Month: August 2008 (Page 20 of 50)

      Is Appalachian State’s Armanti Edwards a true Heisman candidate?

      August 20, 2008 /

      It was supposed to be a tune up game for Michigan – a laugher in which the Wolverines could pull their starters early in the third quarter. But Appalachian State had other plans and not only did the Mountaineers hang with the Wolverines in the opening weekend of the 2007 college football season, they beat them 34-32 in Michigan Stadium.

      The Appalachian State quarterback that day was Armanti Edwards, a 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore from Greenwood, South Carolina. Edwards threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns, as well as totaling 62 yards and a touchdown on the ground. It was easily one of the best individual performances in college football last year.

      In just two seasons, Edwards has led the Mountaineers to two consecutive FCS (formally Division I-AA) championships. Perhaps even more impressive than what he does on the field, is what he does off it. Not only did he graduate high school with a 3.3 GPA, but his App State bio notes that he also spends time as a volunteer with Boone Celebrity Serve and reads to area schools and day-care centers. It’s also noteworthy that when he was recruited out of high school, he spurned the chance to play for Georgia and Clemson because he had already made a commitment to App State.

      As he enters his junior season, Edwards is considered a Heisman Trophy candidate. But does he have a legit chance? In the past 20-plus years, no Division I-AA/FCS has won the prestigious award.

      It’s understandable that FCS players have been passed up for the award, after all, Edwards doesn’t have to face defenses like Georgia, Florida State and Tennessee like 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow does.

      But the Heisman Trophy is supposed to be awarded to the best college football player of that season. And if Armanti Edwards is the best college football player this season, he should be awarded the trophy, regardless of what school he plays for and what defenses he faces. Just because he doesn’t get the national attention as Tebow or other big-named college football players, doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a fair shot at the Heisman. (Although if he marches his Mountaineers into Louisiana and beats No. 6 LSU on August 30, he’ll get more than his fair share of national attention.)

      Will Edwards win the 2008 Heisman? Probably not – his competition for the award is steep this year with Tebow, Beanie Wells (Ohio State) and Knowshon Moreno (Georgia) all vying for the award as well, plus history isn’t on his side.

      But even if I didn’t mention him in my Top 10 Heisman Hopefuls (several App State fans let me hear about it, too) I still believe Edwards at least deserves mention and even more so, deserves a legit chance because regardless of what uniform he dons on Saturdays, the kid can play. I should know – I was in attendance the day he made Michigan fans want to jump off the top row of the Big House.

      College Football

      Should NFL show restraint for 18-game season?

      August 20, 2008 /

      Greg Doyel of CBS Sportsline.com writes that enough is enough and the NFL should show some restraint when talking about expanding the regular season to 17 or 18 games.

      But isn’t 16 games enough? Some would say it’s too much. Players are going to get hurt no matter how long the season lasts, I get that — but why increase the odds, by increasing the schedule, by 12 percent?

      More isn’t always better. Sometimes, more is just … more. But NFL owners are so desperate to make more money, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to increase the value of their television contracts. How do they do that? By expanding inventory.

      Some of you might not believe it. If you’re a season-ticket holder, maybe you’re thinking that an 18-game schedule would be a gift from heaven. What the hell, right? It would give you a ninth home game for your money — money you’re spending anyway, since the NFL has been extorting its suckers loyal fans into buying tickets to preseason games along with the regular-season schedule. So for you, an 18-game schedule makes sense. One less preseason game, one more regular-season game … how can you lose?

      This is how:

      Owners would get together and decide to extort you for more money, because let’s face it: Whatever you were willing to pay for eight regular-season games, you’ll be willing to pay that — and more — for nine.

      He makes a good point, although I don’t know if fans really care if the owners continue to make more money if in return, they get more football. And unfortunately injuries are part of the game and while no fan wants to see a player get seriously hurt, there’s no way to avoid it whether the league plays 16, 17 or 18 games.

      Comment starter: Would you like to see the NFL add 1-2 more games to its regular season schedule?

      NFL

      Offensive line has potential to be a concern for Bears

      August 19, 2008 /

      In the weeks leading up to the kickoff the 2008 NFL Season, I’ll take a look at position groups that could potentially lift teams to new heights, or bury them and their postseason hopes. Today I take a look at the potential offensive line issues for the Chicago Bears.

      When previewing the Chicago Bears in 2008, many football pundits will focus on whether or not Kyle Orton can lead this team back to the playoffs or ask if Devin Hester can be an effective No. 1 receiver. But are they concentrating on the wrong position group in Chicago?

      A once dominant unit just a few years ago, age and ineffective play has slowly made Chicago’s offensive line a potential weakness. There’s no question Olin Kreutz is a rock at the center of the Bears’ o-line, but what’s around him?

      Chicago decided not to address their offensive line via free agency and instead concentrated on the draft. The team selected former Vanderbilt offensive tackle Chris Williams with the 14th overall pick in the first round, even though prospects Branden Albert and Jeff Otah were rated higher by scouts.

      Projected as a potential starter at left tackle, Williams had to undergo back surgery in early August and now might miss the entire 2008 season. His potential replacement will be John St. Clair, a veteran who has struggled mightily when given the opportunity to start.

      Joining Williams on the walking wounded list is Terrence Metcalf, who will miss a couple of weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in early August. His main competition at left guard is Josh Beekman, who offers more potential and versatility than Metcalf, but has never started an NFL game after being selected in the fourth round of the 2007 draft.

      Roberto Garza is projected as the starter at right guard and at right tackle is John Tait. Garza isn’t a spectacular player by any means, but he’s a solid run blocker. Same goes for Tait, who can handle his own in the running game, but often struggles against speedy end rushers.

      While offensive line isn’t as big of a weakness as wide receiver for the Bears (and any line that has Kreutz at center could be far worse off), the position has to be a concern entering the season. St. Clair will be counted on to keep Orton upright, while Beekman is incredibly inexperienced and Tait often struggles in pass blocking. Chicago struggled mightily moving the ball in 2007, even with Hester often giving the team tremendous field position.

      The Bears might have miscalculated their need to upgrade the offensive line in the offseason and the injury to Williams was a tough setback. Will not addressing the o-line more this offseason come back to haunt the Bears in ’08?

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Scott Wright’s Draft Countdown launches new domain name

      August 19, 2008 /

      With preseason half in the bag, April’s NFL Draft is a distant memory for football fans. But Scott Wright of Draft Countdown.com has launched a new domain name and I highly encourage you check it out.

      Anybody that follows the NFL draft closely knows that Wright has some of the best prospect observations on the net. So do him and yourself a favor and check out the new site when you get a chance.

      Some of the new features of Draft Countdown:

      – Mock Draft with 7,000 words of analysis
      – Player Rankings with 385 of the top senior ranked by position as well as lists of Overrated / Underrated prospects, Sleepers and a Top 100 Overall.
      – Interview with Ole Miss OT Michael Oher
      – Heisman Watch where I handicap the race for college football’s most pretigious individual award.
      – NFL Player Rankings – Top 10 at each position and a Top 50 Overall
      – Ask Scott mailbag where I answer reader-submitted questions
      ’08 Dream Draft – New feature where I select players as if I were running an NFL team.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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