Tag: Anthony Stalter (Page 11 of 133)

      2011 NFL Draft: Five First Round Surprises

      April 28, 2011 /

      If you’re a fellow draft nerd like myself, you figured that there would be plenty of surprises in the first round on Thursday night. Here are five that caught me off guard.

      1. The Falcons trade two drafts worth of picks for Julio Jones.
      The fact that the Falcons traded into the top 10 wasn’t surprising. There were pre-draft reports that suggested they would do just that. The fact that they traded 72 picks in order to climb up in order to take him…wow. Make no mistake: Julio Jones is a stud and he’s going to look real good in an offense that already consists of Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez. But a first, second and a fourth this year, plus a first and a fourth next year is a TON to give up for one player. But hey, GM Thomas Dimitroff knows he has a Super Bowl-caliber roster and he just added an impact player. The loss to the Packers in the playoffs last year proved just how badly the Falcons needed a deep threat that could stretch the defense. Jones fills that need instantly; he just better pan out.

      2. Titans take Jake Locker at No. 8.
      With Vince Young heading out of town, everyone knew a quarterback was an option for Tennessee at No. 8. But the fact that they passed on Blaine Gabbert, who was arguably the better QB prospect, for Jake Locker was a surprise that not many people saw coming. That said, had Locker came out last year he would have probably be the No. 1 overall pick. But since he struggled as a senior at Washington, draft observers thought he would go in the late first round, or possibly even slip into the second. The Titans obviously were incredibly high on him and he’s going to bring a lot of excitement to Tennessee – at least initially. But consider this: if Locker doesn’t pan out and Gabbert does, not only will it set the Titans back, but Gabbert (whom Tennessee’s AFC South rivals the Jaguars traded up to take at No. 10) could wind up haunting them for years.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      2011 NFL Mock Draft: Final Edition

      April 28, 2011 /

      This is it: This is the nasty wench that I’m putting all my money on. Anything less than 32 out of 32 correct picks and I consider this a failure.

      All right, so I’ll take 10 of 32 correct picks – especially this year where the draft is the ultimate mystery. Thanks to the ongoing CBA fiasco, teams haven’t had the opportunity to address needs in free agency, meaning there are countless scenarios that we could see play out Thursday night in the first round.

      Feel free to poke, prod and criticize – just make sure you do it before the draft. Don’t be like this clown, who told me how dumb I was two years after I compiled my 2009 mock draft. (I know how dumb I am, so just be up front with me at the start.)

      As a bonus, my colleague at TSR, John Paulsen, spent some time crunching the numbers in order to provide scouting combine comparisons for every player. I’ll let him describe the method behind his madness.

      John: I compared each prospect’s combine scores with players from the last six combines to determine the best athletic comparison. There are eight categories: height, weight, 40-yard dash, shuttle, 3-cone, vertical leap, broad jump and bench press. Not all prospects compete in all six tests, so certain comparisons are more confident than others.
      Realize that we’re not suggesting that these players will turn into their comparisons – we’re simply saying that athletically, this is whom each prospect compares to based on their combine numbers.

      All right – let’s get nasty, Ricky.

      Quarterback Cam Newton of the Auburn University Tigers celebrates before the start of his game against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA SEC Championship college football game in Atlanta, Georgia, December 4, 2010. REUTERS/Chris Keane (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      No. 1 Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
      Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is a possibility at this pick, but I think when it comes down to it Ron Rivera will want to kick off his tenure in Carolina by taking a franchise quarterback. Newton is the ultimate boom or bust selection.
      Combine Comparisons: Vince Young; Tim Tebow.

      No. 2 Denver Broncos: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
      There has been a lot of talk the last two days that the Broncos are considering Von Miller with this pick. But he’s not the ideal fit for the 4-3 in my eyes and I think in the end, Dareus is too good to pass up here.
      Combine Comparisons: Marcus Thomas; Corvey Irvin; Red Bryant.

      No. 3 Buffalo Bills: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
      The Bills may flirt with the idea of taking a quarterback with this pick and they could certainly use an upgrade on the defensive line. But in the end, I think GM Buddy Nix will take the unquestioned best player in the draft.
      Combine Comparisons: Brandon Ghee, Malcom Jenkins, Myron Lewis, Aquib Talib. As John notes, Peterson is faster than all four, although Talib is the best comparison in terms of size/speed. Another interesting comparison is Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who has the speed, but Peterson is almost 40 lbs heavier. Based on his 40, we really haven’t seen anyone with Peterson’s size/speed combination in the last six years.

      No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
      The Bengals need to figure out their quarterback situation in regards to Carson Palmer but I don’t think they’ll pull the trigger on Blaine Gabbert here. With T.O. not expected back and Chad Ochocinco’s status up in the air, I like the Bengals to go receiver at this spot. Julio Jones is definitely a possibility (a lot of mocks have Cincy taking him), but Green is still the better overall prospect.
      Combine Comparisons: Malcom Kelly; Limas Sweed; Hank Baskett.

      No. 5 Arizona Cardinals: Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
      Miller might not slip past Buffalo at No. 3 but if he does, I think Arizona would love to pair him with O’Brien Schofield at outside linebacker. Miller is viewed as the best pass-rushing OLB in the draft, which is certainly a need for the Cardinals (especially after they release Joey Porter and his $5.75 million salary in 2011).
      Combine Comparisons: Aaron Curry; Clay Matthews.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      DeAngelo Hall’s latest comments about Cutler makes you long for the days of Darrell Green

      April 27, 2011 /
      Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall celebrates after intercepting a pass intended for Chicago Bears wide receiver Johnny Knox during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field in Chicago on October 24, 2010. The Redskins won 17-14. UPI/Brian Kersey

      It was his performance in a 2005 Monday Night Football game against the Eagles when I first became impressed with cornerback DeAngelo Hall.

      Only in his second year as a member of the Falcons, Hall drew the responsibility of covering Terrell Owens one-on-one, which was a difficult task considering the game would be nationally television and T.O. had just helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance the year before. While Owens did rack up 112 receiving yards that night, Hall held his own in coverage and kept the Philly receiver out of the end zone. For a player that young and inexperienced, Hall’s performance was impressive.

      But that memory has faded over time, mostly due to the fact that Hall’s talent has never matched his oversized ego. Yes, he’s talented, which is why he’s gone to three Pro Bowls and is still a top-12 corner. But it’s his manner that has always rubbed people the wrong way.

      Take his latest outburst for example. While appearing on a radio interview for WJFK-FM in Washington, Hall called the Bears’ Jay Cutler “a clown” and went on to talk about how “unreal” it was to intercept the QB four times during a mid-season victory in Chicago last season.

      Granted, Cutler did fuel Hall’s comments by stating, “I’ve played against [Hall] before, there’s no reason to shy away from him…I’d go at him every time if we could,” after the game. Still, if you’re Hall, where’s the benefit of calling Cutler a clown now? You’ve already bested him – let your four interceptions do your talking. Calling him a clown (six months after the fact, no less) does nothing good for your character. What’s wrong with being modest in that situation?

      Read the full article at the Washington Post.

      External Sports, NFL

      A.J. Green to Falcons rumors heating up again

      April 27, 2011 /

      Just over a month ago, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote an article suggesting that the Falcons should do everything in their power to move up in order to select dynamic wide receiver prospect A.J. Green. If Peter King’s latest tweet comes to fruition, Schultz’s wish may become a reality.

      Just days before the first round of the draft is set to take place on Thursday night, King tweets that Atlanta is seeking an “explosive outside threat” and is trying to “get way up” for either Green or Alabama’s Julio Jones. King does mention, however, that the situation is unlikely.

      The reason that it’s unlikely is that the Falcons hold the No. 27th overall pick and there’s a very good chance that both Green and Jones will go in the top 10. If that’s the case, Atlanta has a ton of ground to cover in order to put itself in position to nab either wideout. Seeing as how teams can only trade picks from this year’s draft, a move like that could prove to be difficult. (The reason teams can’t deal picks from future drafts is because without a CBA in place, there is no 2012 draft. No draft = no draft picks to trade.)

      That said, Falcons’ GM Thomas Dimitroff has made at least one bold move every offseason since arriving in Atlanta in 2008. He signed free agent Michael Turner in ’08, traded for tight end Tony Gonzalez in ’09 and signed corner Dunta Robinson to a lucrative deal last offseason. He also traded back into the ’08 draft to select offensive tackle Sam Baker, so he does have at least some history of trading up. (Although it’s important to note that he was also armed with multiple second round picks that year because of the DeAngelo Hall trade with Oakland, so he had more to work with in order to move up.)

      As King suggests, it seems highly unlikely that the Falcons would be able to pull off a trade in order to get into the top 10. Cleveland, which holds the seventh overall pick, would seemingly make a great trade partner. But with needs at defensive end and along the offensive line (three of the five starters from last year’s O-line are free agents), would Dimitroff sacrifice most, if not all of his draft in order to make a deal like this? He knows he has a Super Bowl-caliber roster on his hands and adding a weapon opposite Roddy White to spread defenses vertically is a must. But at the end of the day, a deal like that may be too rich for Dimitroff and the Falcons’ blood.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑