Bad luck is good Luck for several teams entering 2011

by | Sep 10, 2011 | 2011 season, NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

Most years most teams like to go into the season creating at least some sort of vision that they can be the last team standing, the franchise hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy handed out at the end of the Super Bowl in February.

Arguably one-quarter of the league this year appear to have their sights set much lower … or would it be higher? They will be competing less for the championship and more for the consolation prize – first pick in the draft and the rights to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

By most accounts, Luck would have been the first pick had he chosen to leave Stanford after his junior year. That honor went instead to Auburn signal caller Cam Newton.

Several teams spent their off-seasons not getting better, some of them barely masking the fact that they are sacrificing 2011 for the potential riches that may follow.

Eight teams vying for Luck: (more…)

Rookie offensive linemen will boost skill players’ fantasy value

by | May 4, 2011 | Fantasy Football, NFL Draft

When the Atlanta Falcons traded five picks to move up and draft Julio Jones in the first round last Thursday night, the move put the star wideout in an ideal situation where he is surrounded by a young, improving quarterback and superstar veterans at running back, tight end and wide receiver.

Jones’ skills boosted the fantasy value of several of his new teammates and the wealth of talent around him puts him in a position to contribute right away.

So sure, like every year, there are a handful of skill players (see Mark Ingram, New Orleans) who were drafted that could leave early impressions on fantasy teams. But in my eyes the biggest beneficiaries from a fantasy perspective in this NFL draft were veteran skill position players whose teams addressed deficient offensive line play. (more…)

Denver, Detroit make early strides in the draft

by | Apr 30, 2011 | 2011 season, NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

There are a lot of picks left to be made but the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos have already had winning drafts.

Even if Denver forfeits its remaining picks the team took unmistakably helped its putrid defense with the additions of linebacker Von Miller, safety Rahim Moore and linebacker Nate Irving.

I’m a little confused about why the team took Miller over Marcel Dareus in a year they are switching from the 3-4 defense to the 4-3. Miller is considered a top-notch edge rusher for the 3-4 and Dareus would help fill a gaping hole in the team’s run defense.

But as far as just adding talent, Denver has done a tremendous job heading into day three. (more…)

Seahawks run game transformed through draft and trades

by | Apr 26, 2010 | 2010 Trades, NFL Draft

Seattle finished 26th in the league last year in rushing, averaging just 97.9 yards per game. They were tied for 25th with a 4.0 yard per carry average and they were tied for 27th with just seven rushing touchdowns.

The NFL is a passing league but the Seahawks’ shortcomings on the ground had to be at least part of the reason why the team finished 25th in the league in scoring with just 280 points.

The Seahawks’ problems in the run game can’t be completely blamed on Julius Jones (leading rusher with 663 yards and a 3.7 yard per carry average. Future likely Hall of Famer Walter Jones missed the season. Matt Hasselbeck missed two games and was certainly not healthy all year. But Jones is hardly inspiring as a team’s top running back option. He’s more typically the type of guy coaches are always looking to replace in the starting lineup (witness Dallas and Marion Barber III when Jones was still there).

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Teams with two first rounders mostly do well

by | Apr 22, 2010 | NFL Draft

After trades before and on draft day four teams ended up with two picks in round one.

I like best the day the Seattle Seahawks had, which may not be surprising given that they were both in the top 14. The Hawks first nabbed Russell Okung, who will likely step in on day one to replace Walter Jones, when the Seahawks’ star left tackle makes his retirement official. The second pick, safety Earl Thomas, has 4.3 speed and was being talked up by some of the draft experts on ESPN as the best safety in the draft. He’ll immediately make the defense better too.

The San Francisco 49ers had a good day as well. There had been some talk that they might go for a speed back like CJ Spiller to complement Frank Gore. Instead, with the Clemson back off the board early, the 9ers nabbed two stud offensive linemen to make holes for Gore instead. Anthony Davis from Rutgers is a 325 pound anchor who will also help protect whoever ends up at quarterback while Mike Iupati, the guard from Idaho, will also be a road grader.

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Jags fans can’t be thrilled with Alualu pick

by | Apr 22, 2010 | NFL Draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars struggled with attendance in 2009 enough to the point where rumors had the team several months ago considering drafting Tim Tebow in the first round just to get the locals interested in the team again.

They clearly decided Tebow wasn’t worthy of going with a top 10 pick and based on the reports it’s not surprising. They may still be able to get him in the second round if they want him.

But I can’t see fans in Jacksonville being all that excited about the team selecting defensive tackle Tyson Alualu instead. . That’s not to say the University of California product is a bad player – he may be a very solid lineman. Not that Mel Kiper is the end-all, be-all, but he had Alualu ranked as a late-first or early-second round pick.

Yahoo Sports had him as the 69th best player overall.

The Jags need defensive line help, no doubt. But it seems as though they might have been better off trying to swing a trade to move down eight to 10 spots and safely taking him there.

Either way, it’s hard for me to see this pick putting fans in the seats.