Category: NFL (Page 171 of 1282)

      2011 Pre-Combine NFL Mock Draft: Will Nick Fairley go No. 1?

      February 22, 2011 /

      It has only been a week since I released my first mock draft and I’ve already found myself waking up in a cold sweat thinking about whom I mocked too high, too low or not at all. So with the NFL scouting combine ready to kick off, I’ve gone mocking again this week…

      Check out 2011 NFL Mock Draft 1.0.

      1. Carolina Panthers: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
      Mock 1.0 Pick: Blaine Gabbert
      I had Gabbert going to the Panthers in my first mock because that seems to be the default thinking. But I’m starting to buy into the notion that new head coach Ron Rivera will try to build his defense first and while Jimmy Clausen haters will disagree, defensive tackle is actually Carolina’s most pressing need heading into the draft. Fairley was one of the most dominant defensive players in the country last season and can play several positions along the D-line.

      2. Denver Broncos: D’aQuan Bowers, DE, Clemson
      Mock 1.0 Pick: Nick Fairley
      Defensive tackle is a bigger need for the Broncos, which is why I had them selecting Nick Fairley in my first mock. But there are a couple of factors that now lead me to believe they’ll select Bowers here. The first is that they’re switching back to a 4-3 and Justin Hunter is the only potential 4-3 end they have on the roster. Elvis Dumervil will be healthy again, but can he be as effective in his old end spot as he was as a 3-4 OLB? In his first draft with the Panthers, John Fox selected a defensive end with the second overall pick and I think that turned out pretty well. (Uh, until that defensive end signed with Chicago last season.)

      3. Buffalo Bills: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
      Mock 1.0 Pick: Newton
      The opinions on Newton vary. Some believe he’s sure to go in the top-10 while others think he’ll fall into the second round. I’m somewhere in between. He certainly has the size and athletic ability to be a top-5 pick but there are questions about whether or not he can run a pro-style offense . That’s why Buffalo is an intriguing landing spot for him. Chan Gailey likes quarterbacks who can run and are versatile, which obviously fits Newton. Will the Bills think highly enough of him to take him at No. 3 though? There are obvious questions about his character, too.

      4. Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
      Mock 1.0 Pick: Bowers
      I had Bowers going to the Bengals at this spot in my first mock, but with him off the board they fill a major need with Green (who is the most NFL-ready prospect in the entire draft). T.O. is a free agent and won’t be back and I don’t see the Bengals paying Chad Ochocinco the $6 million he’s owed in the final year of his contract. Green will become the new face of the team’s receiving corps.

      5. Arizona Cardinals: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
      Mock 1.0 Pick: Tryon Smith
      The Cardinals may have faith in John Skelton, but if Gabbert falls into their laps I find it hard to believe that Ken Whisenhunt wouldn’t pull the trigger. The concerns about Gabbert are just: he ran the spread in college and there are some scouts who think he’ll have trouble being a leader at the next level. But he certainly has the size, arm strength and accuracy to succeed and there’s no doubt Arizona needs to establish consistency at the quarterback position.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Cam Newton a “selfish,” “me-first” player?

      February 21, 2011 /
      Auburn Tigers Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton warms up for the Tigers game against the Oregon Ducks at the BCS Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, January 10,2011. UPI/Art Foxall

      If I were one of the top quarterback candidates in this year’s NFL draft, I wouldn’t want to read the latest article from Wes Bunting of the National Football Post.

      Apparently one scout has dirt on Ryan Mallett that nobody else does and therefore no team should “trust the guy as a person off the field.”

      The good news for Blaine Gabbert is that he’s squeaky-clean off the field. The bad news is that he apparently doesn’t have what it takes to lead on the field.

      Jake Locker has a clean reputation off the field too, but his questionable feel in the pocket and “inability to consistently quickly decipher information in the pass game” is an issue. (Whatever “consistently quickly decipher information” means.)

      Oh, and Cam Newton? Well this is what Bunting had to say about the defending Heisman Trophy winner:

      As for Newton and his off the field character, as I stated last week, some scouts I have spoken with say he comes off as a mature and well-spoken kid in the media, but it’s all an act. In reality, he’s a selfish, “me first” guy who eventually would have worn out his welcome at Auburn. On the other side, a lesser number of scout’s have told me they think he’s a smart, well-spoken kid who loves to compete and should not be lumped into the same categories as quarterbacks like JaMarcus Russell and Vince Young.

      Is it just me or is everyone trying to predict the next Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell? I’ve read a handful of articles that suggest Gabbert, Newton, Locker and Mallett would be better off working as mall security than operating NFL-caliber offenses.

      I’m not saying I don’t have my own reservations about these four quarterbacks but I wonder if these so-called scouts aren’t full of it. Sam Bradford played in the spread, so he’s no good. Matt Ryan didn’t have the arm strength. Joe Flacco played at a small school so he wouldn’t be able to handle top competition.

      And on, and on, and on. If you look hard enough, you can find something negative to say about every prospect in the draft. But two of those players will win the Rookie of the Year award and countless others will wind up going to the Pro Bowl. The point is that the draft has, and always will be the ultimate crapshoot. (Especially when it comes to quarterbacks.)

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Lendale White slams Pete Carroll

      February 21, 2011 /

      Well, it’s nice to see that Lendale White has matured over the years.

      A clearly inebriated White made some derogatory comments about his former coach Pete Carroll over the weekend and thanks to TMZ, it was all caught on camera. If you want to watch the video, head over to SPORTSbyBROOKS.com, but the text of what he said is below.

      White, who was with former USC teammate Dominique Byrd (off-camera), apparently hasn’t gotten over being cut by his former college coach Pete Carroll when White was briefly with the Seattle Seahawks last season. After a somewhat unintelligible question by the TMZ cameraman, White said:

      “If it ain’t Chauncey Billups or Kobe Bryant … f— ‘em. Or if it ain’t the Denver Broncos or Chris Johnson … f— ‘em. Or D-Byrd … or the Trojans … minus Pete Carroll — f— you.” “Except for Pete Carroll, he … minus Pete Carroll I have Trojans love.”

      Maybe I should cut White some slack because he was drunk and clearly his inner-filter was down, but this is the exact response I would expect out of someone who clearly doesn’t get it.

      Carroll traded for his former player in April of last year and probably fully intended on using him in his running back-by-committee offense. But shortly after acquiring him, word leaked out that White had failed a drug test and would be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season. Not wanting to put up with any B.S. from a backup running back in his first year with the Seahawks, Carroll released White at the end of May.

      This is the second time since he’s been cut that White has sounded off about Carroll, so clearly he hasn’t learned a thing. Many people have wanted to send Carroll a nice F-You, but White was the one who screwed himself. The reason he isn’t in Seattle anymore was because he made a bad decision before arriving to the Seahawks and he put Carroll in a bad spot. Most coaches around the league would have dumped him immediately, too.

      White only has himself to blame for the way his career has turned out to this point.

      External Sports, NFL

      2011 NFL Draft Needs: NFC South

      February 21, 2011 /
      New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton talks to his players as they play the Carolina Panthers in the first half at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 7, 2010. UPI/Nell Redmond .

      No. 1 Carolina Panthers
      Team Needs: DT, QB, TE, CB, G, WR
      I feel like I say this every year about the team with the top pick, but when you have the No. 1 pick in the draft, you don’t have just one need – you have several. With how poorly Jimmy Clausen played in his first year, quarterback is the most obvious choice for the Panthers at No. 1. But if the new coaching staff feels like he’ll make strides (uh, really big strides) in his second year, then I wouldn’t rule out Nick Fairley at No. 1. The team has had a steady rotation at the defensive tackle spot but they need to find more disruptive players and Fairley certainly fits the bill. If the Panthers manage to trade out of the top spot (which is unlikely), they could move down and target someone like Patrick Peterson seeing as how Richard Marshall may not be back next year and Captain Munnerlyn is better suited for the nickel. But unless they can trade out of the top spot, the Panthers won’t be filling their need at cornerback, tight end, guard or receiver in the first round.
      First Round Possibilities: Blaine Gabbert (Missouri), Cam Newton (Auburn), Nick Fairley (Auburn), Jake Locker (Washington), Patrick Peterson (LSU).

      No. 20 Tampa Bay Bucs
      Team Needs: DE, CB, OT, LB
      The one glaring need for the Bucs is pass rush. Stylz G. White is the team’s best pass-rusher, but he’s not consistent and he’s a free agent so the Bucs may let him walk. Tim Crowder is a free agent as well and seeing as how he was exposed as a starter last year, he may only be brought back in a rotation next year. With how deep the talent pool is at defensive end, the Bucs may choose to wait and grab a pass rusher later in the draft. If that’s the case, they may target a cornerback or linebacker with their top pick, seeing as how Barrett Ruud and Ronde Barber are free agents.
      First Round Possibilities: Akeem Ayers (UCLA), Adrian Clayborn (Iowa), J.J. Watt (Wisconsin), Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue), Brandon Harris (Miami), Jimmy Smith (Colorado), Aaron Williams (Texas).

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Nnamdi Asomugha a long shot to join the Packers?

      February 21, 2011 /
      Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award finalist Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders speaks at a press conference during the week of Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Texas on February 4, 2011. UPI/John Angelillo

      The moment it was announced that Nnamdi Asomugha was likely to become a free agent this offseason, two potential landing spots emerged right away: Green Bay and Philadelphia.

      Asomugha has a close relationship with Packers’ corner Charles Woodson, making Green Bay an obvious choice. Philadelphia is in need of a defensive back and there have been whispers that they’re willing to pay to pair Asomugha up with Asante Samuel.

      But as Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com writes, the odds of Asomugha landing in Green Bay might be lower than people think.

      I’ve tended to shy away from any anticipation of this move, knowing that Packers general manager Ted Thompson strongly prefers developing his own starters and depth through the draft. The Packers also are relatively well-stacked at cornerback with Woodson, Tramon Williams and Sam Shields. Williams is 27 and Shields is 23, and there is a strong possibility all NFL teams will be back to dealing with a salary cap when a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.

      But don’t take it from me. Woodson himself downplayed the possibility during an interview with Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com. While he would be willing to move to safety to make the arrangement work, Woodson said he wasn’t sure if it would come to that.

      Woodson: “I’m not doing any recruiting. We’ve texted a few times about winning a Super Bowl. Nothing really about his future I don’t know what’s going on about him and Oakland or anything else. When I look at our team and I look at young Sam and Tramon, (I think), ‘Where’s he going to fit? How is that possibly going to work out?’ I think that would be the first question you have to ask.”

      As Seifert points out, even though Thompson did pluck Woodson off the free agent market a couple of years ago, he prefers to build his roster through the draft. The team is also very high on Shields, who is expected to take over for Woodson one day.

      Simply put, the Packers don’t need to spend big on Asomugha. Would Thompson love to have a talent such as Asomugha in his defensive backfield? Sure, just as any GM would. But it seems unlikely at this point that the Packers would pull the trigger on a move like that and have Woodson move to safety when he’s still playing corner at a Pro Bowl-level.

      Philadelphia would seemingly be the front-runners at this point to land Asomugha’s services.

      External Sports, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑