The Jets and How Bad Their Season Was and What They Should Do

The Jets season crashed to an end Monday night after their atrocious performance, but that word could also be an understatement of how bad they were, it was only fitting their season ended on the mishandled snap.  Sanchez had 5 turnovers marking 50 turnovers the past 2 seasons and that is a total of 30 games in which he put up these atrocious numbers.

The Jets starting Greg McElroy is the best thing they can do to try to win the last 2 games and see what he is made of, because he is a true quarterback and Tim Tebow really isn’t.  It could be that Rex Ryan does not want to start Tebow because he is to stubborn to cave into the Tebow mania in case he wins the last 2 games , then the media and fans will begin to question why he didn’t start earlier in the year.

Now looking beyond that the Jets season has been nothing short of a disgrace and a sham, Rex Ryan said this was probably the best team he has had since coaching the Jets, and then the team claimed they would make the playoffs after the season started off on the wrong foot.  The Jets as always made a guarantee that they could not hold up, and their roster time and time again every season gets worse, this season their roster is awful as compared to Sanchez’s first season. 

The Jets need to clean house and that starts with General Manager Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Rex Ryan.  The drafting and coaching has been terrible, and Sanchez has been babied by the team and now he is ruined he has no confidence.  Once Rex and Mike are gone the team can draft players they need that are good and also make better free agency moves, the only “big” offseason move they made was trading for Tebow who has been used pathetically by the Jets.  Punt protector and a wildcat QB that ran up the middle and hasn’t scored that is a waste of talent.

Sanchez stats the past 2 season are as follows:

TD: 39

INT: 35

Rush TD: 6

Fumbles Lost: 15

Comp %: 55.87

That is 45 total touchdowns to 50 turnovers, you cannot win with a quarterback who does that especially in the AFC East, which is not easy to do.

That is 50 turnovers in 30 games, pathetic!

The Jets should also fire Tony Sparano as offensive coordinator and release or trade both Sanchez and Tebow and keep McElroy to tutor the next quarterback.

The best person to hire as a coach would be John Gruden and then sign Alex because Gruden is a QB guru and will make Alex special because Alex could be appreciated by Gruden.  The Jets should keep Holmes and Revis as well to keep veteran leadership in the locker room and make sure they can protect the pass and also to have a solid passing game.  The ground and pound is not working anymore, the NFL has caught on to the Jets way of playing, and I am glad that people are realizing how overrated the Jets are, I have said since Sanchez’s first year that he and the Jets are overrated.  Alex Smith could get it done in New York, he doesn’t make mental mistakes like Sanchez and signing him could help the team look for offensive help.

I said the Jets would win 6-7 games this season, and I think they will wind up being 6-10 or 7-9, The Chargers and Bills are the last two games, and truthfully those are winnable games, so they could finish at 8-8.  It is hard to say how these games will turn out, but the Jets are dead in the water and the QB change came way too late.

The Jets need to clean house following the last game of the year, and they desperately need a good quality QB.  I cannot remember the last time I ever thought just to myself “wow the Jets have an elite QB”, they haven’t had one in a long time if ever and certainly do not right now.  That is how you win games, Elite QB, a solid defense and a running game to help balance things out.

My Three Teams that Vick could Play for in 2013

With the Eagles being as bad as they have been this year, with Vick being part of the issue before his concussion I do not think he will be back next year, Andy Reid’s job is another part of my thought as to why this will happen.  Here are the three teams I can see him on.

Oakland Raiders- They love quarterbacks with checkered pasts and also that have a strong arm.  So Vick will be a perfect fit for them, if Vick can stay healthy this team has a shot at the division title, and his ability to get the ball out fast means the receivers in Oakland can flourish, they have a good amount of speed and skill at that spot.  He will also help in the running game with his style of play, now McFadden will not be the only player capable of consistently moving the ball for the offense when he is healthy.

Positives: Helps offense in the run game and passing as well, it is an improvement from Carson Palmer.   He can also help Tyrell Pryor as well; they are both very athletic with cannon arms.

Negatives: Health, sometimes silly play making and selfish play making as well which can be a problem on a team such as the raiders.

Buffalo Bills- A spread offense and solid offensive line are keys to success for a quarterback such as Vick, and again the running game can benefit.  If Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller and Vick can all stay healthy they have a chance to be a big problem in the running game.  That is not all, the Bills like to spread the ball out as well, Vick can play very well in this system, Chan Gailey has worked with athletic quarterbacks before, but Vick is very talented which puts him above the others.  The offensive line has been playing very well this year, which is something Vick has not had in Philadelphia, this season is a perfect example of that.  Vick will also be able to run when plays break down, Ryan Fitzpatrick has made some poor throws when he could run and make some positive gain, Vick will run whenever he wants which gives him an edge.

Positives: Great fit for the spread offense, will be a major help in the run game.

Negatives: Health, Gailey’s record also speaks for itself in the NFL; AFC East is a tough division.

New York Jets- Ground and pound is what Rex Ryan loves the most aside from a knock your teeth out defense.  The Jets running game has been atrocious at times since the 2009 and 2010 seasons where it was ranked in the top two for rushing yards.  Vick can be a great fit for this team as long as Tony Sparano is still the offensive coordinator they will have a great shot and using him in the ways he can help the Jets win.

Positives: Can fit in Sparano’s offensive system, bolsters the running game, big arm that can stretch the field when the Jets want to throw.

Negatives: Jets do not have a lot of weapons on either side of the ball; Rex Ryan will put a lot of pressure on him as well.  Locker room could be an issue and so could playing in the world’s media capital.

The 3-8 Eagles, and My Thoughts on What Should Happen

Originally this post was going to be about Jay Cutler and how he should be considered for the MVP race, but after the Eagles loss tonight, making it 7 straight and bringing them to a 3-8 record I decided to go with another blog on the Eagles.

Before the season started I said Michael Vick was one of four quarterbacks that needed to prove themselves, and I also said that the Eagles would win the NFC East and make it to the NFC championship game.  I was dead wrong about this, the Eagles have been nothing short of disastrous, and they could be a 0-11 team if not for some last minute wins over the lowly Browns, the Ravens, and then a really lucky win over the Giants after penalties hurt them before missing the game winning field goal.

This team needs a complete makeover, starting with the coaching staff, Andy Reid needs to be fired, the owner even said that an 8-8 record would not be good enough, well I will tell you right now the Eagles will not be 8-8, I think they may slide to a 3-13 record, and at best 5-11.  Reid has been losing control of his team, they keep making bone headed plays and mistakes; the defense has more holes then Swiss cheese as does their offensive line.

Tonight their defense and turnovers killed them, they were able to run the ball for over 200 yards, but passing was another story.  They lost two fumbles on offensive possessions and one on a key kickoff towards the end of the game and added on that was a failed 4^th and inches attempt.  Reid looked just burned out there tonight, the team was moving the ball but coughed it up and could not make it happened when it was most needed.

The defense also hurt themselves as well with 3 straight penalties that led to the Cam Newton rushing touchdown to build the lead from 2 to 8 points, and then hurt them again on the following Carolina possession as well.  Carolina would have been at 3rd and long but because of a defensive penalty it was an automatic first down for Carolina, I was shocked at how bad the Eagles had played tonight, it seemed whenever they had a shot to get it together they let it slip away.

Again Reid has to be the first to go, but he is not alone, they should fire the defensive coordinator as well and clean up the roster as well.  Vick is the first player that needs to go, and I think he will be cut because looking around the NFL I don’t see a team that would trade a lot for him.  If Al Davis was still alive he would be traded to Oakland, but that won’t be happening after how the Carson Palmer trade has worked out.

Vicks departure will free up a lot of salary cap and also will allow the Eagles to find a new starting quarterback, they really should take a look at Matt Flynn out in Seattle, and he could be the fit for the Eagles.  He doesn’t strike me as the big mouthed big ego type player Vick is who said the Eagles could be a dynasty, well I think we all know how that is turning out right now for him and his team.  Vick is a risk, his health is shaky as well as his decision making, he is a turnover machine and that has been proven time and time again this year like in the past.

DeSean Jackson should also be shipped, he can be an issue for whoever comes in next as the coach, because Andy Reid’s chances of staying are slim to none.  The Eagles could move him to a team like the Rams who need an explosive player and also has a coach that will not take his antics.  If the Eagles can do that and get some quality picks for him they can start drafting an offensive line which they badly need as well.  As for the running game, Bryce Brown is showing how good he can be; the Eagles can use him and McCoy as a duel threat system and run the ball much more often with more efficiency and milk the clock and just make throws when they need to. 

For the defensive side, I think the Eagles need to get rid of Nnamdi Asomugha, he has not fit that system well, and teams are in need of a solid starting corner, again some trade bait for the Eagles to strip the team down and start drafting offensive linemen and maybe even the QB of the future as well.

This team is underachieving yet again, and it is sad to watch such a talented team just burn out the way they have this season.  Once Reid and Vick are gone a new era in Philly can begin, and hopefully for the Philly faithful it can one day deliver a super bowl, something the team has never won.

What the 2012 Philadelphia Eagles Need to do

One of the biggest disappointments thus far this season has been the Philadelphia Eagles, and they are now sitting at 3-5 with 4 straight losses, they are in second place in the NFC East.  They can turn it around, they have the talent, and right now the Giants are 6-3 and one of those losses is to the Eagles.

There really does not seem to be one issue with this team, if there can just be one main issue it would be the lack of play by the team as a whole.  They can’t protect Michael Vick, they can’t throw the ball well, they can barely score points and their defense has been atrocious, it is softer then a memory foam mattress.

This past week is an example of how bad this team has been playing, there were many missed tackles, poor blocking and a lack of red zone execution against the New Orleans Saints.  They had 2 turnovers in the red zone, a fumble and an interception that was returned for a touchdown and they also failed to convert a 4^th down at the end of the game in the red zone.  That is not good for a team that is already struggling; they could easily be 1-7 right now if not for Vick beating both the Browns and Ravens at the end of those games.  They could even be 0-8 if not for the Giants mistakes on the final drive that led to what could have been a game winning field that was missed.

Some people want to blame Andy Reid, some want to blame Vick, some blame the offensive line, some the defense and some blame the lack of carries by LeSean McCoy.  If you ask me I think this is a team situation, I can’t remember seeing such a talented team playing so poorly, they have only gone over 20 points once this season.  I thought Monday night’s game against the worst defense in the NFL would help get the Eagles back on track, CBS’s NFL analyst Shannon Sharpe said “When the Saints come marching in the Quartbacks numbers go up”.  What he meant by that was when the Saints play their opponents QB will light it up.  Vick did not do that, he did have that one long pass play to DeSean Jackson but most of that yardage was after the catch.

If the Eagles want to right this sinking ship, which they can do they need to fix some things.  They first need to run the ball more, LeSean McCoy is one of the best running backs in the NFL right now, he is fast, elusive and can take the pressure off of Michael Vick.  The Eagles cannot expect to win when the have a spread of 5 receivers and then try to have their offensive line that has holes like Swiss cheese protect Vick, he got pounded on Monday.  If memory serves me right he was sacked, hurried, and hit on 37% of his drop backs, that is inexcusable, the Eagles did give Vick a 100 million dollar contract to take a beating and turnover the ball as many times as he has.  Some of those are his fault and some are because he has to hurry the throw or the ball gets knocked loose when he is being hit.

The Eagles need to find a way to get the ball to the other play makers such as Jeremy Maclin and Desean Jackson.  They have speed and skill to get it done, as does Vick and McCoy, once they are all on the same page this offense can be lethal, but right now it is a different story.

As for the defense, they have to step it up, there is no excuse for their poor play, they are professional athletes, they should know how to tackle and be swarm to the ball, firing the defensive coordinator was a bad idea.

If Eagles want to be a better team they need to fix their problems, and if they don’t get it right and save their season Andy Reid will be gone, and should be.  The team needs to draft offensive linemen and work on their defense, and Vick could be gone as well, but only time will tell.

My prediction is that the Eagles could finish 8-8 at best, I don’t see it being any better then that.

State of the 2012 Panthers and What they Should do

The Carolina Panthers have been struggling this year to win games, and they recently parted ways with General Manager Marty Hurney who had been with the team since 2002.  To me this move made sense, the Panthers never held back to back winning seasons with Hurney at the GM spot.

Hurney has made mistakes as a GM such as resigning Quarterback Jake Delhomme to a 5 year 42.5 million dollar deal, he did not live up to this contract signed before the 2009 season as he went 7 for 17 with 4 interceptions and a lost fumble in the first game of the 2009 season.   He was cut following that season.

Hurney also left the Panthers with running backs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams having $43 million guaranteed for both of them, these are their top 2 backs, and they rank 24^th in the league.

Hurney also picked wrong with Jimmy Clausen as well.

Aside from GM problems I think head coach Ron Rivera and the rest of the coaching staff is not doing a great job.  The Panthers are at a 1-5 record, and 4 of those 5 losses have come by a touchdown or less, and Cam Newton and his Panther’s team have been struggling.  Cam has been sulking on the sidelines, his attitude and demeanor after games has not been good either.

This team needs more changes, and to me that starts with Ron Rivera being fired, and I think they should hire John Gruden to be their coach.  I think this is a great spot for Gruden, he is a quarterback Guru and he will not mess around, Cams attitude would change whether or not he wants it too.  Gruden would make the Panthers better.

The Panthers also need a better scheme; this is what they should do:

Run the ball more, and use more screen passes, let Cam throw the ball, it is his second year he needs more experience and once they can do that they can use more play action and deep passes. They also need to let Cam run more, he is a freak of nature and not letting him run as well as pass is not good, it could be that teams know how to stop Cam and that is why the Panthers are struggling.

The team needs to draft better, rather than go for big name players (Example is Jimmy Clausen) or drafting out of necessity and not looking at the players they draft close enough they need to look at the talent coming out of college.  They should draft more receivers, perhaps another tight end, some more offensive linemen, and beef up the defense.  Picking the right receiver is a key, Steve Smith is only getting older, and even though he plays great football still it is imperative they draft more receivers they can learn from Steve Smith and work their way into the scheme. 

They should also look to trade either Smith or Williams.

This team needs some changes, and needs them now, because playing in the NFL South is no joke.

Surprises and Thoughts Heading into the 7th week of the NFL Season

The NFL is now in the seventh week of the regular season, and it has been full of surprises, and I will admit I made some predictions that are not happening this year so far.

When the season started I said the Miami Dolphins would be the worst team in the NFL this year, and right now I am dead wrong.  They are ranked 16^th in total offense right now, ranking ahead of New Orleans, Dallas, and Carolina, which I would not have expected.  They haven’t won the prettiest games, but they win, and they have been hanging in there in their first six games.

I wasn’t expecting New England to be as balanced this year as they have been, they are running the ball very well, and are second in the league with a team total 10 rushing touchdowns behind only the Redskins, they also rank 5^th in the NFL with total rushing yards.  They are even 4^th in the NFL with rushing yards per game averaging 152.3 yards a game, they have only lost one fumble rushing as well.

Christian Ponder and the Minnesota Vikings are surprising me as well; I thought this team was going to have a top 10 pick, maybe even top 5.  However they have proven to be a quality team standing at a 4-2 record.  Even though they rank 17^th in the league for passing yards Christian Ponder has taken good care of the ball.  They have beat both the 49ers and the Lions who were powerhouses in the NFC last year, Detroit has fallen a bit, but it is still impressive.

Michael Vick’s turnover issues have been atrocious thus far; he has 13 of the Eagles 16 total turnovers himself, that is inexcusable for an NFL quarterback, and especially one who has signed a $100 Million dollar contract.  He keeps fumbling the ball, and making some poor throws, I really thought he would do well this year because of how well he and the Eagles played towards the end of last year.

The Browns are surprising me as well, I know a 1-5 record isn’t great, but they are hanging tough in games.  They could have beaten the Eagles, and were close to sending the game against the Ravens into overtime.  They even jumped ahead on the defending super bowl champion Giants before losing.  I am surprised at how well this team has played despite its record. 

The Oakland Raiders to me are the worst team in the NFL right now, Carson Palmer is making some bad decisions, including a pick 6 against the Falcons that helped spark Atlanta to a victory.  Carson is not the answer in Oakland.  He may not have the greatest weapons in the NFL but his inaccuracy and turnovers are hurting this Oakland team.

Matt Cassel is the worst quarterback this year, and I am surprised because he has the number 1 ranking rushing offense in the NFL right now.  It boggles my mind how he cannot use that to help himself and his team win.  They rank 23^rd in passing yards and dead last in interceptions(meaning they have the most), Cassel is responsible for 9 of those(of 11), in only 5 games, and not a complete 5 games either.  He is also dead last in passer rating as well, his rating is 66.2 which is behind Brandon Weeden, and Mark Sanchez who is not completing many passes.  

The 2012 Jets Are Falling

The Jets are headed downhill, I am sure some people don’t think that way because they are 2-2, well frankly their record does not reflect their season.  They lost Reavis in a close game down in Miami that they could have lost if Miami’s kicker made either one of the 2 kicks that he missed during the game.

The Jets lost another key part of their offense this past weekend, Santonio Holmes who is now out for the season, as well as Reavis, however Reavis has not been placed on the IR in case the Jets make the super bowl, and that is very unlikely.  Now the Jets are without their best defensive player and their best offensive weapon.

I do not think Kyle Wilson can pick up Reavis’s slack now that he is gone, nor can running back Joe McKnight who is now being used to play corner back.  The Jets offensive weapons outside Holmes and tight end Dustin Keller are not impressive, Stephen Hill needs to keep healthy and outside of him I really don’t see to many people that can actually be of help.

Mark Sanchez has a completion percentage of 49.2 which ranks lowest in the NFL, he ranks 22^nd in passing yards, and third worst in quarterback rating at 69.6.  I understand it is not entirely his fault, but he is not showing leadership on the field, he looks confused, irritated and flat out lost.  I think when Tebow was brought in it killed him, because after 3 years of not having his job in jeopardy ( because we all know Mark Brunnell was not going to take his spot) he is now in trouble and has a backup that has a media storm following him everywhere. 

Mark needs to show something this upcoming Monday night against the Texans, if not he should be benched in favor of Tebow.  I said in a previous blog entitled “The 2012 Jets and their outcome” that they would go 7-9 and Tebow would be the starter by week 5 or 6 as the starter, and this is week 5 now, I think by week 6 Tebow starts.  The defense could still hypothetically be a top 5 defense, and they need to pick up that running game.  Rex has always been a ground and pound guy, except for last season when the Jets threw the ball a fair amount of times.  However now with the Jets top playmaker gone on offense the Jets need that ground and pound again, and Mark simply cannot be the guy to help that, Tebow is. 

Tebow righted a sinking ship last year in Denver and lead them to a playoff berth by making them the NFLs top rushing attack, I don’t think Tebow can do it in a division where the teams score points and air it out.  He is the best option at the moment though, because maybe he can beat these AFC East teams, and if the Jets want that running game they need Tebow because he will take the punishing hits and he can run an option and spread option game.  Shonn Greene is not a true number one back, but Tebow could help him out.

I am not the only one who thinks Tebow should start, the Jets owner Woody Johnson is pushing for Tebow to start.  That is not good, Sanchez should be angry, but as always he won’t say anything, he keeps that 

bottled up and won’t say a word.  Sanchez needs to step up, but as always he won’t he is too afraid.  ESPN’s Skip Bayless is on the money when he said the Jets coddled Sanchez, this is an issue because you can’t just hand the keys to a guy who really did not deserve a chance right off the bat.  Sanchez is broken in my eyes, he really can’t take a team anywhere now, he has no running game and the defense is not what it was his first 2 years.

Let Tebow start, see what he can do, and then this offseason the Jets need to make changes.

They should fire Rex Ryan, because he clearly only wants to run the ball and play defense, if he wanted to pass he would get more weapons for his team.

Also get Mark Sanchez out of there, and trade him for some maybe mid to late round picks, and start stockpiling picks.  Trade Holmes as well, he could easily land on a team like the 49ers, or the Raiders, or even the Colts in my eyes, and those teams could pay a nice price to the Jets for him. 

Once those three are off the team they can start rebuilding, and let Sparano be the head coach for a year and see how that works out.  He knows the division, and that means he would have an idea of what to do. 

The Jets could trade up and get Matt Barkley or Geno Smith and start new at the QB spot, and bring in someone that will make them EARN the starting spot, and not just turn the keys over to them.  They should also try to trade for a running back, or draft one as well, and shore up the receiving position as well. 

Head Nods and Shakes of Week 1 of the NFL Seaon

Here are my head “nods” and “shakes” for the first week of the NFL and also this past Thursday night game between the Packers and Bears.

NODS:

RGIII

He went 19 of 26 passes attempted for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns, and NO turnovers against the Saints in the Superdome.  I saw his highlights, no bad plays, and he was extremely accurate, he lead the Redskins to 40 points as well.  I am very impressed with him, the 88 yard TD pass to Garcon impressed me too because he stood strong and took the hit after he let the ball go.

New York Jets

They played lights out, they harassed Fitzpatrick all game long, he threw 3 interceptions and C.J. Spiller fumbled which was recovered by the Jets.  The Jets defense has already shown improvement, however the Bills was just awful and I don’t want to put the Jets on a pedestal just yet, but this team’s defense could easily be a top 3 defense this season. 

Sanchez looked sharp as well, he looked stronger and more accurate, something I have been critical of, but I think he is in store for a much improved season.

New England Patriots

They actually were able to run the ball very well, they ran for a total of 162 yards on 35 carries, which is an average of 4.6 yards per rush.  They gained a total of 25 first downs, and 13 were by running, this is great for team that has struggled to run since Corey Dillon, who is known to CBS analyst on the NFL Today show as the “Biggest robbery since the Louisiana Purchase” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_Sharpe).  Stevan Ridley accounted for 125 yards on 21 carries and 1 touchdown.

Peyton Manning

Looked like the old Peyton we have all come to love and know, and he threw his 400^th career touchdown pass as well.  He did this in his first game since January of 2011 and this was against a tough defense as well.

Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco 21 of 29 for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns, he ran the no huddle so well, and the defense played very well as well.  Now if they can keep this going instead of falling on their faces after big games like they have in the past they will be lethal.

SHAKES:

Jay Cutler

Telling the Packers “good luck” before the game about his receivers, then he goes out and throws four interceptions, and gets mouthy and physical with an offensive linemen on national T.V.  Yes Jay because you are perfect and throwing four interceptions isn’t bad…..

Buffalo Bills

4 turnovers, 3 picks by Fitzpatrick and a fumble lost by C.J. Spiller, they were atrocious on offense; Fitzpatrick made to many late decisions and turned the ball over.  Just awful on the Bills part, their defense was no better either.

Michael Vick

Stop trying to be a “hero”, you tossed 4 picks against the Browns and won at the end of the game with a TD pass, that is great, but 4 picks aren’t.  Step it up and don’t try to force throws, if the Browns were actually good on offense you and your team would not have won, that is all.

Brandon Weeden

Being sacked by the American Flag before the game, yes this actually happened, and I laughed.

(See it for yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oodhSa9rxgk)

Best and Worst of the 2012 NFL Season

With the 2012 season starting this Wednesday I put together a list of what I think will the best and worst this 2012 NFL season team and player wise.

Best Team: Green Bay Packers, they were angry with their loss last year to the Giants after posting a league best 15-1 record.  Aaron Rodgers got back to work with his team, they have so many weapons, and now have a running back with Cedric Benson, this team has a lot of potential, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win Super Bowl.

Worst Team: Miami Dolphins, they have cut and traded players such as Chad Johnson, Brandon Marshall, and Vonte Davis, who could have been a really big help.  This team is lacking any sort of offensive fire power, and they are playing in a tough division, and looking at their schedule it does not look good for them.

Best Offense: New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees is always putting up monster numbers and they have a running game now with many different types of running backs to help grind out the yards on the ground.

Worst Offense: Cleveland Browns, what is there to like about this offense?  They play in the hardest division in the NFL, and they have no weapons aside from Trent Richardson, but I don’t think he can even help them his first year.

Best Running Offense: Kansas City Chiefs, even though I love the 49ers running backs, I think this team has powerful 1-2 punch with Jamal Charles and Peyton Hillis.  Jamal will be the speed back with power, while Peyton will be the power runner, I see him getting a fair amount of touchdowns this year.

Worst Running Offense: Detroit Lions, according to ESPN, they ranked 29^th last year, but looking at the teams below them they haven’t made improvement unlike the other teams that ranked lower than them.  I don’t see this being an issue because their air attack will be a great one.

Best Passing Offense: New England Patriots, they added Brandon Llyod to the attack that already includes Welker, Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, this team has a chance to break some records.

Worst Passing Offense: Cleveland Browns, I think the team name speaks for itself, but for those who want to know why, they have no weapons in the passing game.  They have a rookie QB and they play in a division with three of the best defenses in the league. 

Best QB: Aaron Rodgers, his name alone speaks for itself, but he will keep on improving and getting better, he can throw the ball on a dime, he can run, he is a do it all QB.

Worst QB: Brandon Weeden, he plays on the Browns, that is all that needs to be said.

Best Defense: The San Francisco 49ers, this team had an elite defense last year, I only expect it to get better and help carry this team into the playoffs.

Worst Defense: Green Bay Packers, they were bad last year, allowed to many points.  The Patriots were a close second for me when it came to this, but the reason why I selected Green Bay is because last season, at least all the way up to the super bowl the Patriots got stops in the big moments.

Note: I know I said the Browns were just plain awful, but the Dolphins will be the worst team, they are a mess right now, unlike the Browns who even though will not a good team.  The Browns at least are building for the future.

The 2012 Jets and Their Outcome

The New York Jets struggled this preseason on the offensive side of the ball, neither Sanchez or Tebow could take the Jets to a touchdown drive, which is worrisome for a team that has had high aspirations every year since Rex Ryan took over in the 2009 season.   The third string QB took the Jets into the end zone for the Jets only preseason touchdown in the final game, where no starters were in.

While it is only preseason, it is not good that the starting QB could not get the ball into the end zone and also it is not good that Tebow who is supposed to help run the ball could not get the Jets a touchdown.   Tebow was only working with the second and third string players, and did not run one single play, either as QB or the wildcat with the first team offense, which I found rather strange, but still he did not look that sharp and that should be of concern.

As for Sanchez he looked great, he was accurate with the ball, his receivers just could not hold on and the offensive line struggled to help him stay up right.

Looking over what I saw in the preseason I brain stormed and looked at their schedule, and from what I have gathered this team will be lucky to win more than eight games this season.  They should be able to beat the Rams and Cardinals with ease, as well as the Jaguars, but some of their other games are suspect, outside of the two games against the Dolphins that is.  Another game they should win is against the Colts, so add those numbers up and that is six games, which isn’t enough in any division to make the playoffs, especially the AFC East.

Reasons why they will not win more than eight games and miss the playoffs are: Poor depth at the receiving and tight end positions, poor offensive line play and lack of a running game.

I have been on the record before being harsh on Sanchez, and also stating that Tebow will help the running game, but I have changed my views a little bit.  Sanchez looked very good this preseason, his accuracy has improved as well as his arm strength, but that will not be enough to carry this team to a playoff berth, he needs to work all the reps with the first team.  That however will be an issue, because according to multiple ESPN reports and reports from the NFL website Tim Tebow has been practicing with the first team.  This is an issue for a team that needs to work on its receiving and QB to WR chemistry, Tebow cannot do that.  Tebow was brought in to run the wild cat, and maybe the spread option as well, but he cannot throw the ball, and he is supposed to be used twenty snaps a game, and in the red zone, which causes and issue. 

In my mind the wild cat is a fad that came and went, Tebow does not have the speed of a running back or receiver to be able to run outside and be a wild cat player, and he cannot throw the ball well unless it is a deep pass.  So all teams have to do is contain him to the perimiters and stop him from running, if he moves to his left he is good when throwing on the run, but if he moves to his right he isn’t as good.  All defenses have to do is force him to his right and take away his deep option(s) and that will create havoc for both him and the Jets offense.

Sanchez can’t complete passes because his receivers cannot hold onto the ball, nor can their offensive line block properly.  I heard him on ESPN saying that the Jets were saving their good stuff for the regular season.  My question is: what stuff?  Rex keeps saying how the Jets are keeping the wildcat a “secret”, that mixed with Sanchez’s ridiculous statement on “saving the good stuff” is just sad. 

I have to agree with Joe Namath, who recently stated: “I’m concerned with how the Jets are trying to build a team and win a championship,” Namath said. “They seem more interested in the headlines.” (Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/29/joe-namath-jets-seem-more-interested-in-headlines-than-winning/).  Rex has always been talking his teams up, saying such things as “no one wants to play us right now” (2009 season when they won their way into the playoffs), and then 2010 and 2011 seasons when he guaranteed a super bowl win.  Now the Jets have Tebow, who is so popular that ESPN’s Skip Bayless compares so many players to him and his struggles.  ESPN itself has been covering Tebow so much that I think I know his whole life story, and when he showers, eats and brushes his teeth.  There would be no other reason aside to help out with the running game to bring Tebow in, and also put pressure on Sanchez to improve his game. 

The Jets are dysfunctional, and I don’t see them being good this year and probably not even the year after at this rate.

My final take on the Jets: 7-9 Record, Tebow takes over week 5 or 6 as the starter, the team rides a run game and squeaks out wins against some of the NFLs worst teams.

I know I said Tebow wasn’t a threat to Sanchez in my last blog on the Jets, but frankly I see that differently now, Rex wants ground and pound and a solid defense, Tebow is the guy to run that offense, not Mark.

Giants Hazing Issue

I heard that a video had been put up online by the New York Giants punter Steve Weatherford showing team mate defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul dunking Price Amukamara into a tub of ice.  I decided to watch the video myself, and I found it rather disturbing, not only was this “prank” unwarranted, but so was the language used towards him, and also how the other players that watched acted.  Team mates called him the N-word and cursed at him and told him to “stand up for himself”, they actually said “stand up for yourself”.  This is no prank, it is actually hazing, which is something that I think is rather childish, and it could have been harmful to Prince.

One thing I asked myself was why this was ever posted, but I am glad it was because now it can bring national attention to the subject matter of hazing on more than just a college level.  That does not mean that it will have a positive effect, I am also rather nervous that kids might see this and think “pranks” such as these are okay, but really they are not.  Hazing is an issue that needs to be addressed, and I wonder where the veterans were during this incident, because I am sure that Justin Tuck would have been angry had he seen this happen with his own eyes when the incident actually occurred.

Personally I think that JPP and Weatherford should be fined, JPP should carry the larger fine, and I think a one game suspension, and not a preseason game, because that does not justify punishment in this matter.  I think coach Tom Coughlin is going to come down hard on JPP and Weatherford, because he is that kind of coach, and I like that, however if he does not do what is enough then Roger Goodell needs to step in.  I have been a critic of Roger since he became the commissioner, but this is a matter he needs to get involved in if Coughlin does not do enough.  Prince looked very upset after the incident, and hopefully that is something that caught Coughlin's eyes.

Goodell should ban hazing of players all together, even the stupid haircuts and various other simple acts of rookie and player hazing, because it can lead to what happened with the Giants.  The NFL has tried to maintain a clean image, they have suspended many players for arrests and other various incidents, and this is no different.  On a college campus if a Greek life organization is caught hazing they can be shut down, and if kids do it just for fun they can be suspended or expelled on both high school and college level grounds.  Just because this is the NFL makes it no different, hazing is not only stupid, it is also pathetic, and inhumane.

T.O. in Seattle: Not a Good Fit

Terrell Owens is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks, a move that surprised me, and I am sure surprised many others. 

I do not see this working out for the Seahawks, T.O. is known to bring more than enough attention on himself and causes issues within the team, if you want evidence just look up the 49ers, Eagles, and Bengals during his tenures on those teams.

Pete Carroll recently announced that Matt Flynn would be the starter verse the Titans in Seattle’s first preseason game, I personally think Flynn is the best option to start for that team, I think highly of him.  Tavaris Jackson is not worth starting at all, and if he does start the first regular season game and continues to start the rest of the season T.O. will probably become angry.

The Seahawks should not start Flynn just because of T.O. but also because Jackson is a subpar starting QB, his numbers speak for themselves.  Those who have followed T.O. know he always throws his QBs under the bus.

The Seahawks are a young team and still building a strong team, bringing in a guy who has had issues on and off the field is not something this team needs.  He was cut from and Indoor Arena Football League team for not going on a visit to a hospital with the team, and he had partial ownership.  I should mention he only had to play home games, so he had it easy there and then he lost it, this is not a good thing at all.  His episode on 

Dr. Phil is also another red flag, T.O. is a great player, but a bad team mate.

Now that being said, he is coming back off of a surgery on his knee, he does recover well and has a hard work ethic in the gym.  I still don’t think that warrants this signing at all.  I will say it again, this is a young team, I am not sure if Matt Flynn can take T.O. if T.O blows up like he has on every team (aside from the Bills, and maybe even the Cowboys) .  Pete Carroll is really relaxed, at least in my mind with the team, and he cannot be that way with T.O., this move worries me.

Even though T.O. was not as bad in Dallas as he had been on the Eagles or 49ers, it does not matter, McNabb was a veteran during T.O.'s tenure on the Eagles and neither he nor Andy Reid could control T.O., this was most evident after the Eagles lost the super bowl and T.O. had made a remark on how Brett Favre would have lead them to 19-0.

If McNabb, Andy Reid, and any other big named leader on that team could not control T.O. I really do not see a young QB that is probably going to be the starter there nor a a head coach that is laid back being able to at all.  This is a gamble, and even though the contract is only 1 year 1 million dollars it does not matter.

I could be wrong, maybe T.O. could be a great team mate and have a great season, but until I see this with my own eyes, and actually see him be a team player, and be smarter on and off the field I will stand by my opinion that this will not work out.  There are many factors in Seattle that could lead to another T.O. blow up, but only time will tell.

Part 3 of 3 of NFL Fantasy League Draft Do's and Don'ts

Here is the third and final part of the three part series on do’s and don’ts for NFL fantasy league drafts, this part will focus on Defenses, defensive players, and yes even kickers!

Defenses:

When picking a defense make sure you do a little research, look at the roster, and also take some time to see how the defense held up the year before, as in points allowed, sacks, and takeaways.  In fantasy drafts those are extremely important.   Different teams have different strengths, for instance the Vikings had a great year last year in sacks, with 50, but Jared Allen, a defensive end had almost half of those sacks (this is important because if he gets hurt this defense could suffer).  The Eagles, Ravens, and Bengals also had great sack years.   Here is a list of defenses worth your while in the draft:

Draft:

1.)   Vikings- Allen was a beast last year, and if he can continue taking the opposing QBs to town this defense will only get better.  This is a great choice to start against teams like the Bears, when they play the (who play two times a year) because the Bears offensive line was bad last year, and has shown no signs to improve.  They also had 15 recovered fumbles last year.

2.)    Packers- They picked off the QBs a total of 31 times last year, and also recovered 7 fumbles, so that is a total of 38 takeaways, this is a team to look at for sure. 

3.)    49ers- Also a total of 38 takeaways, 23 interceptions and 15 fumbles recovered.

4.)    Giants- Their defensive line came on strong towards the end of the season, if they can do that all year this season, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Do Not Draft:

1.)    Colts- 29 sacks, 8 interceptions, and 9 recovered fumbles; this is not a defense even worth looking at. 

2.)    Dolphins- 16 interceptions, and only 3 recovered fumbles, and they did have 41 sacks, but again not a team that is great at taking the ball away.

3.)    Steelers- Just because a team is known for having a great defense does not always mean they will actually have one.  They only had 15 take aways last year, which is not what they are used to having.  The defense is getting older, and I do not see this team being anything to be scared of this year.

Defensive Players

My advice, do not draft a player because of their name (i.e. Darrelle Revis).  Here are players you should and should not draft:

Draft:

1.)    Jared Allen- 22 sacks, 4 forced and recovered fumbles, and even had an interception.  The teams in the NFC North tend to throw a lot, so that gives him more opportunity to get after the quarterback.

2.)    DeMarcus Ware- 19.5 sacks last year, and he is always playing at a high level.

3.)    Charles Woodson- He will always get his interceptions, and has a way of knowing where the ball will be going.

       Do Not Draft:

1.)    Terrell Suggs- I Know, this may be a surprise, but he got hurt this off-season, he may not be able to come back, and even if your league has a deep bench don’t wait around for him to come back.

2.)    Darrelle Revis- Don’t let the name think he is worth taking him, nobody wants to throw his way so taking someone whose job is to take the ball away is not worth it. 

3.)    Kyle Arrington- This Patriots CB had a great season last year, tied for first in interceptions with 7, but this was his third season, the previous two seasons prior to last year he had only 1 interception.

Kickers

Kickers are usually the very last pick you will make in your draft, a kicker that plays for a team that struggles in the Red Zone is a kicker worth your while to take.  They will be called on a lot to score points, and in turn will help your team out.

Draft:

1.)    Josh Scobee- The Jaguars were pitiful on offense last year, he will probably be called on a lot this season.  He has incredible range, so look for him to give you plenty of points, especially with his kicking skills from 50+ yards.

2.)    Matt Bryant- He had a percentage of kicks that was the highest, which was 93.1%.

3.)    David Akers- He was on a 49ers team that struggled last year in the Red Zone, this could be different this year, but he is worth a pick.  He made 44 kicks last year, definitely worthwhile.

4.)    Sebastian Janikowski- Best long distance kicker in the NFL, always reliable.

Do Not Draft:

1.)    Shaun Suisham- His 74.2% FG percentage was last in the NFL last year, he plays in a stadium with some odd wind gusts, do not take him. 

2.)    Josh Brown- Rams kicker, another bad kick percentage, and on a team that cannot move the ball. 

I hope this three part series was of help, make sure you are care of who you draft.  Make sure that you draft for points, not names of big time players or good team defenses.  Kickers should always be the last pick! 

Do's and Dont's in NFL Fantasy League Drafts Part 2 of 3: WRs and TES

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends are two of my favorite positions in football today, this second part of a three part series on do’s and do not’s in football focuses on tight ends and wide receivers.

In my last post, part one of this series I said that taking a wide receiver or tight end to early could be an issue, I should correct that, taking one in the top 5 could be a problem, however that was a mistake I made years ago.  In today’s NFL the passing game has exploded, it is now a pass happy league.  I will focus on players that are worth your while taking early in a draft in this post, and also players that should be avoided in the draft.

Wide Receivers

Draft:

Calvin Johnson

Wes Welker

Larry Fitzgerald- I know I said do not trust the Cardinals QBs but he will always put up great numbers (more a 3^rd round kind of pick if you are not sure of how his numbers will be).

Andre Johnson

Do not draft:

Justin Blackmon- Still unsigned, and had issues right away when he was drafted (See his DUI arrest), also playing on a bad Jaguars team.

Chad Johnson- Even though last year was his one bad year, I still don’t know how much he has left, and the Dolphins offense has not been good as of late, avoid taking him.

Raiders WRs- Not sure how I feel about any of these guys, not to mention how Carson will play this year, speed is not everything when it comes to being able to catch and score points.

Michael Crabtree- With the additions of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham to the team I really don’t see Crabtree being a go to guy, avoid him as well.  He may be a good pick up in free agency.

The players I said that should be taken are worth a top pick, if not the first round, then pick them up in the second, those four are some of the game’s best.  Welker is in line for another high catch, high yards season, having two great tight ends on the field and the addition of Brandon Lloyd will only help Welker’s stats.

As a side note a receiver worthy of picking up in the draft (mid to late rounds) is Titus Young of the Detroit Lions.  Calvin Johnson had a monster year last year, and with a big contract just signed it would be worthy to note that he will be receiving a lot of attention from defenses this upcoming season.  Titus Young should be able to get his numbers up because of the attention that Calvin will get.  I like Titus Young a lot, and A.J. Green of the Bengals is another WR worth taking in a mid to late round as well.

Tight Ends

Draft:

Rob Gronkowski

Aaron Hernandez

Jimmy Graham

Vernon Davis

Jermichael Finley

Those five tight ends are more then worthy of a high draft pick, I know that is may seem odd that two players on the same team would be so high on a list of tight ends to pick, but both of them were big last year numbers wise, especially Gronkowski who caught a record 17 TDs for  TE.  That is the most in NFL history for a TE to catch in one season.  Hernandez is a basically a wide receiver, he will make a lot of catches that can turn in to big time yardage, he is more the open field type of TE, and Gronk is a red zone threat, but he is an all-around threat as well.  Both are scary when running because of their size and also difficulty to cover.  Jimmy Graham is a beast, as well as Vernon Davis.  Graham is on the Saints who love to fling the ball around, so he will always have great numbers.  For Vernon Davis, he is now on a team that is loaded at the WR position, which means this team is looking to throw the ball more, I would not be surprised to see him have a 10 touchdown and 1,000 yard season.  Finley catches passes from Aaron Rodgers, and produces big time, I think I can just leave it at that.

Do not draft:

Coby Fleener- Drafted out of Stanford, he was a team mate of Andrew Luck there, he like Luck is a rookie, and while they have chemistry, I still do not trust the Colts offense.  He may be a good pick up at some point, but I am still unsure of how he could help a team out.

Seahawks Tight Ends- Both Zach Miller and Kellen Winslow play on this team, and while both can get some solid numbers (Miller more so than Winslow), I again would want to stay away from this.  Seattle has yet to make any decision on a starting QB, and if the Seahawks chose Tavaris Jackson or Russell Wilson I am not sure if they will be able to do as well as say if Matt Flynn was starting.

In short, be care when drafting a WR or TE so high, because sometimes it could come back to haunt you.  If you have a top 5 pick is may be best to wait until the second round, however the list of TEs and WRs are safe to take early.

Do's and Do Not's in NFL Fantasy League Drafts Part 1 of 3: QBs and RBs

I received an idea from Aaron last night, who is a fan of this blog and also of my sports page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peters-Sports-Page/294938580541992?ref=hl), his idea is that I should write about fantasy football, on who people should start and why.  Even though the NFL season is still a month away I am going to use this idea and write about the do’s and don’ts of fantasy football.

Today I will talk about players you should pick first, those being the Quarter Backs and Running Backs, this will be part one of three (Part two will be Tight Ends and Wide Receivers, and part three will be Defenses and Defense players, and yes also kickers)

Picking your first player:

Do’s: Quarterbacks and running backs are always a solid choice at the top spot.  Quarterbacks are always available in the fantasy drafts and free agency in the fantasy leagues; however it is important that you use one of your top two picks on a quarterback.   The NFL has become a pass happy league so a quarterback that is a top tier QB is a must, I will list below QBs to draft, and also ones to stay away from.

Draft:

Aaron Rodgers

Tom Brady

Eli Manning

Matthew Stafford

Drew Brees

Philip Rivers

Matt Schaub

Cam Newton

Tony Romo

Those listed above are QBs that I would definitely take in any draft, it may be a surprise that I did not list Michael Vick, but his health issues are worrisome, and he took a beating last year, this year could end being the same way.  He is someone that I would probably wait to take until mid or late rounds.  Peyton Manning is also a QB that I would shy away from right away, he could have issues throwing the ball this year, and he is on a new team.  However the names listed above are QBs that I would take in the first two to three rounds.

Do Not Draft:

Arizona Cardinals QBs- Kolb has health issues, and Skeleton was erratic at times last year)

Andrew Luck- Just because he was the number one draft choice this year in the NFL does not mean he should be yours as well, and he is going to be on a bad team.  He is worth picking up in free agency, but do not draft him.

Carson Palmer- The Raiders still do not have a true number one option at WR, and if McFadden cannot stay healthy this offense will struggle.

Seahawks QBs- Pete Carroll still has yet to pick a QB that will be a starter, don’t wait around to see who he chooses, if he does pick Flynn then take him in a lower round, or if he is not put as the starter until after your draft then get him in free agency.  I do not think Russell Wilson or Tavaris Jackson can get it done in the NFL.

Blaine Gabbert- He was all over the place last year, his play was bad, the team is still building, so don’t draft him.

Running backs that are of great status in the NFL are not of the same amount numbers they had been in years past.  Make sure you take one of the best in the NFL in the top two rounds.  Here are the RBs to take and the ones not to take:

Draft:

Arian Foster

Darren McFadden

Matt Forte

Marshawn Lynch

Frank Gore

Maurice Jones-Drew

Jamal Charles

LeSean McCoy

Ray Rice

Do Not Draft:

Adrian Peterson- Sorry, but the fact that is trying to come back from an ACL tear so fast worries me and that passing game in Minnesota is nothing to write home about.  The box will be stacked on him, and the line is still shaky to me, it could be an okay year for him, pick him up after the draft, but if you do draft him I would wait until a later round.

Brandon Jacobs- I still do not get why people would want to draft this guy, he is not the starter this year, and he will not be, he is Frank Gores back up.  If Frank Gore does go down pick him up, otherwise I do not think he is worth a pick.

Ryan Matthews- This guy was supposed to take over for Ladainian Tomlinson, but that has not turned out to well, I still do not trust him.  A good player to take after the draft if you need him.

Redskins Running Backs- The health issues at that spot last year were bad, even though I feel that they can all play very well I still think that it is a safe bet not to draft any of them.

Felix Jones- It was reported that he failed his conditioning test three days ago, not a good pick.

One last thing, DO NOT EVER draft a receiver, tight end, defensive player, or defense with your first pick, I have seen this happen, and it does not work out well.

Michael Phelps, Best Athlete of our Generation

Michael Phelps set the world record today for most medals in Olympic history, and I think that he is the best athlete of our generation.

Some may think of Kobe Bryant, some may think of Tom Brady, some of Venus and Serena Williams, other of Tiger Woods, and others of Derek Jeter, but I truly believe it is Michael Phelps.  I have never seen someone dominate their sport at such a young age, and I can honestly say that even thought I have mentioned the athletes above. 

Phelps only gets the chance to compete in the Olympics every four years, unlike these other players and athletes who can compete in their respective sports championships every year.  Phelps made a name for himself in the Athens games back in 2004 where he won six gold Medals and two bronze medals at the age of nineteen. 

In 2008 he won eight gold medals, and I was blown away by his performance, I remember not sleeping to well during those Olympic games because I would stay up to watch all of his performances.  I remember watching his eighth gold medal win and I was excited to see history, I realized at that moment that I was witnessing the birth of a legend. 

Today was what solidified his status and lore in Olympic history forever, he won a record breaking nineteenth medal, and out of the nineteen that he has won fifteen of them are gold medals, two are bronze, and two are silver which is extremely impressive.

Phelps is only twenty seven and is the most decorated Olympian of all time, which is hard to believe, compare this to Laris Latynina who was thirty one when she won her eighteenth medal, and she has nine gold medals compared to Phelps fifteen. 

Never before have I seen a single person be this dominant at their sport and set records at such a young age.  Phelps, in my mind, has another year of Olympics left in him, and if he does he could be over twenty medals, if not twenty-five by the time he retires if he so chooses to go another round in the Olympics in 2016.

As much as I respect Kobe, Brady, Jeter, the Willams twins, and Tiger Woods, I still think Phelps is better.  He has done so much at such a young age, and to think he was only twenty-three when he won eight gold medals, just crazy.  He has made the sport of swimming popular, and also interesting to watch, I have never seen a swimmer get so much attention, and it seems since he has become so big that swimming has as well. 

If Phelps keeps this up who knows what his track record will be like, and I really do not think we will see another like Phelps for a long time to come.  I think at this moment in time we can all enjoy what Michael has given us, not only a love for the sport of swimming, but also a life time of memories and medals.

The 2012 NFL Offense I am Looking Forward to Seeing the Most

Aside from the obvious top offenses in the NFL like the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, The Philadelphia Eagles, and New Orleans Saints, the offense I am looking forward to watching the most this NFL season is the San Francisco 49ers.  To those who watched this offense last year this could be a shock, last year the team ran the ball very well, ranking 8^th in the nation and also had one of the top defenses to back the offense up.  The part about the offense that was sub par was the passing game, Alex Smith had an average of 196.5 passing yards per game last year, and averaged only one touchdown a game passing.  The 49ers ranked 29^th in the NFL last year in the passing game, even the Colts were ranked higher. 

So why am I looking forward to this offense this year? 

The new weapons the team has acquired really excites me, the additions of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham to the receiver corps makes it interesting, because now Smith will have Michal Crabtree, Vernon Davis, Manningham, and Moss to throw too, which will make the passing game more respectable.  I think that this team has the chance to ride a strong passing game into the post season.

The passing game is not the only reason why this offense has the chance to be explosive; the running game is going to be dangerous.  With Frank Gore on the team as the number one running back and his backup Brandon Jacobs, and the draft selection of LaMichael James this team has the chance to have a three headed monster to run the ball with.  If the 49ers use this to their advantage it could be scary because when Smith uses the play action the ball could go over the top to any of his targets, most notably Randy Moss.

I think the offense could run like this when it comes to the rushing attack:

Frank Gore will obviously be the number one running back and take most of the carries, I see him having a 1,600 yard season at least.  Brandon Jacobs should be used for short yardage and goal line situations to pound the ball for first downs and touchdowns.  LaMichael James should be used as a third down back and out of the shotgun to catch short passes and use his speed and agility to run all over the defense.  This team relies on Frank Gore, and they must keep him healthy to keep a strong running attack.

The passing game really rests on the arm of Alex Smith, because he really has not been a guy who plays up to where he was drafted, which was number one overall back in 2005.  If Alex Smith can build his confidence some more and let the ball go and accurately let it go this offense has the chance to be a top three offense and a scary one at that.  

If Alex Smith cannot play well this offense will have issues, and frankly with all these new weapons Alex really has no excuse not to succeed.  

My Thoughts on the NCAA Sanctions on Penn State

I am very happy with what the NCAA did for the punishments, and for those who may not know what they are here they are:

1.)    $60 million dollar fine that will for: "external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at the university." (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8191027/penn-state-hit-60-million-fine-4-year-bowl-ban-wins-dating-1998)

2.)    Four year bowl and post season ban on the football team

3.)    The amount of scholarships will be reduced over the next four years

4.)    The wins, including six bowl games and two conference championships will be erased from the years 1998 to 2011, Paterno goes from 1^st all-time of NCAA football wins to twelfth (he loses 112 wins) (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8191027/penn-state-hit-60-million-fine-4-year-bowl-ban-wins-dating-1998)

I agree with all of these punishments, however I wish the NCAA had made the death penalty as part of the punishment (it had been talked about, and four years was the highest number thrown around).  Before I dive into that again, I want to point out that the fine that will be used to help the victims of child sex abuse and also to prevent it from happening is my favorite sanction.  I am glad that no tax dollars will be used for the fine, because it should not be put upon tax payers.  Another great part of the sanctions is that any Penn State player can transfer to another school and play without having a year off (which is a NCAA rule).  The students should not be punished for wanting to leave because now they cannot play in bowl games.

Back to the death penalty issue, I still think a death penalty should have been imposed.  If SMU had a year off for paying players then Penn State should have had at least four for allowing boys to be raped and then letting Sandusky to still use the facilities after he retired to continue to harm young boys.  I do not care if the sanctions already imposed are great in of itself, because they are, but the team and school had knowledge this was going on fourteen years ago, and yet it took thirteen for this to be discovered.  The Penn State police department just told him to stop when he admitted that he had in fact sexually abused a little boy (it was a Penn State PD detective). 

While I am angered that the death penalty was not part of the punishment, however I think that the NCAA needs to know that a death penalty should be used, I plan on writing a letter to the NCAA and tell them the death penalty needs to be used.  I urge the same of my fellow readers.

Not only is the school tarnished, but so is Joe Paterno, just because the media has shamed Sandusky, Paterno, and Penn State does not mean that the school does not mean that the school has suffered enough.  I feel for the students and teachers that had no involvement, but for those who worked at the school and knew this was going on, shame on you for allowing this to happen.  I hope that anyone who was involved that has not been fired, arrested, or punished in any sort of way is in some form. 

I truly do not believe any sanctions will ever take away what happened at Penn State for all of those years that Jerry hurt innocent young boys.  I think the schools football plan will suffer, because I know for a fact that when I see Penn State on TV playing football I will not forget what has come to light. 

Some say that the death penalty will set the team back for years to come, personally I think this incident will do that for itself, not to mention the four year bowl game and post season ban.  That does not change how I feel, because the death penalty should be used.   As I have said before many times, if SMU got the death penalty for one year (they took another year off on their own) for paying players then Penn State deserves much more then they got as sanctions from the NCAA. 

Here is a link with all the information to contact the NCAA:

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Home/Contact+the+NCAA

Predictions on the Upcoming NCAA Sanctions on Penn State

The news I have heard today after Penn State’s Presidents ordered to take the statue of Joe Paterno down was news I have been wanting to hear for a while, that is that the NCAA will be punishing Penn State with sanctions.  I am glad that the NCAA waited until the FBI was done investigating this manner, because that was the right thing to do, otherwise the whole truth may have not been known and certain people may have been left unpunished.

The sanctions are still unknown, but my guess is that the football team will in fact receive the death penalty.  Some say that this is undeserving, I think the opposite, it is very deserving, and if this is to come true, I will stand behind the NCAA on the decision.  The death penalty is always a year at the minimum, and I think Penn State deserves more than just one year, it should be thirteen years, which is the length of the time frame that the rapes and cover up took place.  I do not think this is a long punishment at all, because this unlike other cases of the NCAA imposing the Death penalty on college teams this is a far worse crime than other teams that have received this punishment.

In 1985 Southern Methodist University (better known as SMU) was placed on three years’ probation for recruiting violations, but then in 1986 it was discovered that SMU was paying players, which is a violation of the NCAA rules.  The team received the death penalty for the 1987 season, they also sat out the 1988 season by choice, and they lost multiple scholarships as well.

If SMU had a year suspension by the NCAA for paying players then Penn State should be punished harshly for covering up sexual abuse for thirteen years, this scandal at Penn State is a football manner.  Joe Paterno knew of the situation involving his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and yet after Sandusky retired he still let him use the Penn State football facilities, where Sandusky continued to sexually abuse boys.  

The reason I say thirteen years is because in 1998 a Penn State detective questioned Sandusky about an alleged sexual attack, to which Jerry admitted he had committed, all he was told was to stop. 

That is not only sickening but an utter disgrace, and Sandusky was still a coach on the team at this point, so therefore this is a football matter, and because of this mass cover up for thirteen years the team deserves to be banned that long.  While that may seem harsh because Joe Paterno and Sandusky are no longer part of this team, it still is a punishment that fits the crime.  The schools police knew of what Jerry did, and yet did nothing to stop him, and again as I have said Sandusky was a team employee.

I also believe that anyone else involved in this cover up will be fired and fined, which is very fitting and deserving. 

As for the removal of the statue of Joe Paterno, I am very pleased with the schools decision.

If Penn State does not receive the death penalty I will be writing to the NCAA to protest, and I urge that of all you fellow sports fans and readers.