Category: NFL (Page 428 of 1282)

      Broncos walking a dangerous line with Dumervil

      May 6, 2010 /

      When Josh McDaniels and his new coaching staff took over in Denver last year, one of the changes that they implemented was switching from the 4-3 to the 3-4. With that change, one of the things they did was ask defensive end Elvis Dumervil if he would switch positions and stand up as an outside linebacker.

      Even though most players don’t like switching positions (why would they if they got to the NFL playing the position they’re most familiar with), Dumervil did so without complaint. He then proceeded to rack up a league-high 17 sacks in a career year.

      Thanks to the un-capped year, Dumervil is a restricted free agent. The Broncos assigned a first and third round tender on the 26-year-old linebacker, but he has yet to sign it because he’s seeking a long-term deal. He’s also working out on his own in Florida instead of in Denver, as he waits for the Broncos to come through with a long-term offer.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Wise move? Saints make Jahri Evans richest guard in NFL history.

      May 5, 2010 /

      The Saints officially announced on Wednesday that they have reached a seven-year contract extension with All-Pro guard Jahri Evans. The contract is believed to be worth $56.7 million, which would make Evans the richest interior offensive lineman in NFL history.

      The first thing that seems to get brought up when a contract like this is announced is whether or not the team is making the right decision. Paying a guard $8.1 million annually is a huge financial risk, but in the case of Evans – he’s worth it.

      A four-year starter, Evans hasn’t missed a single game in his career and is only 26. He’s now under the Saints’ control through 2016 (Evans will be 34 at that point) and considering guards have long shelf lives, it’s a wise investment for New Orleans. (Let’s not forget that Evans is arguably the best all-around right guard in the league, either.)

      Good teams have to shell out big bucks in order to keep their core together. Evans is a great player and will likely be worth the contract in the end.

      External Sports, NFL

      Vikings’ propsal for new stadium defeated

      May 5, 2010 /

      The Vikings are pushing for a new stadium, but after their $791 million proposal was defeated on a 10 to 9 vote, it appears as though their hopes have been crushed. Critics of the bid have stated that the plan had been hastily put together and was “fundamentally flawed.”

      From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

      Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, another major supporter of the plan, said after the hearing that he felt the proposal now had less than a 5 percent chance of passing before legislators adjourned in 12 days.

      While the plan was defeated by just one vote, there were indications the support was not that strong. At least one legislator said that while they had significant reservations, they were voting for the proposal in an attempt to temporarily keep it alive.

      Unlike Red McComb, who threatened to move the team if he did not get a new stadium, owner Zygi Wilf promised to keep the Vikings in Minnesota when he bought the team in 2005. But the team has already announced that it won’t renew its lease when at the Metrodome after 2011, so it’ll be interesting to see how Wilf proceeds after his proposal fell through.

      We’ll see if Wilf is a man of his word.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Gale Sayers rips Jay Cutler, Lovie Smith

      May 5, 2010 /

      When asked for his opinion on the current state of his former team, Gale Sayers recently took the opportunity to bash several key members of the Bears.

      From the Chicago Tribune:

      “Cutler hasn’t done the job,” Sayers said. “(Brian) Urlacher, I don’t know how good he’s going to be coming back. He’s 33 years old. They need a couple wide receivers, a couple defensive backs. They haven’t done a good job.

      “If Lovie doesn’t do it this year, I think he’s gone. He had a good team the Super Bowl year. Nothing came together for him the last couple years.”

      While I think he’s being closed minded when it comes to Cutler’s play (a lack of pass protection and poor production from the receivers played as much of a part in Cutler’s struggles last season as his decision making, plus he’s only been there for one year), it’s hard to argue with Sayers’ point about Lovie Smith. Outside of the 2008 season in which they were one win shy of making the playoffs, the Bears have regressed in each of the last three years under Smith since he led them to the Super Bowl in ’06.

      While the Bears were aggressive this offseason in signing free agents Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor, as well as trading for Chris Harris and hiring Mike Martz to run the offense, they did very little to address their offensive line woes. Moving Frank Omiyale from guard to right tackle doesn’t constitute filling a hole. It merely creates a need for a legitimate right tackle and Cutler will more than likely fear for his life again this year. (Although he was going to have to do that anyway with the way Martz leaves his quarterbacks unprotected.)

      That said, the Chicago faithful expect the Bears to win this year after the flashy moves it made this offseason. But the more likely outcome is that Smith will once again fail and will be replaced after the season. And if GM Jerry Angelo were ushered out the door with him, then that’s a scenario that Bears fans wouldn’t mind seeing.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      The Bengals never learn

      May 5, 2010 /

      Can I take a moment to ruminate about how much I hate the way the Bengals are run? Because it’s enough to make your head hurt.

      First and foremost, the structure of the Bengals’ organization is built to fail. They have one of the smallest scouting departments in the NFL, which essentially consists of five or less full-time scouts. The coaching staff and owner Mike Brown, who is clearly just winging it as he goes along, handles the rest of the scouting, which doesn’t seem like a constructive way to build a roster. (The Cowboys are run in a similar fashion, although Jerry Jones has roughly 15 scouts working for him and unlike Brown, he has a talent for evaluating players.)

      On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the Bengals were close to signing Pacman Jones, who, somehow, isn’t fashioning license plates in prison right now. Granted, the deal is expected to be worth around the league minimum and largely incentive-based, but why? Why add him if you’re the Bengals? You’ve already got two solid cornerbacks in Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph, who combined for 12 interceptions last season, plus three players in Morgan Trent, David Jones and 2010 third rounder Brandon Ghee who can provide depth. I realize Pacman was a former top 10 pick with more than enough athletic talent to succeed, but how many chances has he been given? How many chances does a player like this deserve?

      The running joke with the Bengals is that they’re a safe haven for malcontents like Pacman. But they appeared to be slightly moving away from that last year and they wound up surprising a lot of pundits by making the playoffs. Now they turn around this offseason and fall into the same trap that has haunted them for years. It’s mind-boggling.

      Whether or not it’s a low-risk financial move, signing Pacman Jones is unnecessary for a team like the Bengals. One day, they’re going to need to break away from these bad habits or else their ceiling will never be higher than a first round exit in the playoffs.

      External Sports, NFL

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