During a press conference in Maui, new Dolphins coach Nick Saban was talking about the Ricky Williams situation. He said Miami would never go back to playing "Wadball".
Then he explained:
"[Williams] would be effective in what we're talking about,'' Saban said. "He's a very good player and I don't think you have to play 'wadball' for him to be effective. Do you know what 'wadball' is? Everyone gets wadded up in the middle of the field and you plunge them into the middle of it and let them run over everybody. That's 'wadball' to me. Everybody's in a wad.''
Anyone clever enough to think of that should know better than to let Ricky Williams back in his locker room.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Broncos Pick Up 2 Draft Picks
The Denver Broncos picked up two compensatory picks in the 3rd round of this year's draft. That is good news, unless you look at how the Broncos have drafted recently. Denver has not drafted an impact player in several years, and they have been letting their best talent slip away in free agency.
The Broncos defense looks 'not as good as last year' heading into the draft. The defensive line has taken another step back this year and two excellent defensive backs have been lost. And this after the Colts smoked them in their last two playoff games.
The Broncos have salary cap issues. And if they don't get those issues fixed soon, .500 will be looking good. The Chiefs and Raiders have Colt-like offenses this year, and the Chargers also have the talent to put up points. The Broncos better hope they can pick up some impact players on defense this year, or it could be a long season.
The Broncos defense looks 'not as good as last year' heading into the draft. The defensive line has taken another step back this year and two excellent defensive backs have been lost. And this after the Colts smoked them in their last two playoff games.
The Broncos have salary cap issues. And if they don't get those issues fixed soon, .500 will be looking good. The Chiefs and Raiders have Colt-like offenses this year, and the Chargers also have the talent to put up points. The Broncos better hope they can pick up some impact players on defense this year, or it could be a long season.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Edge Stays in Indy
Edgerrin James is remaining with the Colts for one more season. This means that powerful offense has another year to make a Super Bowl run, but it also means there isn't much money to improve a bad defense.
The really surprising thing about this is the almost total lack of interest in James and other running backs. Travis Henry, Reuben Droughns, and several others are still looking for trades and several free agents didn't get the interest they expected, like Rudi Johnson.
It wasn't that long ago that many teams couldn't get a decent running back. This year there seems to be an all out glut at the position. And with the draft being fairly strong in running backs, it won't get much better for those that are looking for a change.
The really surprising thing about this is the almost total lack of interest in James and other running backs. Travis Henry, Reuben Droughns, and several others are still looking for trades and several free agents didn't get the interest they expected, like Rudi Johnson.
It wasn't that long ago that many teams couldn't get a decent running back. This year there seems to be an all out glut at the position. And with the draft being fairly strong in running backs, it won't get much better for those that are looking for a change.
Travis Taylor Signs With Minnesota
Travis Taylor signed with the Vikings on Tuesday, which should end any chance of getting Burress. It could also mean that Kelly Campbell and his legal troubles are on the way out. The Vikings are not hoping to replace Randy Moss with Taylor, but get some depth at the position. I would still expect Minnesota to take a wide receiver with that 7th overall pick in the NFL draft.
Taylor has never been a stellar receiver, but he has never had a QB the likes of Daunte Culpepper. This should be an exciting move for him.
Taylor has never been a stellar receiver, but he has never had a QB the likes of Daunte Culpepper. This should be an exciting move for him.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Vikings Have A Real Defense Now
For years the Vikings have been saying they are going to improve their defense. It took only the last 10 days to do it. By signing Fred Smoot and now Darren Sharper, the Vikings have turned their weakest link into their biggest strength, and, on paper, the best defensive backfield in the league.
They have also added Pat Williams to improve the run defense and made some changes at linebacker that should be an improvement over last year. And this all adds up to the Vikings having one of the better defenses in the league next year.
This is welcome relief to those of us that know that defense wins championships. Abandoning the path of the Chiefs and Colts is the smartest thing the Vikings have done in Tice's tenure. With a new owner coming in, Tice is making all the right moves (except for that ticket scalping thing) to make the Vikings better and help secure his job.
The Vikings should also be just as good on offense, even without Moss. If they use the running game correctly and get one of the top 2 receivers in the draft, the Vikings offense will still put up points. Daunte Culpepper's numbers did not drop off very much with Moss out of the lineup, so getting rid of the Moss attitude might even make Daunte better.
Next season looks like it will be a good one for the Vikings.
They have also added Pat Williams to improve the run defense and made some changes at linebacker that should be an improvement over last year. And this all adds up to the Vikings having one of the better defenses in the league next year.
This is welcome relief to those of us that know that defense wins championships. Abandoning the path of the Chiefs and Colts is the smartest thing the Vikings have done in Tice's tenure. With a new owner coming in, Tice is making all the right moves (except for that ticket scalping thing) to make the Vikings better and help secure his job.
The Vikings should also be just as good on offense, even without Moss. If they use the running game correctly and get one of the top 2 receivers in the draft, the Vikings offense will still put up points. Daunte Culpepper's numbers did not drop off very much with Moss out of the lineup, so getting rid of the Moss attitude might even make Daunte better.
Next season looks like it will be a good one for the Vikings.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Burress Not Wanted
Plaxico Burress visited the Giants this week, and after the visit the Giants decided to go in another direction. What could Burress be doing that nobody wants him? The Vikings also passed on his services earlier this week. Maybe the Steelers know something that others are just now seeing for themselves.
Burress' value will definitely drop after this. If the Giants, who are very much in need of a receiver for Eli to throw to, are passing (pardon the pun) on Burress, who would possibly pay top dollar for him?
This should open up some other possibilities for Burress if he is willing to take less. I think the Vikings would definitely be interested if they could get him at a lower price than advertised. And other teams may jump into the fray if that happens.
Burress' value will definitely drop after this. If the Giants, who are very much in need of a receiver for Eli to throw to, are passing (pardon the pun) on Burress, who would possibly pay top dollar for him?
This should open up some other possibilities for Burress if he is willing to take less. I think the Vikings would definitely be interested if they could get him at a lower price than advertised. And other teams may jump into the fray if that happens.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Never A Dull Moment For Vikings
Things were hectic at Vikings HQ the past few days. The Vikings finally spent some of their record-setting cap space and landed Fred Smoot, making the defense better in Minnesota as Coach Tice promised. But that is not all, according to this, the Vikings will re-sign TE Jermaine Wiggins and are trying to trade for the Jaguars' safety Donovin Darius. Darius is so desperate to leave Jacksonville he is writing to newspapers in Minneapolis and Miami to fire up the locals.
The strangest story of the day has the NFL looking into Super Bowl ticket scalping by Vikings coaches. The article mentions that Tice is among the lowest paid head coaches in the league, not exactly a news flash. But are Vikings coaches so underpaid that they have to scalp tickets?
This appears to be a long-standing practice in the NFL. If so, I am curious to see how people making $500k to $1 million or more will justify supplementing their income unethically, if not illegally. The IRS can't be too far behind.
The strangest story of the day has the NFL looking into Super Bowl ticket scalping by Vikings coaches. The article mentions that Tice is among the lowest paid head coaches in the league, not exactly a news flash. But are Vikings coaches so underpaid that they have to scalp tickets?
This appears to be a long-standing practice in the NFL. If so, I am curious to see how people making $500k to $1 million or more will justify supplementing their income unethically, if not illegally. The IRS can't be too far behind.
Vikings Mismanagement? No Surprise Here
It has been mentioned before, here, here, here, and here, how bad Red McCombs' ownership of the Vikings has been. We are not the only ones talking about it. Reggie Fowler is meeting with NFL officials today. Hopefully, Mr Fowler has everything under control. The Vikings have suffered long enough.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Free Agency Winners and Losers
The first week of the free agent signing period is over and there are some definite winners and losers so far. Of course, it is still early, but there have been several teams hurt and a few that have improved themselves.
Winners:
Baltimore - With Derrick Mason and Samari Rolle, the Ravens have definitely gained more than they lost. Still need a QB, though.
Cincinnati - The Bengals gained by keeping their top guys in Cincy, Rudi Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh. They will enter the draft looking for improvement rather then replacing lost players.
Jacksonville - The addition of Reggie Hayward makes a good defense even better.
Arizona - The Cardinals got better just by getting Warner. If they get a good running back they could be the most improved team this off-season.
Dallas - They also improved at QB. Bledsoe may not be the long-term answer, but he is a huge improvement over Testaverde. The defense should also be improved, depending on whether they switch to the 3-4 or not.
Detroit - The Lions improved in a single day by adding Marcus Pollard and Kenoy Kennedy.
Philadelphia - Re-signing Douglas and Trotter will keep the Eagles at the top of the NFC next year.
St Louis - The Rams got better where they needed to, on defense. Coakley and Claiborne are a good fit and a big improvement to their linebacker corp.
Losers:
Denver - Did well to get Ian Gold and re-sign Hamilton, but losing Hayward and Kennedy on defense could be a setback.
New England - The Patriots lost a lot of those role players. Losing Law, Patten, and Phifer will hurt them.
Oakland - Adding Moss and Lamont Jordan will definitely help the offense, but the defense has suffered. And Kerry Collins is not a Manning or Culpepper.
Tennessee - The Titans' fire sale is complete, and they are now in rebuilding mode.
Green Bay - Getting older and less deep.
Seattle - Standing pat is a bad idea for this team.
For the rest of the teams it is just too early to tell. For example, Cleveland has changed coaches and looks like they are completely retooling. Change itself is improvement for the Browns.
And for some teams there is disappointment only because they had opportunities to improve and didn't take them. This leaves you wondering what their intentions might be. The two teams with the most to spend, Minnesota and San Francisco, have done nothing of note in free agency and are doing very little to improve. This leaves fans wondering if the penny-pinching will continue to take priority over winning.
The next couple of weeks should be even more interesting.
Winners:
Baltimore - With Derrick Mason and Samari Rolle, the Ravens have definitely gained more than they lost. Still need a QB, though.
Cincinnati - The Bengals gained by keeping their top guys in Cincy, Rudi Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh. They will enter the draft looking for improvement rather then replacing lost players.
Jacksonville - The addition of Reggie Hayward makes a good defense even better.
Arizona - The Cardinals got better just by getting Warner. If they get a good running back they could be the most improved team this off-season.
Dallas - They also improved at QB. Bledsoe may not be the long-term answer, but he is a huge improvement over Testaverde. The defense should also be improved, depending on whether they switch to the 3-4 or not.
Detroit - The Lions improved in a single day by adding Marcus Pollard and Kenoy Kennedy.
Philadelphia - Re-signing Douglas and Trotter will keep the Eagles at the top of the NFC next year.
St Louis - The Rams got better where they needed to, on defense. Coakley and Claiborne are a good fit and a big improvement to their linebacker corp.
Losers:
Denver - Did well to get Ian Gold and re-sign Hamilton, but losing Hayward and Kennedy on defense could be a setback.
New England - The Patriots lost a lot of those role players. Losing Law, Patten, and Phifer will hurt them.
Oakland - Adding Moss and Lamont Jordan will definitely help the offense, but the defense has suffered. And Kerry Collins is not a Manning or Culpepper.
Tennessee - The Titans' fire sale is complete, and they are now in rebuilding mode.
Green Bay - Getting older and less deep.
Seattle - Standing pat is a bad idea for this team.
For the rest of the teams it is just too early to tell. For example, Cleveland has changed coaches and looks like they are completely retooling. Change itself is improvement for the Browns.
And for some teams there is disappointment only because they had opportunities to improve and didn't take them. This leaves you wondering what their intentions might be. The two teams with the most to spend, Minnesota and San Francisco, have done nothing of note in free agency and are doing very little to improve. This leaves fans wondering if the penny-pinching will continue to take priority over winning.
The next couple of weeks should be even more interesting.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Vikings Can't Get Rid of Red Soon Enough
Red McCombs is displaying, once again, why he shouldn't have been allowed to own an NFL franchise. The man is losing it! In a conference call he says he considered firing Tice during the season because he wasn't handling Moss correctly. Then he extended Tice's contract for another year.
McCombs is by far the worst owner in the NFL. He knows nothing about running an NFL team and has absolutely no class. I am not Mike Tice's biggest supporter, but McCombs hung him out to dry in a tasteless, clueless, classless way.
We can only hope the sale goes through and we are rid of this fool forever.
McCombs is by far the worst owner in the NFL. He knows nothing about running an NFL team and has absolutely no class. I am not Mike Tice's biggest supporter, but McCombs hung him out to dry in a tasteless, clueless, classless way.
We can only hope the sale goes through and we are rid of this fool forever.
Broncos Taking Their Time
The Denver Broncos have only made a few moves so far, but they all seem to be pretty good. Getting Hamilton signed and trading for Gerard Warren were good moves, and getting Ian Gold back will also help. Gold should prosper in the 3-4 the Broncos will be using next year.
Denver doesn't have a lot of money to spend, so dealing with the Trevor Pryce situation now becomes a priority. Trading Pryce would clear another $5 million or so, which would double their current cap room. But until the free-agency period cools down, it may be difficult to deal Pryce.
The Broncos are in no rush to make changes, and they shouldn't be. They were 10-6, made the playoffs, and are in very good shape heading into next season. Denver doesn't need to make a lot of changes, they need to be more consistent.
Denver doesn't have a lot of money to spend, so dealing with the Trevor Pryce situation now becomes a priority. Trading Pryce would clear another $5 million or so, which would double their current cap room. But until the free-agency period cools down, it may be difficult to deal Pryce.
The Broncos are in no rush to make changes, and they shouldn't be. They were 10-6, made the playoffs, and are in very good shape heading into next season. Denver doesn't need to make a lot of changes, they need to be more consistent.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Raiders Following Wrong Formula
There are a few different winning models in the NFL. The Patriots have been the most successful with their "team first" model. The Steelers have the balanced attack of running/passing on offense, and the aggressive defense. And then there is the "outscore the other guy" approach used by the Colts, Chiefs, and (until the Moss trade) the Vikings.
The Colts have decided to stick to their plan next year, even though it is a proven playoff failure. The Chiefs learned a hard lesson this year and appear to be going defense this off-season. And the Vikings have forced their own hand through the Moss trade and their fiscal stingy-ness, and are now pursuing a running offense and better defense.
Leave it to Al Davis to believe that he can buck the trends and win where nobody else has been able to. The Raiders have apparently abandoned all hope of playing defense for the next few years and are now stocking up on offensive weapons.
Oakland has signed Jerry Porter and has now acquired Randy Moss and Lamont Jordan. And to do so, they have used up most of their cap room, and given away some important draft picks. It looks like the Raiders have carefully studied the Colts, Chiefs, and Vikings, and decided that those teams are sooooo successfull that they must be duplicated.
The Raiders did get to the Super Bowl a few years ago, using a similar strategy. That Super Bowl was the last of the big-time blowouts. With Tampa Bay displaying the winning formula and Oakland showing once again that offense does NOT win championships.
The problem with next year's Raiders will be that the defense will be nowhere near the caliber of defense that they took into the last Super Bowl. And the offense will only be marginally better than that team's was, statistically speaking. Oakland is following the wrong formula, and will soon be experiencing what the Colts have been recently; regular-season success followed by multiple playoff failures.
The Colts have decided to stick to their plan next year, even though it is a proven playoff failure. The Chiefs learned a hard lesson this year and appear to be going defense this off-season. And the Vikings have forced their own hand through the Moss trade and their fiscal stingy-ness, and are now pursuing a running offense and better defense.
Leave it to Al Davis to believe that he can buck the trends and win where nobody else has been able to. The Raiders have apparently abandoned all hope of playing defense for the next few years and are now stocking up on offensive weapons.
Oakland has signed Jerry Porter and has now acquired Randy Moss and Lamont Jordan. And to do so, they have used up most of their cap room, and given away some important draft picks. It looks like the Raiders have carefully studied the Colts, Chiefs, and Vikings, and decided that those teams are sooooo successfull that they must be duplicated.
The Raiders did get to the Super Bowl a few years ago, using a similar strategy. That Super Bowl was the last of the big-time blowouts. With Tampa Bay displaying the winning formula and Oakland showing once again that offense does NOT win championships.
The problem with next year's Raiders will be that the defense will be nowhere near the caliber of defense that they took into the last Super Bowl. And the offense will only be marginally better than that team's was, statistically speaking. Oakland is following the wrong formula, and will soon be experiencing what the Colts have been recently; regular-season success followed by multiple playoff failures.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Rams Pick Up Coakley
The St Louis Rams' defense got better today with a single player. They signed Dexter Coakley to a 5-year deal. Coakley is 32, so it is doubtful he will play for another 5 years, but the Rams desperately need defense and Coakley is an excellent linebacker.
If the Rams seriously upgrade their defense this off-season, they will be headed for the playoffs again next year.
If the Rams seriously upgrade their defense this off-season, they will be headed for the playoffs again next year.
Mason Signs With Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens scooped up Derrick Mason today and signed him to a 5-year contract. Great move for the Ravens. Just one question, who will throw it to him? The Ravens have been saying for years that they want a quality QB, but it hasn't happened yet.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Final Word on Moss Trade
Okay, I've had some time to think it over. I've calmed down. Now a clear, rational final thought on the trade.
Bottom line is the Vikings got jobbed by the Raiders. Not that I think the Vikings should have kept him, I just think they gave him away for too little. Especially when you see the number and talent of the linebackers they could have gotten on the open market.
Moss was a distraction and had no real supporters on the team anymore. Even Daunte waved it off like no big thing. Getting a Burress or Mason in free agency, or maybe Williams in the draft, won't make this a better trade. The front office messed up and didn't get enough for Moss. Period. And that's the problem with the Vikings, they always seem to end up on the wrong side of these things.
Being a Vikings and Broncos fan, this trade has many implications. Not only did the Vikings not get enough, they traded him to the Hated Raiders. Now my Broncos have to deal with Moss twice a year. On the other hand, if Moss is the distraction in Oakland he was here, the Broncos may not have to worry too much about the Raiders anyway. Only time will tell.
Bottom line is the Vikings got jobbed by the Raiders. Not that I think the Vikings should have kept him, I just think they gave him away for too little. Especially when you see the number and talent of the linebackers they could have gotten on the open market.
Moss was a distraction and had no real supporters on the team anymore. Even Daunte waved it off like no big thing. Getting a Burress or Mason in free agency, or maybe Williams in the draft, won't make this a better trade. The front office messed up and didn't get enough for Moss. Period. And that's the problem with the Vikings, they always seem to end up on the wrong side of these things.
Being a Vikings and Broncos fan, this trade has many implications. Not only did the Vikings not get enough, they traded him to the Hated Raiders. Now my Broncos have to deal with Moss twice a year. On the other hand, if Moss is the distraction in Oakland he was here, the Broncos may not have to worry too much about the Raiders anyway. Only time will tell.
Warren to Broncos
The Broncos added a defensive lineman to their mix by trading a 4th-round pick to the Browns for Gerard Warren. Warren has great potential, but we'll have to see how he does in the 3-4 defense.
This helps Denver because they were very thin on the defensive line. I just wish they would find a way to keep Pryce. If he's healthy, he's one of the best. It doesn't sound good, though.
This helps Denver because they were very thin on the defensive line. I just wish they would find a way to keep Pryce. If he's healthy, he's one of the best. It doesn't sound good, though.
News Flash: The Combine is Boring!
The NFL Network is now showing the combine. In full detail. And it's boring! I am a huge football fan, I can't get enough football. But this is just plain boring.
On Wednesday the free-agent signing period begins. For someone like me, that is the fun part of the off-season. The combine and draft are about prospects, guessing, and mostly no-names. In the free agent signings, we get to see people we know moving around the league. We get to discuss the value and the impact on fantasy prospects. On Wednesday things get interesting again.
There have already been some interesting cuts from several teams, so this week will be huge for many teams trying to take the next step toward the Super Bowl. This week we will see who is serious about upgrading through free agency, and who is planning on using the draft to build. And that's much more fun than watching guys in sweats lift weights.
On Wednesday the free-agent signing period begins. For someone like me, that is the fun part of the off-season. The combine and draft are about prospects, guessing, and mostly no-names. In the free agent signings, we get to see people we know moving around the league. We get to discuss the value and the impact on fantasy prospects. On Wednesday things get interesting again.
There have already been some interesting cuts from several teams, so this week will be huge for many teams trying to take the next step toward the Super Bowl. This week we will see who is serious about upgrading through free agency, and who is planning on using the draft to build. And that's much more fun than watching guys in sweats lift weights.
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