Month: September 2009 (Page 50 of 66)

Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.

Offseason Additions: Jason Peters (OT); Stacy Andrews (OT); Michael Vick (QB); Leonard Weaver (FB); Sean Jones (S).

Offseason Losses: Brian Dawkins (S); Tra Thomas (OT); Jon Runyan (OT); L.J. Smith (TE); Correll Buckhalter (RB); Sean Considine (S).

Player to Watch: LeSean “Shady” McCoy, RB.
McCoy will get plenty of opportunities to be a playmaker in Philadelphia’s offense and there’s always a chance that Brian Westbrook will miss time throughout the season. McCoy has tremendous playmaking ability, is shifty, and is gaining valuable experience with Westbrook sidelined with knee and ankle injuries. But what has impressed his coaches and teammates the most so far has been his toughness and blitz-pick up ability. One of the knocks on him coming out of PITT was that he might not be able to survive running in between the tackles in the NFL. But so far, he is dispelling that notion and has been awfully impressive.

Team Strength: The Eagles got younger and better on the offensive line this offseason when they replaced tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan with Jason Peters and Shawn Andrews. Peters was acquired via a trade with the Bills and is one of the more dominating left tackles in the game. Quarterback Donovan McNabb will have plenty of protection (even though Peters gave up a league-worst 11.5 sacks last season, which stemmed from a training camp holdout) and Westbrook and McCoy should have no problem running directly behind Peters’ 6’4”, 340-pound frame. Guard Stacy Andrews excels at getting under defensive linemen’s pads and driving them straight back, while left guard Todd Herremans is vastly underrated.

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Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.

Offseason Additions: Kevin Burnett (LB).

Offseason Losses: Igor Olshansky (DE); Mike Goff (G); Jeremy Newberry (C).

Player to Watch: Vincent Jackson, WR.
Once thought of as a player that would never reach his full potential, Jackson is a star in the making after hauling in 59 receptions for 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Built like a body builder, Jackson has drawn comparisons to the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald because of his size (6’5”, 230 pounds) and athletic ability. He gives quarterback Philip Rivers a legit deep threat in the passing game.

Team Strength: After excelling in the pass-rushing area during their deep playoff run in 2007, the Chargers struggled to get after the quarterback last year. Now that linebacker Shawne Merriman is back after missing virtually all of last season following knee surgery, the Bolts can get back to terrorizing quarterbacks. The player happiest to see Merriman back is outside linebacker Shaun Phillips, who struggled with his teammate on the sidelines last year. And if Merriman is slow to recover or suffers a setback, first round pick Larry English will take his place after excelling as a pass rusher at Northern Illinois.

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Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.

Offseason Additions: Adam Seward (LB/released in preseason).

Offseason Losses: Marvin Harrison (WR); Dominic Rhodes (RB); Keiwan Ratliff (CB); Josh Thomas (DE).

Player to Watch: Anthony Gonzalez, WR.
Now that longtime veteran Marvin Harrison is no longer in Indy, Gonzalez is going to get a ton of passes thrown his way in 2009. The former first round pick runs excellent routes and has displayed soft hands throughout his short career. He becomes a first-time starter in his third season, which is the perfect time because most pro receivers don’t develop until year three. Playing across from Reggie Wayne and receiving pinpoint passes from Peyton Manning only adds to the excitement surrounding Gonzalez this season.

Team Strength: The Colts lost two important pieces to their offense when offensive coordinator Tom Moore and offensive line coach Howard Mudd retired in the offseason. Or at least so it seemed. Both were re-hired (they had to retire to protect their pensions) by Colts owner Jim Irsay as consultants, so while their titles are different, they’ll essentially still have the same roles. The point is that the Colts will have the same potent offense that they’ve had for years, led of course by Manning. Wayne, Gonzalez and tight end Dallas Clark give Manning three excellent weapons to throw to and Peyton is so good at getting the ball out of his hands quickly that he could have five chipmunks blocking for him and he’d still throw 30-plus touchdowns. The key will be whether or not Joseph Addai can bounce back after rushing for only 544 yards last season behind a suspect run-blocking unit. Either way, rookie first rounder Donald Brown is going to get a fair amount of touches.

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Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.

Offseason Additions: Matt Birk (C); L.J. Smith (TE); Domonique Foxworth (CB); John Beck (QB).

Offseason Losses: Bart Scott (LB); Jason Brown (C); Chris McAlister (CB); Jim Leonhard (S); Lorenzo Neal (FB).

Player to Watch: Ed Reed, S.
Some believe that Reed is one of the more overrated players in the league because he’ll take too many chances attempting to make the big play and will often get burned because of it. He’s also not the greatest in run support because he’ll drag ballcarriers down as opposed to always running full speed and laying a thundering hit. But the bottom line is that Reed is the best playmaking safety in the league and he often masks mistakes (not his, but his teammates) with his tremendous speed and playmaking ability. Reed isn’t overrated – he deserves all the accolades that he receives and he’s one of the best – period.

Team Strength: Baltimore’s successful running game starts up front. Massive left tackle Jared Gaither and mobile left guard Ben Grubbs are two rising starts along the Ravens’ offensive line, one in which that improved this offseason with the addition of veteran center Matt Birk. The former Viking Birk is one of the smartest centers in the game and his pre-snap adjustments will help promising rookie right tackle Michael Oher make a smooth transition from college to the pros. Throw in a trio of capable starting running backs in Ray Rice, Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee and the Ravens will once again be near the top of the league in rushing.

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Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.

Offseason Additions: Chris Canty (DE); Michael Boley (LB); C.C. Brown (S); Rocky Bernard (DT).

Offseason Losses: Plaxico Burress (WR); Derrick Ward (RB); James Butler (S); Amani Toomer (WR); Reuben Droughns (RB); R.W. McQuarters (CB).

Player to Watch: Kenny Phillips, S.
The Giants stole Phillips at the end of the first round in the 2008 draft. Following his rookie season, he added 16 pounds in hopes that the added weight will make him a more ferocious hitter and given his solid coverage ability, the Giants could use him the same way the Ravens use Ed Reed in that Phillips will move around the field at will. While expectations should be tempered considering this is only his second year, he reportedly is already making strides as a leader on the Giants’ defense and it appears that the sky is the limit in terms of his potential.

Team Strength: GM Jerry Reese has a philosophy that a team can never have enough pass rushers, so he spent this offseason bringing in free agents like Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty, both of whom can shoot the gap from their tackle positions. While Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins will remain the starters because of their run-stuffing abilities, Bernard and Canty will see plenty of action in a rotation and they add to an already excellent pass-rushing defensive line that also features ends Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka. Tuck wore down at the end of the year last season (as many Giants did) and Umenyiora didn’t play after having season-ending knee surgery in preseason. So the Giants plan on using a three-man rotation at end to keep everybody fresh. Even Dave Tollefson will see a fair amount of playing time for a Giants team that will once again get after the quarterback.

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