Thursday 28 July 2011

Free Agency Frenzy

With the lockout finally over it has already been a busy week in the NFL. Deals are still going off left, right and centre as the race to be ready for the upcoming season reaches fever pitch.

One of the hottest topics at the moment is which quarterback will end up where. At the start of the week we had at least 10 quarterbacks with an uncertain future, now with the latest deal it looks like only Vince Young, Marc Bulger and Kyle Orton are still missing a new home.

The week started with a bang when Seattle Seahawks snapped up Tarvaris Jackson, and that marked the end of Matt Hasselbeck’s long career with the Seahawks, as he moved to pastures new in Tennessee. Palmer looks like he is set to retire, and that has prompted the Bengals to bring in long time Oakland Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. Despite this move it still looks like the Bengals have a very long and unrewarding season ahead of them. This was amplified with the departure of top receiver Chad Ochocinco.

Donovan McNabb was the next to hit the headlines when he sealed a move to the Minnesota Vikings. The long-time Eagles QB had made it abundantly clear he was unhappy in Washington and now looks set to play a pivotal role in the mentoring of Christian Ponder.

Amongst all this mayhem, Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart joined the Houston Texans in what will surely be a back-up role to Matt Schaub. Look out for Schaub this season as it looks like the Texans might just make a significant push to knock the colts off their high horse.

Lastly, one of the most speculated moves during the lockout was finalised when the Eagles dealt Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals, in exchange for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round pick. Personally I can’t help but think that the Philadelphia Eagles got a great deal out of the Kolb trade, the only issue is that it leaves them thin in the quarterback department. That brings me to my next topic.

The Titans have recently released Vince Young, making him the hottest quarterback available at the moment, with Kyle Orton looking like he will join Reggie Bush in Miami.


So who would be most suited to Young? Well, he has recently been linked as the ideal candidate to back-up Michael Vick in Philly. Both players have a similar playing style – with a strong arm, and the ability to scramble when needed. Alternatively, I could see Young being added to the Washington Redskins’ roster to beef up the competition under center.

It seems obvious at the moment that the Redskins are in a state of emergency. They’ve just lost DT Albert Haynesworth to the Patriots and since McNabb’s departure they have been left with two far from proven quarterbacks on their roster. Looking at their stats from previous seasons makes worrying reading. Both John Beck and Rex Grossman have thrown far too many interceptions during their limited playing time – a massive cause for concern that needs addressing ahead of pre-season.

That leaves Marc Bulger. Bulger has had a far from illustrious past three seasons and currently looks most likely to drop out of the league after 10 seasons. He could, however, still find himself a back-up role, but it seems unlikely having missed most of the quarterback rush so far.

It will be interesting to see which of these quarterback moves contributes to the most success come the regular season on September 8.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Titans begin hunt for Locker’s tutor

With the eighth overall pick, the Tennessee Titans select: Jake Locker. Inspired decision or a sign of desperation?

As Sam Bradford showed in 2010, a quarterback is the focal point of a rebuilding franchise and therefore a team is fully justified in selecting one in the first round.

Get the pick right and, like Bradford did, you can turn a franchise from a 1-15 disaster into a respectable 7-9 team. Get it wrong and the consequences can be catastrophic, not only on the football field, but also financially.

When Titans owner Bud Adams made it clear that Vince Young, selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft, would not be returning to LP Field, it was obvious the team needed a new face to lead the franchise.

But there were serious question marks hanging over Locker after he endured a lacklustre senior season at the University of Washington, finishing with a career completion percentage of 53.9.

Plagued by inaccuracy, his decision-making prowess was suddenly a red flag and, despite being projected as the number one overall pick ahead of Sam Bradford in 2010 by some – prior to his decision to stay in school for his final year – most experts predicted him to go in the middle of the second round at best.

What was not taken into account was the number of other teams in desperate need of a new franchise quarterback. Carolina, Seattle, the Vikings, Redskins, Arizona, Bengals, 49ers and arguably the Dolphins – despite looking like they are happy to give second round pick Chad Henne another season to show what he can do – are all in the hunt for a star signal caller.

Carolina nabbed Newton with the first overall pick and the Titans jumped at the chance to select Locker – obviously believing there were too many other teams sniffing around for there to have been any hope of him dropping to them in the second. This was somewhat justified as the Jaguars traded up for Blaine Gabbert, the Vikings chose Christian Ponder at 12 and early in the second Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick went to the Bengals and 49ers respectively.

Chances are, Locker won’t start right away. Although Sam Bradford did last year, that was only after a full pre-season and training camp. And it was clear from the start that the Rams QB was an exceptional talent.

There’s no question Locker has potential, but asking him to lead a team with a struggling offense, with little or no time to get to know the playbook – thanks to the ongoing lockout which has been in place since March – could do more harm than good for the young signal caller.

With veteran QB Kerry Collins, who led the Titans to a 13-3 season three years ago, announcing his retirement this month, the only other quarterback on the roster is Rusty Smith. And Titans fans will know from last year that he is not the answer.

What the team needs is a veteran QB who can take the reins and mentor Locker until he’s ready to take over. There are no shortage of options when Free Agency opens on Friday, but there are still a number of rival teams in the market for them.


Rumour has it that Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck is done in Seattle and that his most likely landing spot is with the Titans – General Manager Mike Reinfeldt knows the Pro Bowler well from the seven years he spent in the Seahawks front office.

Besides Hasselbeck, other options include former Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb, Ravens back-up Marc Bulger, the Eagles’ Kevin Kolb, Matt Moore from Carolina and former Heisman winner Matt Leinart.

McNabb looked very poor last season. He struggled mightily at the Redskins, but then how much of that was down to McNabb himself, and how much to a woeful franchise, is up for debate. In any case, it seems most likely that the long-time Eagles Pro Bowler will be snapped up by the Vikings as a tutor for their first-round pick Christian Ponder.

With Tarvaris Jackson being released in Minnesota, he may even be a potential target for the Titans. But it is more realistic for a team such as the Eagles, Ravens or even Dolphins to pick him up as a back-up QB, rather than throw him in as a starter right away. At the Dolphins he would be able to compete with Henne, although former Titan Vince Young has long been linked as the answer to that dilemma this past off-season.

The Eagles’ Kevin Kolb appears certain to join the Cardinals or the Seahawks, and both Moore and Leinart are probably too great a risk considering their poor performances in 2010.

That means the best option is likely to be Marc Bulger or Hasselbeck – who despite having a poor regular season disrupted by injuries, produced a superlative performance in the wild card game to dump the reigning champion Saints out of Super Bowl contention.

Bulger is well thought of in league circles, despite enduring a painful time at the Rams in his nine seasons – though not many QB’s could have done anything with that team, and in particular, that lack of protection from the offensive line.

The only other way to go would be to take a punt at Chicago’s Todd Collins, Tyler Thigpen of the Dolphins, the Raiders’ Gradkowski or another Heisman trophy winner in Troy Smith at the 49ers – who did show glimpses of potential last season, albeit fleetingly.

But it is unlikely any of those will offer as much benefit as Hasselbeck. The long-time Seattle QB has taken his franchise to the play-offs on six separate occasions, including four-straight division titles and a Super Bowl appearance in 2005.

That would seem the perfect CV for a man tasked with tutoring what the Titans hope will be their own future Pro Bowler.

Bush Destination Unknown?

According to recent reports from the NFL.com’s Jason LaCanfora, it sounds likely that New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush could be set to depart from the Superdome.

Currently still under contract with the Saints, Bush, 26, is now after a substantial salary which the Saints look unlikely to cough up having just drafted Mark Ingram Jr.

The 2010 Super Bowl winner has already been linked with the Miami Dolphins, who are looking to provide backup to veteran running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Bush has also been linked with the St Louis Rams and even more interestingly the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Rams have been looking to fill a running back role to supplement top NFL rusher Steven Jackson. They have also been linked with the San Diego Chargers’ Darren Sproles. Bush’s elusive and quick nature would definitely be an interesting contrast to Jackson’s obvious physical talents. The other upside to Reggie Bush is that he is a well-established pass catcher, similar to Jackson, so he would offer another dimension to the Rams’ rapidly developing offence under new coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Judging by current speculation, St Louis appears a more fitting destination for Bush, although admittedly I would welcome Bush to the Eagles. He could be a perfect addition to the offence as a relief running back and punt returner. He could also play a pivotal role on tough downs and would be well-suited to adopting a role equivalent to former Eagles player Brian Westbrook as the battering ram the offence needs.

He does, however, seem to play a very similar role to current running back LeSean McCoy, in that they both have the ability to catch the ball and gain big yardage from pass plays when a quarterback is forced to make a last-second check down. My view is that if the Eagles are looking for a running back to complement McCoy, they would be better suited to chasing after one with more physicality, similar to what the Rams have already.

On reflection it would seem that Bush coming to the Eagles would be more of a luxury rather than a necessity. I think a team such as the Dolphins or Rams, who already have a starved offence, would surely reap the rewards that Bush has to offer more than Philadelphia.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Football is back!

Finally, after months of uncertainty, the NFL season is back.

The lockout, which had threatened to derail the 2011 season, was nothing short of a roller coaster ride of tense negotiations between team owners and players.

With many fans unsure if we would get a season at all, the recent news from NFL.com that a new CBA or Collective Bargaining Agreement has been agreed by both players and NFL owners has no doubt left many, including myself, elated.

Since the previous agreement expired back in March, both sides have spent months negotiating a way to bring an end to the lockout. The disagreement, which was essentially down to a dispute of how to split the sport’s multi-billion dollar fortune, was seemingly drawing to a close on Friday – with the owners agreeing to the latest CBA.

Unfortunately, however, the players took a little longer to agree to the terms, resulting in the cancellation of the Hall of Fame game between the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams scheduled for the 7th August. I guess on the upside for the Rams this wasn’t necessarily bad news considering the Bears have never lost a Hall of Fame game, but football is football!

Now, as we look ahead to what could be one of the most chaotic weeks in American football history, we will finally be able to answer so many of the questions that fans have had during the off-season. The end of this week will definitely be an eventful one. Free Agency opens up on Friday, resulting in what will be a bitter scrap for the league’s top players – including Pro Bowl corner Nnamdi Asomugha and veteran Super Bowl-winning WR Santonio Holmes.

With such little time to prepare, it could well alter many experts’ predictions of division winners and play-off bound teams. It will be interesting to see in Week 1 who will have a post lockout hangover.

But, more importantly, the good news is that we won’t have to go through another lockout again for a long time – after the latest CBA was signed as a 10-year deal with no room for negotiations.

For now, I’m delighted to say it’s ‘Game time’ again!

Monday 25 July 2011

Hi everyone!

Apologies for not writing anything new for a while. I've been incredibly busy the last few weeks but check back very soon...

Monday 4 July 2011

Top 10 reasons why American football is a greater spectacle than soccer

The main aim of this blog is to widen the audience of American football in the UK so I thought I would give 10 reasons why I believe it is better, and what attracted me to the gridiron.

1. No boring 0-0 scores! - To often in soccer/football you spend the whole game waiting for a goal that sometimes never comes. It just never happens in American football, and whats better is that Touchdowns come way more often than goals.

2. Almost always a winner - You rarely see a tie, even if teams are drawing at the end of the 4th quarter they play overtime to produce a winner. This happens in every game, not just the cups like in soccer.

3. You can challenge plays - Often, in soccer, referees make the wrong call. What's worse is that there is nothing you can do about it, if your cheated, it's too late. In American football however you can challenge a referees decision to video replay - similar to Hawk-Eye in cricket and tennis.

4. You can't dive - unless its into an end zone! That's right, none of that Cristiano Ronaldo diving ever happens in American football, it's go hard or go home!

5. A new winner every year? - In soccer it is normally between four teams to win the league every year, especially in the English Premiership. In American football how ever the draft helps balance the teams giving every team the opportunity to win. You also don't have single teams buying all the best players. The NFL has this fully regulated and I think it is better this way.

6. Even the unlikeliest of teams can cause upsets often. - Take the Seahawks last season, no one expected them to win but they did. Manchester United Vs. Schalke 04 in the Champions League? It was over before kick off.

7. You never know what play will come next. - The intricate play calls make it impossible to guess what play will come next, and when you think you have read it completely, it could be a trick play.

8. The momentum can change in an instant - 4-0 in soccer, its all over. 21 point deficit with seven minutes remaining, a comeback with 28 unanswered points resulting in a miracle at the Meadowlands part two.

9. The cheerleaders - need I say more!

10. The hard hits, clutch kicks and draft picks - mix them altogether and you get one exciting sport that gives a whole new meaning to your Sunday's!

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NFL outfits redesigned by Nike?

Ok, to most fans it is relatively old news now but I had to make it a feature so for those of you that haven’t seen or heard, well, my advice would be to not buy any team jerseys just yet. Next year Nike is set to get the uniform design licence for all 32 NFL teams. Expect a huge make over as Nike always like to demonstrate their creative flair and stamp their uniqueness. Although these jerseys have yet to be confirmed by Nike or the NFL, numerous news sources have displayed them as potential future jerseys for the 2012 NFL season.

Take a look and let me know what you think. Personally, I’m not so keen on the Eagles yet, maybe if the pants were a different colour. Rams, Colts and Cowboys all work very well with the blue, although Titans is a sky blue overdose in my opinion. Vikings and Dolphins both top the table for the worst colour combinations. Unfortunately for Browns fans it looks like the creativity levels in your uniforms look to have reached their summit. I think any kit with a full colour, without variation just doesn’t go and I’m not to keen on the helmet redesigns as well if this takes place. Still, very smart, but it will be interesting to see how some of the bigger players mould into these sleek new concept designs.

Check it out…Nike Redesigned NFL Outfits.