Maroney disclosure doesn’t change injury past

by | May 21, 2009 | Fantasy Football, NFL Random Thoughts

Former Patriots fullback Heath Evans calls Laurence Maroney one of the best natural running backs he’s ever seen. He hopes the oft-injured halfback stays healthy in the years ahead so he can prove it to fans, media and teammates.

Maroney disclosed this week that while he was being criticized in the press and on fan sites for not hitting holes hard and for not playing through pain he was actually fighting a broken bone in his shoulder.

That explains the poor play last season and the appearance on injured reserve after playing in just three games during what was supposed to be his breakout season. But it doesn’t explain his career-long propensity for getting hurt.

During the first two years of his career, Maroney played in 13 and 14 games. His rookie year he shared time with Corey Dillon. In December he missed two games after tearing rib cartilage. He missed three games in 2007 with a groin injury – and was really the second best running back on the team that year to Sammy Morris, even though Dillon was released in the offseason.

I really like Maroney. He teamed with Marion Barber III at the University of Minnesota to provide one of the most entertaining running back tandems in my alma mater’s history. I’d like to see him succeed in the NFL as well.

But while in lieu of his broken shoulder revelation he may deserve a bit of a reprieve on the accusations of being soft, he still has to prove himself in terms of being durable enough to A) make it through an entire season and B) be the main guy in the Patriots’ or some other team’s running attack.

He sounds driven to prove he can be “the man.” But until he plays 16 games and puts up numbers resembling those of a number one back, fans and fantasy players should count on Maroney for nothing more than time-sharing.

Leon Washington wants WHAT?!?!?

by | May 18, 2009 | NFL Random Thoughts

New York Jets running back Leon Washington wants a new contract worth, cough, cough, roughly $6 million annually, according to nj.com, the Web site of the Newark Star-Ledger.

Washington, who backed up Thomas Jones last season, held out of a voluntary workout last week, surprising his new coach, Rex Ryan, because he had attended all of his sessions to that point.

Washington, who has game-breaking speed and solid potential, has built a reputation for being a hard worker and he’s a favorite of teammates, according to the paper.

BUT HE’S A BACKUP!?!?

Has he outperformed a contract that calls for him to earn $535,000 in 2009? Without a doubt he probably has. Has he outperformed it to the level that would put him among the highest-paid running backs in the National Football League?

Not even friggin’ close.

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Vikings choosing between Winfield and Favre?

by | May 15, 2009 | NFL News, NFL Random Thoughts

It was reported earlier this week that the Minnesota Vikings had reached an impasse in talks on a contract extension for cornerback Antoine Winfield.

Not a huge issue, was my first thought. There’s plenty of time for both sides to meet in the middle and hammer something out – though the organization’s strategy in dealing with former center Matt Birk in a similar situation made me a bit squirmy.

But now Charley Walters at the St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that the Vikings may be struggling to decide between extending Winfield and signing Brett Favre.

Now, let’s breathe a minute first. Walters often gets some interesting tidbits but his column is also known for its speculative nature, especially regarding some of his efforts to establish players’ market values regarding salaries or trades.

Nonetheless, if the Vikings are having a hard time choosing between Winfield and Favre, I will attempt here to break it down for them. Winfield is a 31-year-old cornerback who is a tackling maven in run support coming off arguably his best season. Favre is a 39-year-old quarterback coming off a terrible five game slide to end the 2008 season – a season during which he played with an as of yet unfixed torn bicep muscle.

Can someone please, please explain why there is even a discussion here? If you can bring in Favre at a reasonable price (I would argue the $10 million mentioned in Walters’ column is perhaps too high) to run the offense for a year or two, I guess it’s a liveable deal if he is healthy. But if bringing in Favre in any way jeopardizes the team’s ability to keep Winfield, I’m sorry, it’s not a deal worth making.

Favre, if he’s not washed up already, is close. He’s perilously close to becoming one of “those guys” who hangs on too long at the end. Winfield, as evidenced by his play last season, still has a lot of good years left.

Prisco says what many are thinking

by | May 6, 2009 | NFL News, NFL Random Thoughts

Whether he is or not I don’t know, but CBSSportsline.com’s Pete Prisco often comes off as an arrogant jerk. I also frequently disagree with his takes, though he’s an interesting read, likeable or not.

But while many NFL beat writers, local and national, are tip-toeing around the Brett Favre-to-Minnesota rumors – some even expressing excitement about the possibilities (not everyone) – Prisco is the first to say loudly what I think many are thinking – that if Brad Childress, Zygi Wilf and the Vikings hitch their wagons to the aging one-time superstar QB it’ll be a mistake.

Has anyone watched the last two seasons? He was great in 2007 for Green Bay until it mattered in the frigid NFC Championship game. That afternoon I remember thinking for the first time ever that it looked like he didn’t want to be there.

He recovered during the early part of his first foray in New York last year, but he injured his arm and he nearly single-handedly derailed the Jets’ chances at the playoffs during the final third of the season.

I’ve had more chances than many to watch Favre. As a lifelong follower of the purple he’s led many-a-comeback in the last minute against the team he apparently wants to play for. I hated him as a rival player. I admired him as a competitor. But his time has come. Last year the retire-unretire schtick was getting old – this year it’s reached the point of downright sad.

I think Prisco is right on this one. It’s time to stay retired, Brett.

“The gunslinger has no bullets left,” Prisco writes. “He shoots blanks.”

If he ends up signing in Minnesota I hope he proves Prisco wrong. But I think it’s the writer who got this one right.

Foote wants to play in … Detroit?

by | May 6, 2009 | 2009 NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

I’m not sure whether to give Larry Foote a virtual pat on the back for loyalty or beg him to have his head examined. The former Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker apparently will get to fulfill his desire to leave the Super Bowl champion to join, yes, the ultimate Super Bowl longshot Detroit Lions.

Foote reportedly has inked a one-year deal to become Detroit’s new middle linebacker just days after receiving his release from the Steel Town where he helped win two Lombardi trophies.

By joining the rebuilding Lions he goes from being the third or fourth best linebacker on one of the league’s top defenses year in and year out to a team where he likely becomes one of – if not THE – best player.

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Multiple reports: Lions take Stafford

by | Apr 24, 2009 | NFL News, NFL Random Thoughts

It was probably inevitable – two disciples of the Matt Millen era in Detroit continued his legacy of building around skill-position players Friday night as multiple reports have come out indicating that the Lions have, in fact, inked quarterback Matthew Stafford to a six-year, $72 million deal with nearly $42 million of it guaranteed.

While drafting Stafford makes more sense than taking wide receivers in the first round three seasons in a row, we at Zoneblitz have long been on record believing Detroit should be waiting a year to grab a franchise QB while instead focusing on its long ignored issues on the offensive and defensive lines.

Experts’ opinions on Stafford are mixed. Some believe his strong arm and field-general skills make him the next great quarterback. Others question why, despite being surrounded by fantastic talent at Georgia, he couldn’t take the team further.

Detroit fans have to be hoping they won’t be asking themselves that same question 10 or 12 years down the road.

The signing leaves the St. Louis Rams on the clock.