Category: NFL (Page 506 of 1282)

      2010 NFL Draft Player Preview: Anthony Dixon, RB, Mississippi State

      January 25, 2010 /

      Perhaps one of the best-kept secrets in this year’s draft is Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon, who could be a mid-round steal come April.

      Listed at 6’1 and 245 pounds, Dixon led the SEC in rushing for 2009 and has impressed scouts thus far with his lower and upper-body strength. The fact that he was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs and missed just one game in his career speaks volumes about his durability as a ballcarrier. He also caught 56 passes while at Miss State, which proves that he isn’t limited to being a short yardage back.

      Strengths: Dixon is a strong, powerful runner that can handle a heavy workload and has proven that he can run between the tackles. He also has a ton of experience after starting all four years at Mississippi State and despite being a bigger back, he has the lateral mobility to bounce runs outside. But perhaps his best strength is that he shows patience and vision as a runner, which lends to him picking up the pro game quickly.

      Weaknesses: He doesn’t have top-end speed and he doesn’t change directions very well either. He does come with some off-field baggage as well, after being suspended for the 2009 season opener following a DUI arrest over the summer. His work ethic has been questioned in the past as well, as he has struggled with his weight. That said, it’s fair to note that he showed up at the Senior Bowl in tip-top shape, which is a good omen for his pre-draft workouts.


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      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Five QB options for Vikings in 2010

      January 25, 2010 /

      If Brett Favre has indeed thrown his last pass for the Vikings and decides to retire in the offseason, here are five options at quarterback for Minnesota next season.

      1. Donovan McNabb
      The Eagles currently have three quarterbacks on their roster and there’s some sentiment that they want Kevin Kolb to be the starter next season. There are a couple of connections that could link McNabb to Minnesota, none bigger than Brad Childress, who coached McNabb for seven years when he was the Eagles’ quarterback coach and offensive coordinator. Also, Minnesota’s current QB coach is Kevin Rogers, who was McNabb’s QB coach at Syracuse. If the Eagles do want to go with Kolb, Minnesota might be a logical landing spot for McNabb. Of course, the two teams would have to figure out compensation for the veteran QB.

      2. Michael Vick
      Even though he’s currently on the Eagles’ roster, the team has no intentions of making him a starter. If Philly decides to stick with McNabb or start the Kevin Kolb era, then Vick (who wants to be a starter) would be expendable. In fact, he may already be expendable and if the Eagles want a return on their investment, then they could deal him to an interested party. Vick could challenge Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels for the starting position, although the main problem is that Childress runs the West Coast Offense and Vick is a questionable fit for that system despite playing in it under Gregg Knapp in Atlanta.

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      NFL

      If Favre retires, was signing worth it for Vikings?

      January 25, 2010 /

      Before their win over the Cowboys in the Divisional Round two weeks ago, I proposed the question of whether or not signing Brett Favre was worth it for the Vikings. Now that Minnesota has been knocked out of the playoffs and the annual Brett Favre retirement dance has begun, I’m proposing a similar question.

      If Favre does decide to hang ‘em up this offseason, was signing him for one year worth it for the Vikings?

      Had they lost to Dallas, I would have empathically said “no” to the above question. The Vikings won the division and reached the playoffs with Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson in 2008. So for all intents and purposes, had they lost to the Cowboys the Vikings would not have improved under Favre and therefore, his signing would have been a waste. After all, Minnesota didn’t jump over all the hurdles to sign Favre last offseason just so they could win another division title and be bounced in their first playoff game. And had he retired after a loss to Dallas, the signing would have looked even worse.

      However, my stance has changed after the Vikes advanced to the NFC Championship Game because that meant they did improve with Favre under center. They weren’t knocking on the door of a Super Bowl last year with Jackson at quarterback and although we’ll never know, I highly doubt they would have reached the NFC title game with Jackson or Sage Rosenfels this season.

      So yeah, the signing of Favre was worth it in my eyes. Did they sign him in hopes that he would advance them to the Super Bowl? Of course they did, but 30 teams fail to reach the Super Bowl every year and 28 of them didn’t get as far as the Vikings did this season. They knew they were a quarterback away from making a legitimate run and they did what they had to do in order to sign one of the best in the game.

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      Barstool Debates, NFL

      Bears suffer another blow in search for OC

      January 25, 2010 /

      According to the Chicago Tribune, Chargers’ assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski has dropped out of the running for the Bears’ offensive coordinator job.

      As the article notes, Chud’s contract is expiring and word has it that San Diego wants to retain him. There’s a possibility that other teams may be pursuing him as well, so maybe he wants to keep his options open.

      Whatever the situation is, this isn’t good news for the Bears. Jeremy Bates was GM Jerry Angelo’s first choice to replace Ron Turner as the offensive coordinator, but Bates is heading to Seattle to run the Seahawks’ offense under Pete Carroll. Angelo also missed out on Charlie Weis, who signed with the Chiefs, and Chudzinski becomes the latest assistant to steer clear of the “Windy City.”

      The one logical candidate remaining is Mike Martz, who was linked to the Bears’ OC job a couple weeks ago. With Angelo running out of options, the mad scientist might be his last opportunity to hire a coordinator with experience. And with Chicago getting away from the running game now that Jay Cutler is under center, Martz might not be a bad fit.


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      NFL

      Colts early Super Bowl favorites over Saints

      January 25, 2010 /

      With this being the Saints’ first ever trip to the Super Bowl, odds makers have made the Colts a 5-point opening favorite for Super Bowl XLIV according to theSpread.com. The over/under total has been set at 55.5.

      Both of these teams have been a public favorite this year because they can score points. But given how good New Orleans was all season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that point spread come down over the next two weeks with people betting on the Saints.

      The total is intriguing because it’s the second time in three years that the over/under has been set over 50 points. Even though both teams can light up a scoreboard, 55.5 is a ton of points for any NFL game. The last time a Super Bowl total was set that high was in 2008 when the over/under for the Patriots-Giants title game was 55. Everyone thought that game would sail over too and the final was 17-14, well under the 55 points obviously.

      It’ll be interesting to see how the line moves over the next two weeks. I imagine even money will come in on both sides.


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      NFL

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