NFL News & Notes: Titus Young, Mark Sanchez and More
Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/13/2013 @ 9:37 pm)
Let’s spin around the NFL…
Jets to try and trade Sanchez? Good luck.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested on NFL Live that the Jets will look to trade Mark Sanchez before Week 1 if Geno Smith shows that he’s ready to play as a rookie. To that, I reply: Good luck. Teams won’t want to take on the $8.5 million in guaranteed money that Sanchez is currently owed on his contract. (And if some team does then its just as insane as the Jets were for taking Sanchez with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft.) The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and there are a plenty of quarterback-needy teams around. But there are only a handful of quarterbacks in the NFL that can elevate the talent around them and Sanchez isn’t one of them. He’s a consistently average signal-caller that buckles under pressure and can’t avoid making costly mistakes. Any team that would be willing to part with draft picks and $8.5 million in guaranteed money is likely desperate for a quarterback because its roster is devoid of talent. How is Sanchez going to make a losing situation better? He’d be better off going to a team that already has an established starter so that he can be the backup.
Titus Young needs help.
You don’t need to be a shrink to realize that Titus Young needs serious help after he was arrested yet again in California last Friday. That makes three arrests in less than a week for the embattled wide receiver, who was released by the Rams back in February less than two weeks after he was claimed off waivers from the Lions. His father says that his son has a disorder that causes his brain to be compressed against the front of his skull and that Titus hasn’t been taking his prescribed medication. Forget football – this kid needs serious help. And somebody better give him that help before he winds up hurting himself or someone else (again).
The Chiefs made an interesting hire.
According to Dan Hinxman of the Reno Gazette-Journal, Chris Ault has agreed to a consultant position with the Chiefs. Why is this noteworthy? Because Ault is known as the guru of the ‘pistol offense,’ which had great success when he was the head coach at Nevada from 2004 to when he retired last December. Andy Reid runs the West Coast, but one would surmise that he’s ready to open up his playbook to incorporate the pistol formation, which could benefit running back Jamaal Charles. (I can’t imagine that Alex Smith would run the read-option on a consistent basis, although he has more mobility than people give him credit for.)
Did the Bills shift Nix out of the GM role too late?
Buddy Nix has had a rough go of things in Buffalo since taking over the mantle of general manager in 2010. Hindsight is always 20/20 but he’s made a handful of questionable decisions over the years, including overpaying Ryan Fitzpatrick and passing on the likes of Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson in previous drafts. Less than a month after he helped the Bills land former Florida State signal-caller E.J. Manuel to help run Doug Marrone’s offense, Nix will step away from his role as GM and transition to Special Assistant. It’s widely assumed that Buffalo will hand the GM role over to Doug Whaley, the Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel. If Manuel doesn’t pan out, Bills fans will be left wondering why the team’s front office didn’t move Nix out of the role much sooner.
Will Carimi even make Chicago’s roster?
The Bears seemingly landed a steal in the 2011 NFL Draft when they plucked Wisconsin offensive tackle Gabe Carimi off the board with the 29th overall pick. But as it turns out, the former Badger was just the latest in a long line of brutal first-round picks by ex-GM Jerry Angelo. Carimi missed nearly all of his rookie season with a knee injury and when he came back in 2012, he was brutal. Now it appears he might not even make the 2013 roster after he was a no-show for the first day of Chicago’s OTAs on Monday. The workouts aren’t mandatory, but one would think that a player on the roster bubble would want to show a new coaching staff that he isn’t the gigantic bust that everyone believes him to be.
The NFC North has major offensive line issues
Posted by Anthony Stalter (08/17/2011 @ 1:11 pm)
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) fumbles the ball as he is hit by Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields (37) and Green Bay Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop (55) during the first half of the NFL NFC Championship football game in Chicago, January 23, 2011. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)
Much of the focus in the NFC North this preseason is how the Bears’ offensive line could be in major trouble after allowing nine sacks in their preseason debut. But look around – the rest of the division isn’t much better.
Minnesota Vikings
Forget the Bears – the Vikings are the current owners of the worst offensive line in the division, if not the entire league. Once a major strength, Minnesota’s O-line has fallen on hard times over the last couple of seasons. It was major liability last season and somehow it got much worse. Things started off on a bad note when Bryant McKinnie gained so much unhealthy weight during the lockout that the Vikings actually decided to release him just days before camp. Now they have a left tackle in Charlie Johnson who has been manhandled thus far and would probably be better suited to play inside at guard. Speaking of guard, Steve Hutchinson is a shell of his former self and rookie Chris DeGeare will start on the right side because of Anthony Herrera’s injury issues. In the middle, John Sullivan lacks power and remains one of the least productive centers in the league. Good luck this year, Adrian Peterson.
Chicago Bears
Anyone who saw the Bills rack up nine sacks on the Bears last week is well aware of Chicago’s offensive line issues. The good news is that the Bears got Frank Omiyale out of the starting lineup. The bad news is that J’Marcus Webb will be counted on to protect Jay Cutler’s blindside after struggling as a rookie at right tackle last season. At the other tackle position, the Bears had to draft Gabe Carimi in the first round this year after moving Chris Williams (a 2008 first round selection) to left guard. If the team had better options, Williams would probably have been cut already. The most reliable member of Chicago’s O-line is Roberto Garza, but he’s now playing out of position at center after Olin Kreutz signed with the Saints. Mike Tice is a solid offensive line coach but he has his work cut out for him this season. The unit actually started to gel mid-way through the 2010 season but if Chicago’s first preseason game was any indication, it could be a long season for Cutler and Co. The Bears better hope Webb and Carimi develop fast.
Detroit Lions
GM Martin Mayhew deserves plenty of kudos for the way he has slowly rebuilt the Lions’ roster over the last few years. But it would have been more comforting to Detroit fans had he paid more attention to the O-line this offseason. The Lions return five starters from a year ago but they’re not in as good of shape as one would think. Left tackle Jeff Backus has a partially torn pectoral muscle and will likely miss plenty of practice time as he rehabs the injury. At the other tackle position, Gosder Cherilus is coming off microfracture surgery and while he is practicing, the Lions are taking it slow with the former first rounder. Inside, the Lions are actually in decent shape assuming Stephen Peterman’s foot has healed. Rob Sims was a huge pickup from the Seahawks last season and has solidified what has been a big problem area for the Lions over the years. At center, Dominic Railoa is aging and undersized, but the team could do worse. The biggest problem areas are at the tackle positions, which doesn’t bode well for quarterback Matthew Stafford’s health.
Green Bay Packers
This is the lone exception in the division. Once a major concern thanks in large part to injuries, the Packers’ O-line is now a top-5 unit. Losing Daryn Colledge (Cardinals) hurt, but GM Ted Thompson found a gem in Derek Sherrod, who fell into Green Bay’s laps at the bottom of the first round. Josh Sitton continues to be one of the most underrated right guards in the league and RT Bryan Bulaga looks like he could make major strides in his second year. Barring injuries to the starters, Aaron Rodgers won’t have to worry about eating turf like he did in 2009.
Posted in: NFL
Tags: 2011 NFL Preview, Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, Bryant McKinnie, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Gabe Carimi, Green Bay Packers, J'Marcus Webb, Jay Cutler, Jeff Backus, Minnesota Vikings, Steve Hutchinson
Rose Bowl Preview: TCU vs. Wisconsin
Posted by Staff (12/29/2010 @ 2:50 pm)
2011 BCS Bowl Previews: BCS National Championship | Fiesta Bowl | Rose Bowl | Orange Bowl | Sugar Bowl
Date: Saturday, January 1 2011
Time: 4:30PM ET
TV: ESPN
Why Watch: This will be the Badgers first trip to Pasadena in 11 seasons, while the Horned Frogs will become the first team from a non-AQ league in the BCS era to play in the Rose Bowl. Both teams scored 520 points this year, which was tied for the fourth most in the nation. This will be a classic strength vs. strength matchup, as TCU allowed an average of just 11.4 points, 126.3 passing yards and 215.4 total yards per game this year, which were all tops in the FBS. They also held opponents to 89.2 rushing yards per game, which was the third-fewest in the country. The Badgers, meanwhile, were tied for fourth with 43.3 points per game (the same as TCU) and employ a three-headed monster in running backs James White (1,061 yards), John Clay (952) and Montee Ball (881). Can TCU’s speedy defense matchup with Wisconsin’s big bodies on the offensive line?
Game Facts: Wisconsin has won its last three Rose Bowl appearances, while this will be TCU’s first-ever trip to Pasadena. The Badgers are 11-10 all-time in bowls and they’ll be making their ninth-straight bowl appearance. They beat Miami 20-14 in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando last season. The Frogs are 11-14-1 all-time in bowls, but are 7-4 in bowl games under current head coach Gary Patterson. After winning their previous four bowl games, TCU was largely dominated by Boise State at last year’s Fiesta Bowl, even though the final score was, 17-10.
Key Player: Wayne Daniels, TCU.
Want to know if TCU can play with the big boys? We’ll learn a lot by watching Daniels try and get around 6-foot-7 beast of a man and Outland Trophy winner Gabe Carimi. Daniels was an All-American himself, and led TCU with 6.5 sacks this season. If Carimi is able to do to him what he’s been able to do to everyone else he’s gone up against this season (which is destroy them), then TCU might be in for a long day because that likely means Wisconsin won’t have trouble moving the ball. Daniels doesn’t necessarily have to win this battle, but he has to at least hold his own if TCU is going to win.
Read the rest of this entry »