the backfield and picks up blitzes very well. The good news for him is that he is never the first priority for defenses because he plays with Peyton Manning. The bad news for him is that your team took another running back in the first round of the draft. We will really see what Addia is made of this year, because there will be a talented rookie in Donald Brown pushing him all season.
#16 Steve Slaton (Houston Texans) – I have been singing his praises since he entered the league, even when other people thought I was stupid for doing so. Look s like I got that one right. This is a very good running back. He is a real speedster that simply knows how to run the ball.
#17 Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants) – The second coming of Jamal Lewis in his prime (but not quite as good). He is the definition of a power back. The Giants running game suffered immensely last season after that genius that plays wide receiver shot himself. Jacobs will probably miss Plax more than any other Giant simply because defenses can now make him the focal point of their game plan.
#18 Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots) – Man is he glad that Brady is back. Maroney is a very good back that will have a great season, simply because no one will be paying him any attention with Moss and Brady on the field. The only thing that will hurt Maroney this year is the fact that he has to split carries with two other solid backs in Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk.
#19 Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars) – People think of him as a small running back. THEY ARE WRONG! He is short, but NOT SMALL! He is built like a tank, and is fearless. He is an excellent inside runner and has the speed to break long ones. Don’t sleep on Jones-Drew, because he is an absolute beast. Coming out of college, he compared himself to Reggie Bush. So far, it looks like he sold himself short.
#20 Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) – I want everyone reading this to pay attention to Ray Rice this season. It will become obvious why he will be forcing Willis McGahee to the bench.
#21 Frank Gore (San Francisco 49er’s) – I said it last year, and I will say it again. I just don’t understand all the love for this guy. To me he is a good NFL running back, BUT NOTHING SPECIAL. I think that I am a pretty good judge of talent, and I honestly am missing something when it comes to this guy.
#22 Marshawn Lynch (Buffalo Bills) – Once he returns from his three game suspension he will have a significant impact on the Bills’ season. In my opinion, he has all the tools to be great, but he hasn’t managed to reach his full potential as of yet. I hope he does.
#23 Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers) – He is on this list because he WILL TAKE THE STARTING JOB FROM WILLIE PARKER THIS SEASON. Also, he will be much higher on this list next season. He will be great, and this year he will start to prove it. He is huge and ridiculously fast. Last time I checked that was a great combination for a running back. I really think that he is focused on what it takes to be great after being humbled by Ray Lewis last season.
#24 Thomas Jones (New York Jets) – Jones is a good, hard-running, dependable veteran. There are no frills with this guy. He is simply a solid running back. Don’t be surprised if his carries are cut in half this year, because Leon Washington has proven that he is indeed ready for prime time. They should pretty much split carries evenly. This should also be his last year with the Jets.
#25 Ronnie Brown (Miami Dolphins) – Last year many of my readers said that I was too harsh in my assessment of Brown. All I said was that he was a bust considering that he was drafted #2 OVERALL! Although I must give him credit for having a decent season last year, I AM STANDING BY MY STATEMENT THAT HE IS NOT A GOOD FOOTBALL PLAYER!!!! The Wildcat Offense was his saving grace last season, and he really thrived in it. For that I commend him. But we all know that gimmicks in the NFL don’t last very long. By the end of last season, teams had figured out the Wildcat, and Brown REALLY STRUGGLED! (This year Pat White will handle those plays, thus taking away most of Brown’s best opportunities.) I am not a fan of his, and I have him ranked right where he belongs. I still can’t believe that he was drafted second overall, when his talent says that he should have been a late second round pick.
#26 Kevin Smith (Detroit Lions) – He is the definition of nothing special (and he plays for the Lions, how fitting). He isn’t really fast, nor is he a power back. He is simply a workhorse back that isn’t easy to bring down. He is dependable and takes pretty good care of the ball. He isn’t a game breaker, but he isn’t a game blower either. Simply put, he is solid.
#27 Jamal Lewis (Cleveland Browns) – His best days are clearly behind him. On a good team he would be a great short-yardage and goal-line back. But he is on a bad team, and thus the starter. He is a solid power back, but nothing more at this stage in his career.
#28 Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs) – He carried the ball waaaayyyyy too much early in his career. All of those carries have caught up to him like years of drinking catches up to alcoholics. He had good speed and power a few years back. What he is today? No one knows.
#29 Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals) – He is also a charter member of the “Ronnie Brown – I Got Drafted Way Too High” club. He is a slightly bigger bust than Brown, which makes sense because he was drafted two spots after him in 2005. In Chicago he was an under-achieving head-case. We will see what he will be with the Bengals.
#30 Ryan Grant (Green Bay Packers) – One year wonder, who got paid and made the Packers wonder why they paid him. This year he must prove that he is worth the money that he got or he will definitely be cut.
#31 Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints) – He will replace Deuce McAllister as the Saints primary running back, which will free Reggie Bush up to do his thing. He is a capable back that won’t get much attention playing in that pass happy system.
#32 Chris Wells (Arizona Cardinals) – He is widely viewed as a power back. Personally I think he has more Shaun Alexander than Jamal Lewis. Although he has good speed for a back his size, HE IS SOFT! He won’t be very good in the NFL, especially this season.
#33 Earnest Graham (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Nothing personal, he just isn’t anything special. He is a good player, but then again everyone in the NFL is a good player (except for former Falcon safety Brian Scott, who is now playing in Buffalo).
#34 Julius Jones (Seattle Seahawks) – CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY's 2009 MR. IRRELEVANT!!!! Someone had to be last, and it is Thomas' little brother. He is simply the worst starting running back in the NFL. That is all I have to say about him.
There will be no Baller and Scrub of the Week this week because I have chosen to use that space to say MICHAEL VICK IS BACK!!!!
The fact that he signed with the Philadelphia Eagle was a surprise to everyone. However, it was a wise move by both parties. The Eagles are a team that has an established starter in Donovan McNabb. They also have a strong offensive coaching staff. This will allow Vick an opportunity to really work on the fundamentals and learn from one of the best quarterbacks and coaching staffs in the game today.
Feel free to use these as well as the forthcoming rankings for your fantasy football draft, FREE OF CHARGE! When you win your league, just be sure to (as rapper Drake titled his upcoming classic album), THANK ME LATER!
Now for the rankings:
#1 Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – Was there any doubt? If you don’t think that Peterson is the best running back in the game right now, you should just stop watching football, because YOU OBVIOUSLY DON’T UNDERSTAND THE GAME! He is the total package. He has the speed of Devin Hester, the power of Earl Campbell, and the shiftiness of Marshall Faulk. THIS GUY IS SPECIAL! He is a once every ten years type talent. If he stays healthy all season, HE WILL GAIN OVER 2,000 YARDS RUSHING THIS SEASON!!!! This season really has a chance to be special for Peterson, because the Vikings actually have another weapon on offense. Defenses also have to keep an eye on the equally fast Percy Harvin, who will line up all over the place and be a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. That being said, Peterson has an outside shot of topping Eric Dickerson single-season rushing yards record of 2,105. He is so much better than everyone else, that I had a hard time deciding who I would put at #2. After much though, I finally decided….
#2 Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – Putting anyone else at #2 just didn’t seem fair. He is just too good to say that anyone is the second best running back.
#3 Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) – This is not a typo. He is actually this good.
#4 Brian Westbrook (Philadelphia Eagles) – It’s amazing that one back can do as much for his team as the Eagles ask of Westbrook. He is simply the engine that makes them go. He can easily rush for 2,000 yards AND have another 500 – 800 receiving yards. He is the most complete back the league has seen since Future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk. The Saints should really study Westbrook, because he is the model for what Reggie Bush should be.
#5 Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) – People thought that I was out of my mind ranking him so high last year (I had him ranked 12th going into last season) considering that he had a grand total of 1,257 rushing yards in his four seasons as LaDanian Tomlinson’s back up in San Diego. But obviously I was on to something. He is a beast. He is a power back with very good speed. He should put up big numbers this year considering that the Falcons have a passing game that must be respected. The mere presence of Tony Gonzalez will help Turner immensely.
#6 DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers) – Up until last season, Williams had been having a slightly better than average NFL career. He was considered a reliable back, but nothing special. Then the Carolina Panthers drafted Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams WOKE UP! He showed that he is definitely a player that teams must fear and game plan for. He also has the advantage of splitting carries with another top-notch running back in Stewart. This keeps him fresh, which allowed him to absolutely explode during the latter portion of the seasons. He reminds me a lot of Turner; only his is a little bit faster, but not quite as powerful.
#7 Marion Barber (Dallas Cowboys) – Looking at the Cowboys roster, it is obvious what their offensive strategy will be this season. THEY WILL RUN THE BALL!!!! The Diva that cries when he doesn’t get the ball is someone else’s headache now, which will allow the offense to focus on what they do best. Run the football and throw it off play-action to the tight end. They have three very good and very different running backs. The best of the bunch (and also my personal favorite) is Marion “The Barbarian” Barber. He is a beast. He actually tackles defenders. He runs with reckless abandon, and never avoids contact. He will be the heartbeat of this team this season, and cause the hearts of the defenders responsible for tackling him to skip a beat.
#8 Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans) – His speed is absolutely sick. He took the league by storm last year, by seemingly coming out of nowhere. This year that will not be the case, because stopping him will be priority #1 for every defense that the Titans face this season. Unfortunately for the defenses, it won’t matter. You can prepare for him all you want, but you still won’t be able to catch him. He is simply too fast.
#9 Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders) – I am expecting the Raiders to win 8 games this year, and McFadden is the main reason why. Just watch him this season; he is going to have a breakout year. Not only is he a great runner, he also has great hands and will catch a good number of passes this year. He will also throw a touchdown pass or two. All of those things only complement the fact that he will be a GREAT running back in this league for many years to come.
#10 Clinton Portis (Washington Redskins) – This is my guy. He is simply an excellent football player. He always picks the right hole and rarely gets tackled for a loss. He is also excellent at picking up blitzes, and is tough as nails (I guess they raise them that way at THE U). The thing I like most about Portis is that you know what you are going to get from him year in and year out. That is 1,500 yards. He is a great all-around football player.
#11 LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) – Was once the unquestioned best back in the league. Then age and injury began to trip him up. I still think that he has a lot left in the tank, and I also think that he will have a vintage LT season this year. Granted, he won’t have another season like 2006, but he will still be good for about 1,300 yards and around 15 touchdowns. He may no longer be THE BEST back in the league, but he is certainly still ONE OF THE BEST backs in the NFL.
#12 Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) – This guy is a machine. Just give him the rock and let him work. He is an interesting back because he doesn’t do anything special, and he doesn’t have jaw-dropping physical ability or blazing speed. But somehow he always manages to have solid numbers when the game is over. This year should be big for him because he is playing with a REAL QUARTERBACK in Jay Cutler, that defenses must respect. He won’t see a lot of eight man fronts, which means that he should run wild. Look for big things from Mr. Forte.
#13 Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams) – It is really unfortunate for Jackson that his team has a less than average quarterback and worst receivers than a good high school team. This means that he will face 8 to 9 man fronts all season. He is their only weapon, and trust me, if I can see that fact so can defensive coordinators around the league. That being said, Jackson is a freight train. The power and speed combination that he possesses is second only to Adrian Peterson. He also has great hands, which is really surprising for a back his size. Although the Ram’s will be terrible this season, he will at least make them watchable and mildly competitive.
#14 Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos) – Although he is playing for the dumbest coach in NFL history (that even includes Mike Tice), I expect big things from the rookie. He is a bundle of energy that seemed to never wear down at Georgia. He has great moves in the hole, very good speed, and he is MUCH STRONGER than he looks. He will undoubtedly get the undivided attention of defenses because his quarterback is a dumb downed version of Trent Dilfer, who is jealous of Chad Pennington’s arm. Thanks to Head Coach Josh McDaniels, HIS NAME ISN’T CUTLER. That being said, I still fully expect this rookie to take the league by storm.
#15 Joseph Addia (Indianapolis Colts) – Addia is a very smart and talented player that has proven not to be very durable. Along with a high football IQ, Addia is also a great receiver out of the backfield and picks up blitzes very well. The good news for him is that he is never the first priority for defenses because he plays with Peyton Manning. The bad news for him is that your team took another running back in the first round of the draft. We will really see what Addia is made of this year, because there will be a talented rookie in Donald Brown pushing him all season.
#16 Steve Slaton (Houston Texans) – I have been singing his praises since he entered the league, even when other people thought I was stupid for doing so. Look s like I got that one right. This is a very good running back. He is a real speedster that simply knows how to run the ball.
#17 Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants) – The second coming of Jamal Lewis in his prime (but not quite as good). He is the definition of a power back. The Giants running game suffered immensely last season after that genius that plays wide receiver shot himself. Jacobs will probably miss Plax more than any other Giant simply because defenses can now make him the focal point of their game plan.
#18 Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots) – Man is he glad that Brady is back. Maroney is a very good back that will have a great season, simply because no one will be paying him any attention with Moss and Brady on the field. The only thing that will hurt Maroney this year is the fact that he has to split carries with two other solid backs in Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk.
#19 Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars) – People think of him as a small running back. THEY ARE WRONG! He is short, but NOT SMALL! He is built like a tank, and is fearless. He is an excellent inside runner and has the speed to break long ones. Don’t sleep on Jones-Drew, because he is an absolute beast. Coming out of college, he compared himself to Reggie Bush. So far, it looks like he sold himself short.
#20 Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) – I want everyone reading this to pay attention to Ray Rice this season. It will become obvious why he will be forcing Willis McGahee to the bench.
#21 Frank Gore (San Francisco 49er’s) – I said it last year, and I will say it again. I just don’t understand all the love for this guy. To me he is a good NFL running back, BUT NOTHING SPECIAL. I think that I am a pretty good judge of talent, and I honestly am missing something when it comes to this guy.
#22 Marshawn Lynch (Buffalo Bills) – Once he returns from his three game suspension he will have a significant impact on the Bills’ season. In my opinion, he has all the tools to be great, but he hasn’t managed to reach his full potential as of yet. I hope he does.
#23 Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers) – He is on this list because he WILL TAKE THE STARTING JOB FROM WILLIE PARKER THIS SEASON. Also, he will be much higher on this list next season. He will be great, and this year he will start to prove it. He is huge and ridiculously fast. Last time I checked that was a great combination for a running back. I really think that he is focused on what it takes to be great after being humbled by Ray Lewis last season.
#24 Thomas Jones (New York Jets) – Jones is a good, hard-running, dependable veteran. There are no frills with this guy. He is simply a solid running back. Don’t be surprised if his carries are cut in half this year, because Leon Washington has proven that he is indeed ready for prime time. They should pretty much split carries evenly. This should also be his last year with the Jets.
#25 Ronnie Brown (Miami Dolphins) – Last year many of my readers said that I was too harsh in my assessment of Brown. All I said was that he was a bust considering that he was drafted #2 OVERALL! Although I must give him credit for having a decent season last year, I AM STANDING BY MY STATEMENT THAT HE IS NOT A GOOD FOOTBALL PLAYER!!!! The Wildcat Offense was his saving grace last season, and he really thrived in it. For that I commend him. But we all know that gimmicks in the NFL don’t last very long. By the end of last season, teams had figured out the Wildcat, and Brown REALLY STRUGGLED! (This year Pat White will handle those plays, thus taking away most of Brown’s best opportunities.) I am not a fan of his, and I have him ranked right where he belongs. I still can’t believe that he was drafted second overall, when his talent says that he should have been a late second round pick.
#26 Kevin Smith (Detroit Lions) – He is the definition of nothing special (and he plays for the Lions, how fitting). He isn’t really fast, nor is he a power back. He is simply a workhorse back that isn’t easy to bring down. He is dependable and takes pretty good care of the ball. He isn’t a game breaker, but he isn’t a game blower either. Simply put, he is solid.
#27 Jamal Lewis (Cleveland Browns) – His best days are clearly behind him. On a good team he would be a great short-yardage and goal-line back. But he is on a bad team, and thus the starter. He is a solid power back, but nothing more at this stage in his career.
#28 Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs) – He carried the ball waaaayyyyy too much early in his career. All of those carries have caught up to him like years of drinking catches up to alcoholics. He had good speed and power a few years back. What he is today? No one knows.
#29 Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals) – He is also a charter member of the “Ronnie Brown – I Got Drafted Way Too High” club. He is a slightly bigger bust than Brown, which makes sense because he was drafted two spots after him in 2005. In Chicago he was an under-achieving head-case. We will see what he will be with the Bengals.
#30 Ryan Grant (Green Bay Packers) – One year wonder, who got paid and made the Packers wonder why they paid him. This year he must prove that he is worth the money that he got or he will definitely be cut.
#31 Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints) – He will replace Deuce McAllister as the Saints primary running back, which will free Reggie Bush up to do his thing. He is a capable back that won’t get much attention playing in that pass happy system.
#32 Chris Wells (Arizona Cardinals) – He is widely viewed as a power back. Personally I think he has more Shaun Alexander than Jamal Lewis. Although he has good speed for a back his size, HE IS SOFT! He won’t be very good in the NFL, especially this season.
#33 Earnest Graham (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Nothing personal, he just isn’t anything special. He is a good player, but then again everyone in the NFL is a good player (except for former Falcon safety Brian Scott, who is now playing in Buffalo).
#34 Julius Jones (Seattle Seahawks) – CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY's 2009 MR. IRRELEVANT!!!! Someone had to be last, and it is Thomas' little brother. He is simply the worst starting running back in the NFL. That is all I have to say about him.
There will be no Baller and Scrub of the Week this week because I have chosen to use that space to say MICHAEL VICK IS BACK!!!!
The fact that he signed with the Philadelphia Eagle was a surprise to everyone. However, it was a wise move by both parties. The Eagles are a team that has an established starter in Donovan McNabb. They also have a strong offensive coaching staff. This will allow Vick an opportunity to really work on the fundamentals and learn from one of the best quarterbacks and coaching staffs in the game today.
By signing Vick, the Eagles gave themselves the best backup quarterback in the NFL for this season, and a great trade commodity for next off-season. This is truly a match made in football heaven. The best-case scenario for the 2009 Eagles is as follows:
- They get off to a great start, maybe 7 – 1 after eight games.
- McNabb tweaks an ankle and has to miss 3 weeks
- Vick starts those three games and plays great (Shows the rest of the league that he is indeed ready for prime time)
- McNabb returns and leads the Eagles to the Super Bowl (where they lose to the Patriots again.
- Vick is traded this off-season for a first and a third round draft pick to a team looking to upgrade their quarterback (my guess is either Carolina or Washington).
This could really happen because Vick signed a one-year contract with a team option for a second year. The second year salary is slightly more than $5 million, which is cheap for a Pro Bowl Quarterback. Every team in the league would trade for a Pro Bowl Quarterback with a $5 million salary. That is a great bargain.
As you all know, I am a huge Vick fan. I really hope that he takes this opportunity to study the game (become a Peyton Manning like football nerd) and make the most of his second chance in the league. During the first portion of his career, he was playing on raw talent and athletic ability. Just imagine what he would have been if he studied and understood the game.
Hopefully we won’t have to imagine long, because we will get a chance to see.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
MY FAB FIVE
****Disclaimer: We are now in the month of August. This is significant because NFL training camps have officially started, and the football season is quickly approaching. I am going to be completely honest with you, I LOVE FOOTBALL!!!! This means that until next February when the Eagles and Patriots meet in the Super Bowl, about 92% of the entries on this blog will be football related (primarily NFL, but I will talk about the kiddies running around on campus as well). Basically, what I’m saying is that it’s time to GET INTO FOOTBALL MODE, and no one will bring you football insight and opinions better than STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!!****
Before I start, I would like to apologize to my regular readers for leaving you hanging for so long. I know that it has been a month since my last post, but it has been quite the busy month. I celebrated a birthday (thanks to my wife for a wonderful dinner and my family for celebrating with me). I also finished another semester of my MBA Program (the workload for summer classes is intense to say the least), and I have changed jobs (which we all know is a job in itself). The last month was definitely worth all of the hard work, because I am one semester closer to my Master’s Degree and I absolutely love my new job. Thank you for your patience and I will try to keep the prolonged absences to a minimum in the future, because I MISSED YOU GUYS!!!!
NOW, LET’S GET TO IT!!!!
There are 1,696 active players each week in the NFL. The fact that these select athletes are playing on Sunday’s tells you just how good they are. Now everyone in the NFL is not a superstar or even a great all-around player, there are those who are role players that simply do a particular job well enough to earn a living at it. For example, Kevin Faulk (of the New England Patriots) has been a third down back for virtually his entire career. This is because he is excellent at picking up blitzes, running draw plays, and catching screen passes. Being able to do these jobs well has allowed him to earn a great living as a NFL player for the past decade or so. There are also players like Keith Brooking (formerly of the Atlanta Falcons and now of the Dallas Cowboys) who has become the best tackler beyond the first down marker in the entire NFL. His role is to get burned by all running backs and tight ends that he has the misfortune of covering and waiting until a player gets the first down and then tackling them. He does it so well that he has made a living doing this for the last ten years.
There are also those players that I consider to be very good players. These players cause opposing coaches to account for them in their game plans, and will have long productive careers and even make multiple Pro Bowls. These players include such guys as Reggie Wayne, Hines Ward, Clinton Portis, Lance Briggs, and John Abraham just to name a few.
Then there is the group of players that are basically walking Hall of Famer’s. These players have Hall of Fame credentials and it is just a matter of time until they are enshrined in Canton. Examples of players that fall into this group are Ray Lewis, Terrell Owens, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Tony Gonzalez.
These are only examples of the players that I believe fall into these specific categories. There are many more that could easily be put into each. Also, you may have noticed that I have not included any quarterbacks (nor will I include any in the list that follows) because it is virtually impossible to compare the quarterback position with the other positions on the field. They are just measured differently than everyone else. However, I will be doing my annual quarterback rankings before the season kicks off.
You may have wondered why I didn’t mention certain players as my examples of future Hall of Famer’s. They were omitted because they are not only future Hall of Famer’s but they are also THE TOP FIVE PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE TODAY (regardless of position, but not including quarterbacks for the reasons mentioned above). I know that this will be a controversial list because I am choosing only five players out of the entire league, and some of you will certainly disagree. That being said I AM STANDING BY MY LIST, and I invite you to challenge it. However, if you disagree, you must tell me why and who you would take off of my list. I look forward to your feedback.
Now, the moment you have all been waiting for. STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’s TOP 5 PLAYERS IN THE NFL ARE:
#5 DeMarcus Ware (Outside Linebacker – Dallas Cowboys) – He is simply a beast and the unquestioned best outside linebacker in the NFL. He has played 4 seasons and has 53.5 SACKS! For those not good at math, that is an average of 13.375 per season. He had 20 IN 2008 ALONE! The best thing (or worst thing if you play quarterback) about this guy is that he is only 27 years old, which means that he is just entering the prime of his career. He is a sure fire Hall of Famer, and has a serious chance at passing career sack leader Bruce Smith on the all time sack list. He currently has 9 more sacks that Smith had after four years. Also, Bruce Smith never had more than 19 sacks in a season, and he only did that once. So barring injury, I like DeMarcus’ chances. (Play the video below to see DeMarcus in action).
To be perfectly honest, I briefly considered Shawne Merriman for this spot. Then I remembered this (see video below) and quickly remembered that DeMarcus is better.
#4 Larry Fitzgerald (Wide Receiver – Arizona Cardinals) – I have been a huge Fitzgerald fan since his college days at Pittsburgh. He is a beast. If it wasn’t for the guy two spots ahead of him on this list, he would be the best receiver in the entire NFL. He is 6’3” and a rock solid 217 pounds. This size allows him to catch all jump balls that are thrown anywhere in the state in which he is playing, and also run through defensive backs like they are the banners that high school football teams break through before games. His hands are impeccable, possibly the best in the game. He also catches the ball with one hand (right or left, it doesn’t matter) better than most receivers catch it with two hands and their chest. The only knock on Fitzgerald is that he doesn’t have blazing sub 4.3 40-yard dash speed. Have you ever seen him get caught from behind? I sure haven’t, which must mean that he is fast enough. (Play the video below to see Fitzgerald in action).
#3 Adrian Peterson (Running Back – Minnesota Vikings) – I’ve never seen a power back that could run this fast. He actually prefers to run over defenders (the exact opposite of Shaun Alexander) than run around them. But sometimes just to keep his Madden speed rating up, he simply runs by people. He is without a doubt the best running back in the NFL. He is so good, I can’t even think of the second best running back in the NFL off the top of my head. He makes everyone else look average. It’s like he is Michael Jordan and the NFL defenses that he plays against are Craig Ehlo. He averages over 5 yards per carry, which means that he gets a first down every two carries. The most amazing thing about Peterson’s production is the fact that he plays on a team with a young (although he will be good) quarterback and basically no talent at wide receiver (Percy Harvin will be a good addition this season). So, basically he faces a minimum of 8 players and usually 9 or even 10 players in the box on every play. Yet he still dominates! He is only 24 years old, so if he can stay healthy (that is a big if considering his college career), he still has 6 amazing years left. Let’s just sit back and enjoy. (Play the video below to see Peterson in action).
#2 Randy Moss (Wide Receiver – New England Patriots) – No disrespect to Jerry Rice, but RANDY MOSS IS THE BEST RECEIVER IN NFL HISTORY! He simply has more natural ability than anyone to ever play the position. He is an inch taller than Fitzgerald, and DOES HAVE THE BLAZING SPEED! (ask DeAngelo Hall) He simply makes catches that other human beings simply do not have the physical ability to make. As far as I am concerned HE IS NOT HUMAN! He cannot be defended. I have seen him beat triple coverage to catch a pass with his forearm. Who else can do that? I’ll give you a minute to think about it……. Still thinking?....... OK, I will give you the answer. NO ONE! Oh by the way, he also holds the single season touchdown record with 23! What more can I say? (Play the video below to see Moss in action).
By the way, as the video in the top right corner of the screen shows, Randy Moss also influenced the name of the blog. (Please see the video below for more).
AND NOW, THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NFL (regardless of position, but not including quarterbacks) is……… drum roll please………
#1 ED REED (Free Safety – Baltimore Ravens) – I have never seen a defensive player control the game the way Ed Reed does. Truthfully, I don’t even know what position he plays. NFL.com lists him as a Free Safety, but you rarely see him consistently lined up in one place, yet he always seem to be lined up in the right place. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that the Ravens actually had plays in their defensive playbook called “Ed Reed Interception”, “Ed Reed Forced Fumble”, “Ed Reed Fumble Recovery”, and “Ed Reed Touchdown Return”. Whenever the Ravens need a turnover, he makes it. If the offense is struggling, he simply takes it upon himself to score touchdowns on the defensive side of the ball. If that isn’t enough, whenever the Ravens need a key punt return and they send Reed out to be the return man, he simply takes it to the house. I often wonder why quarterbacks ever throw the ball in his general vicinity. Apparently he wonders the same thing (see video below). He is also tough as nails, hits like a Mack truck, has better hands than most NFL receivers, has a nose for the end zone, and obviously understands offenses and reads routes better than most quarterbacks. He is also arguably the best receiver in the NFL once he gets the ball in his hands. He is hands down, THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NFL!!!! If you disagree (and you are entitled to your opinion), YOU ARE WRONG!!!! (Play the videos below for more on Ed Reed).
**SPECIAL SHOUTOUT: CONGRATS TO MY HOMEBOY AND REGULAR STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! READER AND CONTRIBUTOR CARL ON HIS ENGAGEMENT! I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY FOR YOU AND THE LITTLE LADY!**
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK
BALLER: Josh Willingham (Washington Nationals Outfielder)- As most of you know, I am not the biggest baseball fan in the world. That being said, very rarely will I honor a baseball player with my highest weekly honor as the Baller of the Week. For that to happen, he must do something truly special. This past week, Josh Willingham hit TWO GRANDSLAMS IN ONE GAME!!!! That is special and will earn you Baller of the Week status. Although Willingham is not a household name and plays for the worst team in baseball, he truly did do something special. He definitely deserves to be this week’s Baller of the Week. Where his career goes from here is anybody’s guess, but at least he has this honor that no one can take from him.
SCRUB: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Nike – This may be a little late because I have been on blog vacation, but after GETTING DUNKED ON BY Xavier's Jordan Crawford at HIS BASKETBALL CAMP, LeBron and/or the people at Nike decided to confiscate the tape of the dunk. First of all, everyone who plays basketball at a high level for a long time will eventually get dunked on. It’s like how every quarterback will throw an interception, every pitcher will give up a homerun, and I have never met a running back that never fumbled the football. Therefore it was totally weak of you to go all A-ROD (about your image) and try to hide the tape. You know that we live in the era of YouTube and camera phones, so you know someone else was recording besides the cameraman. The tape was going to eventually leak, and guess what, IT DID!!!! (Please see below). But seriously LeBron, Jordan Crawford? WOW! I could see if it was a player destined for NBA stardom, but it was Jordan Crawford! Honestly, until this happened I wouldn’t recognize him if he was on TV in uniform, with his name on the screen in a graphic below him. He got you, so let him have his moment. It was very weak of you and/or Nike to try to hide that tape.
This week, I am adding another award. You have seen the Baller and Scrub of The Week, but now I would like to award my SCRUB OF THE MILLENIUM AWARD. This award can only go to one person, and I bet you know who it is….
SCRUB OF THE MILLENIUM: Brett Favre (“Retired (maybe) NFL Quarterback”) – Come on, did you really think I was going to write this entire entry without taking a shot at my favorite Diva? If you did, shame on you and you obviously don’t pay attention to the blog. After creating a media circus and being in the spotlight all off-season, THE DIVA has decided to “stay retired”. Since throwing the interception that cost the Packers a chance at going to the Super Bowl, THE DIVA has held a tearful press conference to retire (which was very weak by the way), then decided he was bigger than the NFL and the Packers and that he wanted his old job back. The Packers MANNED UP! and decided not to allow the tail to wag the dog, and continue to kiss Brett’s rear and give him what he wanted. They were tired of his DIVA behavior. He had also contemplated retirement and had the organization on pins and needles for the previous couple of seasons before the 2008 season. Not only did they not welcome him back, they also blocked him from going to the team of his choice. Instead of playing for the Vikings, THE DIVA was traded to the Jets, where he again led the league in interceptions and missed the playoffs. Not only did they miss the playoffs, they lost to Chad Pennington (the player the Jets got rid of to make room for Favre) and the Miami Dolphins in the game to determine the Division Championship. Poetic Justice!
After the season, THE DIVA retired again. He later, decided that he wanted to play again, this time for the Vikings. Viking’s coach Brad Childress immediately ended his relationship with his current quarterbacks to go after an older woman. Poor Brad, he didn’t know that THE DIVA was a tease who liked attention, but had commitment issues. Brad should have kept his crush on the low until he was sure he got the girl, so not to hurt the feelings of his backup plans. But being head over heels like he was, he went all in, AND GOT PLAYED!!!! After having surgery and working with the Viking’s training staff and coaches during the summer, THE DIVA decided not to play after all. So now, THE DIVA IS back in Mississippi riding a tractor in a pair of Wrangler jeans, while Brad is buying candy and flowers for his current quarterbacks and telling them that he wanted them all along. Kinda like what Diddy had to do when he went back to his longtime girlfriend after Jennifer Lopez dumped him. The DIVA has struck again and it is really annoying how all of these NFL teams and media types keep fawning over this guy.
Truthfully I don’t understand all of the hype over Favre. I know that he has thrown for a gang of yards and touchdowns, but he has also thrown for a gang of interceptions (the most in NFL history). Last time I checked, he also had the same amount of Super Bowl victories as Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson (where's the love for them?). He is also almost 40 years old. HE IS DONE! If you don’t believe me, look at how last season ended. I know, some people will claim the injury excuse. But if he was injured, he shouldn’t have been playing. Also, if he was injured at 39, why do think that he will remain healthy at 40. It just doesn’t make sense. Brad Childress and the Vikings got played, and they deserved it.
Before I start, I would like to apologize to my regular readers for leaving you hanging for so long. I know that it has been a month since my last post, but it has been quite the busy month. I celebrated a birthday (thanks to my wife for a wonderful dinner and my family for celebrating with me). I also finished another semester of my MBA Program (the workload for summer classes is intense to say the least), and I have changed jobs (which we all know is a job in itself). The last month was definitely worth all of the hard work, because I am one semester closer to my Master’s Degree and I absolutely love my new job. Thank you for your patience and I will try to keep the prolonged absences to a minimum in the future, because I MISSED YOU GUYS!!!!
NOW, LET’S GET TO IT!!!!
There are 1,696 active players each week in the NFL. The fact that these select athletes are playing on Sunday’s tells you just how good they are. Now everyone in the NFL is not a superstar or even a great all-around player, there are those who are role players that simply do a particular job well enough to earn a living at it. For example, Kevin Faulk (of the New England Patriots) has been a third down back for virtually his entire career. This is because he is excellent at picking up blitzes, running draw plays, and catching screen passes. Being able to do these jobs well has allowed him to earn a great living as a NFL player for the past decade or so. There are also players like Keith Brooking (formerly of the Atlanta Falcons and now of the Dallas Cowboys) who has become the best tackler beyond the first down marker in the entire NFL. His role is to get burned by all running backs and tight ends that he has the misfortune of covering and waiting until a player gets the first down and then tackling them. He does it so well that he has made a living doing this for the last ten years.
There are also those players that I consider to be very good players. These players cause opposing coaches to account for them in their game plans, and will have long productive careers and even make multiple Pro Bowls. These players include such guys as Reggie Wayne, Hines Ward, Clinton Portis, Lance Briggs, and John Abraham just to name a few.
Then there is the group of players that are basically walking Hall of Famer’s. These players have Hall of Fame credentials and it is just a matter of time until they are enshrined in Canton. Examples of players that fall into this group are Ray Lewis, Terrell Owens, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Tony Gonzalez.
These are only examples of the players that I believe fall into these specific categories. There are many more that could easily be put into each. Also, you may have noticed that I have not included any quarterbacks (nor will I include any in the list that follows) because it is virtually impossible to compare the quarterback position with the other positions on the field. They are just measured differently than everyone else. However, I will be doing my annual quarterback rankings before the season kicks off.
You may have wondered why I didn’t mention certain players as my examples of future Hall of Famer’s. They were omitted because they are not only future Hall of Famer’s but they are also THE TOP FIVE PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE TODAY (regardless of position, but not including quarterbacks for the reasons mentioned above). I know that this will be a controversial list because I am choosing only five players out of the entire league, and some of you will certainly disagree. That being said I AM STANDING BY MY LIST, and I invite you to challenge it. However, if you disagree, you must tell me why and who you would take off of my list. I look forward to your feedback.
Now, the moment you have all been waiting for. STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’s TOP 5 PLAYERS IN THE NFL ARE:
#5 DeMarcus Ware (Outside Linebacker – Dallas Cowboys) – He is simply a beast and the unquestioned best outside linebacker in the NFL. He has played 4 seasons and has 53.5 SACKS! For those not good at math, that is an average of 13.375 per season. He had 20 IN 2008 ALONE! The best thing (or worst thing if you play quarterback) about this guy is that he is only 27 years old, which means that he is just entering the prime of his career. He is a sure fire Hall of Famer, and has a serious chance at passing career sack leader Bruce Smith on the all time sack list. He currently has 9 more sacks that Smith had after four years. Also, Bruce Smith never had more than 19 sacks in a season, and he only did that once. So barring injury, I like DeMarcus’ chances. (Play the video below to see DeMarcus in action).
To be perfectly honest, I briefly considered Shawne Merriman for this spot. Then I remembered this (see video below) and quickly remembered that DeMarcus is better.
#4 Larry Fitzgerald (Wide Receiver – Arizona Cardinals) – I have been a huge Fitzgerald fan since his college days at Pittsburgh. He is a beast. If it wasn’t for the guy two spots ahead of him on this list, he would be the best receiver in the entire NFL. He is 6’3” and a rock solid 217 pounds. This size allows him to catch all jump balls that are thrown anywhere in the state in which he is playing, and also run through defensive backs like they are the banners that high school football teams break through before games. His hands are impeccable, possibly the best in the game. He also catches the ball with one hand (right or left, it doesn’t matter) better than most receivers catch it with two hands and their chest. The only knock on Fitzgerald is that he doesn’t have blazing sub 4.3 40-yard dash speed. Have you ever seen him get caught from behind? I sure haven’t, which must mean that he is fast enough. (Play the video below to see Fitzgerald in action).
#3 Adrian Peterson (Running Back – Minnesota Vikings) – I’ve never seen a power back that could run this fast. He actually prefers to run over defenders (the exact opposite of Shaun Alexander) than run around them. But sometimes just to keep his Madden speed rating up, he simply runs by people. He is without a doubt the best running back in the NFL. He is so good, I can’t even think of the second best running back in the NFL off the top of my head. He makes everyone else look average. It’s like he is Michael Jordan and the NFL defenses that he plays against are Craig Ehlo. He averages over 5 yards per carry, which means that he gets a first down every two carries. The most amazing thing about Peterson’s production is the fact that he plays on a team with a young (although he will be good) quarterback and basically no talent at wide receiver (Percy Harvin will be a good addition this season). So, basically he faces a minimum of 8 players and usually 9 or even 10 players in the box on every play. Yet he still dominates! He is only 24 years old, so if he can stay healthy (that is a big if considering his college career), he still has 6 amazing years left. Let’s just sit back and enjoy. (Play the video below to see Peterson in action).
#2 Randy Moss (Wide Receiver – New England Patriots) – No disrespect to Jerry Rice, but RANDY MOSS IS THE BEST RECEIVER IN NFL HISTORY! He simply has more natural ability than anyone to ever play the position. He is an inch taller than Fitzgerald, and DOES HAVE THE BLAZING SPEED! (ask DeAngelo Hall) He simply makes catches that other human beings simply do not have the physical ability to make. As far as I am concerned HE IS NOT HUMAN! He cannot be defended. I have seen him beat triple coverage to catch a pass with his forearm. Who else can do that? I’ll give you a minute to think about it……. Still thinking?....... OK, I will give you the answer. NO ONE! Oh by the way, he also holds the single season touchdown record with 23! What more can I say? (Play the video below to see Moss in action).
By the way, as the video in the top right corner of the screen shows, Randy Moss also influenced the name of the blog. (Please see the video below for more).
AND NOW, THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NFL (regardless of position, but not including quarterbacks) is……… drum roll please………
#1 ED REED (Free Safety – Baltimore Ravens) – I have never seen a defensive player control the game the way Ed Reed does. Truthfully, I don’t even know what position he plays. NFL.com lists him as a Free Safety, but you rarely see him consistently lined up in one place, yet he always seem to be lined up in the right place. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that the Ravens actually had plays in their defensive playbook called “Ed Reed Interception”, “Ed Reed Forced Fumble”, “Ed Reed Fumble Recovery”, and “Ed Reed Touchdown Return”. Whenever the Ravens need a turnover, he makes it. If the offense is struggling, he simply takes it upon himself to score touchdowns on the defensive side of the ball. If that isn’t enough, whenever the Ravens need a key punt return and they send Reed out to be the return man, he simply takes it to the house. I often wonder why quarterbacks ever throw the ball in his general vicinity. Apparently he wonders the same thing (see video below). He is also tough as nails, hits like a Mack truck, has better hands than most NFL receivers, has a nose for the end zone, and obviously understands offenses and reads routes better than most quarterbacks. He is also arguably the best receiver in the NFL once he gets the ball in his hands. He is hands down, THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NFL!!!! If you disagree (and you are entitled to your opinion), YOU ARE WRONG!!!! (Play the videos below for more on Ed Reed).
**SPECIAL SHOUTOUT: CONGRATS TO MY HOMEBOY AND REGULAR STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! READER AND CONTRIBUTOR CARL ON HIS ENGAGEMENT! I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY FOR YOU AND THE LITTLE LADY!**
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK
BALLER: Josh Willingham (Washington Nationals Outfielder)- As most of you know, I am not the biggest baseball fan in the world. That being said, very rarely will I honor a baseball player with my highest weekly honor as the Baller of the Week. For that to happen, he must do something truly special. This past week, Josh Willingham hit TWO GRANDSLAMS IN ONE GAME!!!! That is special and will earn you Baller of the Week status. Although Willingham is not a household name and plays for the worst team in baseball, he truly did do something special. He definitely deserves to be this week’s Baller of the Week. Where his career goes from here is anybody’s guess, but at least he has this honor that no one can take from him.
SCRUB: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Nike – This may be a little late because I have been on blog vacation, but after GETTING DUNKED ON BY Xavier's Jordan Crawford at HIS BASKETBALL CAMP, LeBron and/or the people at Nike decided to confiscate the tape of the dunk. First of all, everyone who plays basketball at a high level for a long time will eventually get dunked on. It’s like how every quarterback will throw an interception, every pitcher will give up a homerun, and I have never met a running back that never fumbled the football. Therefore it was totally weak of you to go all A-ROD (about your image) and try to hide the tape. You know that we live in the era of YouTube and camera phones, so you know someone else was recording besides the cameraman. The tape was going to eventually leak, and guess what, IT DID!!!! (Please see below). But seriously LeBron, Jordan Crawford? WOW! I could see if it was a player destined for NBA stardom, but it was Jordan Crawford! Honestly, until this happened I wouldn’t recognize him if he was on TV in uniform, with his name on the screen in a graphic below him. He got you, so let him have his moment. It was very weak of you and/or Nike to try to hide that tape.
This week, I am adding another award. You have seen the Baller and Scrub of The Week, but now I would like to award my SCRUB OF THE MILLENIUM AWARD. This award can only go to one person, and I bet you know who it is….
SCRUB OF THE MILLENIUM: Brett Favre (“Retired (maybe) NFL Quarterback”) – Come on, did you really think I was going to write this entire entry without taking a shot at my favorite Diva? If you did, shame on you and you obviously don’t pay attention to the blog. After creating a media circus and being in the spotlight all off-season, THE DIVA has decided to “stay retired”. Since throwing the interception that cost the Packers a chance at going to the Super Bowl, THE DIVA has held a tearful press conference to retire (which was very weak by the way), then decided he was bigger than the NFL and the Packers and that he wanted his old job back. The Packers MANNED UP! and decided not to allow the tail to wag the dog, and continue to kiss Brett’s rear and give him what he wanted. They were tired of his DIVA behavior. He had also contemplated retirement and had the organization on pins and needles for the previous couple of seasons before the 2008 season. Not only did they not welcome him back, they also blocked him from going to the team of his choice. Instead of playing for the Vikings, THE DIVA was traded to the Jets, where he again led the league in interceptions and missed the playoffs. Not only did they miss the playoffs, they lost to Chad Pennington (the player the Jets got rid of to make room for Favre) and the Miami Dolphins in the game to determine the Division Championship. Poetic Justice!
After the season, THE DIVA retired again. He later, decided that he wanted to play again, this time for the Vikings. Viking’s coach Brad Childress immediately ended his relationship with his current quarterbacks to go after an older woman. Poor Brad, he didn’t know that THE DIVA was a tease who liked attention, but had commitment issues. Brad should have kept his crush on the low until he was sure he got the girl, so not to hurt the feelings of his backup plans. But being head over heels like he was, he went all in, AND GOT PLAYED!!!! After having surgery and working with the Viking’s training staff and coaches during the summer, THE DIVA decided not to play after all. So now, THE DIVA IS back in Mississippi riding a tractor in a pair of Wrangler jeans, while Brad is buying candy and flowers for his current quarterbacks and telling them that he wanted them all along. Kinda like what Diddy had to do when he went back to his longtime girlfriend after Jennifer Lopez dumped him. The DIVA has struck again and it is really annoying how all of these NFL teams and media types keep fawning over this guy.
Truthfully I don’t understand all of the hype over Favre. I know that he has thrown for a gang of yards and touchdowns, but he has also thrown for a gang of interceptions (the most in NFL history). Last time I checked, he also had the same amount of Super Bowl victories as Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson (where's the love for them?). He is also almost 40 years old. HE IS DONE! If you don’t believe me, look at how last season ended. I know, some people will claim the injury excuse. But if he was injured, he shouldn’t have been playing. Also, if he was injured at 39, why do think that he will remain healthy at 40. It just doesn’t make sense. Brad Childress and the Vikings got played, and they deserved it.
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