I want to hate the Oakland Raiders. I cannot stand the “Raider Nation” and their parking lot gun fights or whatever the hell they are about. I don’t get the crazy, split personality tendencies of Bay Area fans. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why people are into them who haven’t be brainwashed through the San Fran water supply.
I want to hate the Oakland Raiders so much, that sometimes I am too blind to see the great players that have slipped in despite Oakland’s best efforts to thwart their success.
It’s pretty easy to ignore a team that drafts Jamarcus Russell and hires puppets for head coaches and then loses all division games, in arguably the worst division in the NFL.
However, Darren McFadden is too good to ignore. He is one of the SEC’s incredible contributions to the NFL. In 2008, McFadden was drafted 4th overall in the draft by the Oakland Raiders.
In college, McFadden was a standout for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He is used to being the star on his team. As a 2 time Heismann Finalist, McFadden has the mental fortitude to handle the enormous amount of pressure that will be put on him throughout the season.
I guess its better than being injured or misused as he was in the first two years of his NFL tenure. Also, at least now the sports media world has been assured that McFadden’s breakout performance of last year was not a fluke.
DMC is averaging 6.2 yards per carry this season. If he keeps this up he could lead the Raiders through the shaky AFC West and take himself to an MVP season.
Like I said, its hard to sustain strong dislike of the Raiders. I’m a sucker for a strong running game, a likable coach in Hue Jackson and a former Longhorn leader in Michael Huff.
In both the NCAAF and the NFL, it takes until week 3 to really get a measure of who’s who and whats what.
In week 2:
There’s way too many question marks to be able to discern if your predictions are on point or not.
Questions abound:
Are the hot start 2-0 teams just a flash in the pan?
Are 1-1 teams going to have winning record or barely stay afloat?
Are 0-2 teams really going to be the worst teams in the league?
It boggles my mind that the sport media news hole is filled by fans and journalists alike trying to make those predictions leading up to Week 3. How can you threaten to fire coaches and give up on a team’s season after two weeks? Complicating those typical story lines are the injuries caused by the lax lockout workouts.
All that being said, I think that after Week 3 we are finally being able to truly analyze whats going to happen in the season with some actual football intelligence.
Quarterbacks get all the praise and all the flack when it comes to the offense. But in reality, much of the success can be traced back to a powerful O line.
In the Sunday Night NFL marquee game, the touted Philadelphia Eagles fell to the perennially competitive Atlanta Falcons. The 35-31 score encompasses many story lines: battle of NFC top dogs, Vick’s return to Atlanta, helmet to helmet launch, injuries incl. Vick’s concussion.
It was the O line that allowed Matt Ryan to shine even though he did sustain 4 sacks. Protection was a major difference between Vick and Ryan in this match up.
Justin Blalock, Left Guard for the Falcons, played fiercely and had a major hand in the ultimate victory against the Eagles. Blalock was a part of this offensive line during the last three seasons. Blalock is comfortable with the Falcons and knows his teammates which of course makes a difference since there was no true off season.
Blalock played at the University of Texas with major NFL talent as well. He mainly protected Vince Young in college. Blalock is smart and driven and committed to getting better.
Atlanta’s offensive line will only get better throughout the season.
He has not been in camp. He has not acclimated to being tackled on every play. Ultimately, Chris Johnson will relieve some pressure off of young Jake Locker and his sensei Hasselbeck. But an explosive running back, who will be injured, does not a winning team make.
I’m buying the Texans this year. I have them winning the AFC South and ultimately losing to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round. Basically missing the Super Bowl by one game.
That prediction is half a nod to the incredibly eroded (provided Manning isn’t actually a robot) AFC South and half props to a revamped Houston Texans. I do not drink the Jack Del Rio Koolaid and I believe the Jaguars will be marginally successful at best. With Chris Johnson’s status still in the balance and Jeff Fisher out, it seems unlikely that the Titans can compete this year.
One of the pieces that will be integral to the Texans success is Andre Johnson. This guy is perfectly positioned to have a resurgent year.
Johnson was a crucial player on the University of Miami National Championship team in 2002. Anyone who watches Miami football or who have seen ESPN’s 30 for 30, “The U” know that those players can ball. He was on the team that had incredible talents like Jeremy Shockey and Clinton Portis.
Andre Johnson who has led the NFL in receiving yard twice (2008 and 2009) seems to be hungry and healthy coming into this season.
With All Pros on both sides of the ball and a celebrated defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, the 3 preseason win Texans have the highest score differential in 77+.
The much ballyhooed, then ignored Texans seem to be finally ready to be legitimized
It remains true that only six current NFL QBs have a [Super Bowl] ring… Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers. Who will be next?
Dallas Cowboys have just gone young at the Center position. The 24 year old undraffted free agent, Phil Costa will have a chance to be the brain of the offense in the opener against the Jets. This long term decision could seem like a misstep by the Cowboys, but really I think they are doing well to prepare for the future.
Andre Gurode has left Dallas after failing to come to terms over his contract. Jason Garrett did not seem to be to broken up about losing the 5 time Pro Bowler. Gurode is past his prime and wanted $5.5 million which Dallas does not need to pay.
Personally, I think this is a great move by the Cowboys. In the past, they have not made good decisions when acquiring personnel. They are notorious for overpaying overhyped over-the-hill players. Jason Garrett has just done the opposite.
What the Cowboys have done this “off season” is not flashy. But maybe thats a good thing, many of Dallas’ actions are all flash, no substance. This Jason Garrett era has been marked so far for improving by subtracting. The major personnel changes have largely served to move the team ahead by cutting off dead weight the team cannot afford.
The Cowboys’ new running back DeMarco Murray is finally healthy enough to be the immediate weapon Dallas thought he would be. Murray will be competing with Tashard Choice for the back up spot behind Felix Jones.
Felix Jones has been exceptional, especially this preseason. He has definitely proved that he deserves the top spot. However, The NFL is especially punishing, physically, on running backs. Therefore, Murray’s health indicates that Dallas will be deep at the RB position. Jason Garrett’s offensive packages are also likely to include packages that use two RBs in the backfield.
DeMarco Murray was a very reliable and strong running back during his time at Oklahoma. He has great blocking instincts and is good at evading run stoppers. DeMarco Murray has an edge of Tashard Choice in his versatility; he excels in blocking as well as on special teams. Those advantages might be less critical this season of the NFL however, because the kickoff placement has been moved 5 yards.
Aaron Ross was a fantastic cornerback at University of Texas. But his career in the NFL has been plagued with injuries since 2009.
This year, Ross says he feels healthier than any other time since his rookie year. He will compete rigorously for the top position at cornerback. He is not willing to help shore up the Giants at Safety.
Ross has a chance to be a true leader at the position and quiet his detractors. The Giants have a parity at the cornerback position after two of theirs have fallen to injuries.
Ross was with the Giants when they won the Super Bowl in his rookie season. They’re hoping he can contribute to another Championship season this year.
Ram’s QB Sam Bradford scored 17 points in 3 drives in his most recent preseason game including an 83 yard touchdown pass in the opening play. He does not seem to suffering from a sophomore slump although time will tell throughout the season.
Last season Bradford won Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the Rams within playoff contention. In the off season, St Louis acquired a new offensive coordinator while Shurmur went to the Cleveland Browns.
Sam Bradford seems to be flourishing under the new offensive system. This system is based on the idea that you alter your offense to exploit the weaknesses of each week’s defense. Bradford will also be calling the pass protection plays himself rather than the center so much more will be on his shoulders.
Off the field Bradford is a really neat guy. He is a natural leader in college he captained an extremely successful Oklahoma Sooners team. Any falterings in the leadership department Bradford might have had last year have dissipated. Now in his second year, Bradford will prove that he has come into his own.
Some analysts even have St Louis making noise in the playoffs. They will definitely be my sweetheart pick. They are in an awful NFC West so depending on whether or not Kevin Kolb can make an impact in Arizona; Sam Bradford might very well lead the Rams to a division title.
I have zero love for the Raiders. They are a total mess. The fact that Michael Huff’s talent is being wasted there drives me crazy. There a team that could be very successful especially because they are in the worst NFL division.
The move of drafting Terrelle Pryor is an interesting one. Raiders need a flashy quarterback, and that got Pryor for a bargain. I’m looking forward to seeing a glimpse of him in the preseason games before the 5 game suspension.
The dude needs to work on his throwing motion, its god-awful. Maybe he can be a difference maker soon with his feet though. I would like to see him moved to a different position like wide receiver or tight end. Look at what happened with Hines Ward.
I’m not in the business of blaming players for eligibility questions in most cases. If Pryor could make in the NFL as a quarterback (or a tight end) that would be one hell of a story.
Some wins might lead to less parking lot shootings too.
Judging from the offensive schemes shown in the most recent Saints Preseason game, rookie Mark Ingram will be sharing running back duties with veteran Pierre Thomas.
You can look at this decision from a fantasy football standpoint or a football fan standpoint. From a fan standpoint, this is a great decision by the Saints who tend to prefer spreading around duties throughout the offensive unit anyway. By not having all carries put on Ingram, it will be more likely that he makes it through the entire season without being injured. This will give him breathing room to learn the offense without the tremendous pressure some other rookies have on them.
From a fantasy standpoint, this decision sucks. At least in the short term. Expected to be a fantasy standout, now it appears that Ingram will have a fraction of the running back duties. However, FF team owners should take heart that Ingram will most likely have a lot of TDs because of his skill at short yardage red zone situations.
I like the Saints move to release Reggie Bush and bring in Mark Ingram. I see Ingram as more of a work horse. He, of course has incredible natural athletic ability which is a huge asset. But so often in the NFL, a player’s mindset and personality plays a huge part in their success. The New Orleans Saints and Ingram seem like a more natural fit in that way. Plus I adore when teams bring in regionally local players. It reminds me of the University of Miami’s recruiting practices in the 1980’s (yes I’ve seen 30 for 30 The U twice in the last two weeks)
All in all, I think the Heisman Trophy winner has a bright career in front of him. Drew Brees said, ” He’s one of those very smart attentive guys who pays attention to the veterans.” I love to see players like that, who can be humble and keep their head down and grind.
