Category: NFL (Page 774 of 1282)

      Don’t plan on the Broncos trading Cutler

      March 12, 2009 /

      Fans in Minnesota, Detroit and Tampa have kept a close eye on the developing situation in Denver in hopes that the Broncos will eventually trade unhappy quarterback Jay Cutler. But I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were a Vikings, Lions or Bucs fan.

      It’s highly unlikely that the Broncos will trade Cutler at this point, even with the situation apparently getting worse by the day. Cutler may be upset with the way new head coach Josh McDaniels entertained trade offers for him two weeks ago, but the fact of the matter is that even if Denver wanted to deal the quarterback, they don’t have a good enough backup plan at this point to follow through with it.

      McDaniels claims that he listened to offers from the Patriots when it was reported that Denver, New England and Tampa Bay had talked about a three-team deal, but that’s only because Matt Cassel – McDaniels’ former QB in New England – was involved. Now that Cassel is set to become the Chiefs’ starting quarterback next season, it’s doubtful that the Broncos will move Cutler with no other intriguing options out there to take his place.

      One small, interesting rumor that has circulated on the web is that Denver loves the potential of Chris Simms, whom they just signed to a deal in early March. But the Broncos only signed him to a two-year, $6 million contract, which is barely the league-average for a backup quarterback and indicates that he might not even win the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. (Dan Orlovsky got more money to be a backup for the Texans, by the way.)

      Some people have subscribed to the thought that the Broncos could deal Cutler on draft day and then select their future signal caller in one of the first three rounds. But unless USC’s Mark Sanchez fell to them at No. 12 (which is a possibility), arguably no quarterback in this year’s draft would be ready to start as a rookie like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco did last year. Prospects like Josh Freeman of Kansas State would be major projects and certainly wouldn’t be ready to be thrown to the wolves in his rookie season.

      The bottom line is that Cutler probably isn’t going anywhere because the Broncos don’t have any better options at this point. It would be incredibly unwise for McDaniels and the Broncos to deal a young quarterback that has already proven he has the tools to compete in the NFL. Cutler hasn’t won anything yet, but he obviously has more than enough talent to get the Broncos to the playoffs. Situations like this usually blow over at some point.

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Alabama’s Andre Smith could fall out of top 15

      March 12, 2009 /

      Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith has done little right after being suspended for the 2009 Sugar Bowl by his former head coach Nick Saban for violating team rules.

      Along with Baylor’s Jason Smith and Virginia’s Eugene Monroe, Andre Smith was supposed to be one of the top tackles taken in April’s draft. But things went horrible wrong for Smith at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February as he measured 6’4” and 332 pounds (which is weight more suitable for a guard than a tackle), flat out admitted that he wasn’t in good shape and then mysteriously disappeared without working out.

      Several media outlets claimed that Smith’s interviews with prospective teams went “horribly” prior to his disappearance from the combine (which turned out to be a communication problem between him and his agent according to Smith) and some claim that he didn’t perform well at his Pro Day on Wednesday.

      Where Smith could fall on draft day is anyone’s guess. Given his talent alone, he could easily be a top 5 pick. But due to his roller coaster of an offseason, he could also drop into the bottom half of the first round.

      49ers beat writer Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee believes that San Fran won’t pass on Smith at No. 10, because they sorely need a right tackle and he also believes that head coach Mike Singletary could have a good influence on the young offensive lineman.

      But you can’t teach heart and desire and although Smith had an outstanding career at Alabama, he has done nothing to warrant being a top 10 pick in this year’s draft. In fact, if he is selected in the top 10, then maybe the scouting combine means even less than we all thought.

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Anquan Boldin to be an Eagle?

      March 11, 2009 /

      SI.com’s Peter King believes that Anquan Boldin won’t be a Cardinal next season and that the Giants and Eagles are possible trade partners with Arizona.

      The Eagles and Giants, two receiver-needy teams, are in position to deal for Anquan Boldin, who I continue to say will not be a Cardinal by July. Philly has 21, 28 and 53, the Giants 29, 45 and 60. I find it hard to believe the Eagles won’t trade for Boldin. Very hard. He’s a perfect fit, and they’ve got the cap room to sign him.

      Less than a month ago, Philly GM Tom Heckert said that the Eagles were set at receiver with DeSean Jackson and that’s why the team didn’t pursue free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh. But Housh is also three years older than Boldin and if the Eagles have had their sights on Anquan this entire time, then Heckert’s comments could have been a smokescreen. As King notes, Philadelphia is certainly in position to offer Arizona decent compensation for Boldin, who could team with Jackson to give Donovan McNabb a quality receiving corps.

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Rams to draft a tackle at No. 2?

      March 11, 2009 /

      Peter King of SI.com believes that the Rams will likely select an offensive tackle with the No. 2 overall pick in next month’s NFL draft.

      Orlando PaceNow that St. Louis has released Orlando Pace, there’s very little doubt the Rams will use either pick number three or pick 35 at the top of the second round to pick into the teeth of a tackle-rich draft.

      Well, King’s notion certainly makes sense considering the Rams now have a Grand Canyon-sized hole at left tackle. And this is certainly the draft to take a tackle with Baylor’s Jason Smith and Virginia’s Eugene Monroe both being viewed as top 10 picks, if not top 5.

      But the wild card in this situation is Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry, who would also fill a need for the Rams and appears to be the best prospect in the entire draft. If the Lions don’t take him, St. Louis could pull the trigger and make a solid, safe selection in the versatile linebacker.

      NFL, NFL Draft, Rumors & Gossip

      Did the Falcons snub Keith Brooking?

      March 11, 2009 /

      So I’m watching ESPN News the other day and this scrolls at the bottom of the screen: Falcons sign LB Mike Peterson.

      Not a bad move.

      Considering they lost Keith Brooking and Michael Boley to other teams in free agency, the Falcons were in desperate need of linebackers and Peterson is familiar with head coach Mike Smith and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder from their days in Jacksonville. Plus, Peterson surely came cheaper than Brooking, which was part of the reason Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff allowed him to walk when he became a free agent last week. (Brooking wanted to re-sign with Atlanta, but eventually signed a three-year, $6 million contract with the Cowboys when it was clear the Falcons wanted to go in another direction.)

      Then I read the details of Peterson’s contract: Two years, $6.5 million.

      So the Falcons didn’t want Brooking back because he’s a 33-year old linebacker with deteriorating skills and is weak in coverage. Yet they signed Peterson (for more money mind you), who is a 32-year old linebacker with deteriorating skills, is weak in coverage and was suspended one game for pissing off his head coach (Jack Del Rio) last season?

      Ooooookay.

      I’m not criticizing the Falcons for allowing Brooking to walk. His best days are clearly in the rear view mirror (see the Falcons’ playoff game against the Cardinals last year as proof) and he wasn’t going to be part of the long-term picture in Atlanta even if the team did re-sign him. But he would have given his left testicle to the Falcons at the drop of a hat and throughout his entire career he never complained once despite being asked to play multiple linebacker positions in multiple schemes.

      Nothing against Peterson, but he’s probably only a small upgrade over Brooking at this stage of his career, yet the Falcons were willing to hand him more money (not a lot more money, but more money nevertheless). I get that Peterson has ties to Smith and maybe he’ll be rejuvenated after reuniting with a familiar face, but were those ties greater than the ones that Brooking had with the Falcons? (Brooking played 11 seasons in Atlanta, led the team in tackles for most of those years and was the last member of the 1998 Super Bowl team.)

      In the end, this won’t be an issue. Brooking would never say the Falcons snubbed him (they did hold a fair-well presser for him after all) and truth be told, both linebackers will probably be backups in 2010 anyway. But I just found it a little interesting that Atlanta wanted to revamp the defense (and maybe they still will by adding young linebackers via the draft), so they let Brooking walk and give more money to a similar player to take his spot.

      NFL

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