August 2011
45 posts
The (Other) Decision
Even non-sports enthusiasts are familiar with a particular “Decision” involving a Miami sports franchise, but that’s not the one that has me perplexed right now.
Nope, the one I’m talking about involves Miami Dolphins’ GM Jeff Ireland and his opting not to trade for, sign, or draft a capable quarterback to try to take the reins in Miami for...
Cause For Concern? Not Quite
The marriage between Bill Belichick and Chad Ochocinco – although seemingly unlikely at face value – is one that some in football actually counted on before the colorful wide receiver was traded to New England.
Ochocinco has long lauded Belichick as the best coach he’s ever been around, and the two formed a bond – in Hawaii of all places – while Belichick coached the AFC Pro...
DC Dividends
Just minutes after I posted my maiden mail bag to Thoughts From the Field, a dedicated reader sent me an email pleading for me to answer one more question. I’ll get to the question momentarily, but here’s a chance for me to thank those who have sent in questions—keep ‘em coming!
The question was whether or not I expect new Redskins’ running back Tim Hightower to eclipse...
Mailbag: Tebow, Pats, and Pre-Season Impressions
I’ve enjoyed reading questions from followers, and want to take the opportunity to answer a few now. I’ve had to paraphrase a few of the questions, and I’ll leave out last names to ensure follower’s confidentiality. Here are just a few of my favorite questions I’ve been asked thus far:
Will we see Tim Tebow play at all in...
Ideas to Make You Think
One of the most enjoyable parts about watching pre-season games is listening to the local broadcast teams call the games of their hometown teams. The team usually consists of a local media member as the lead play-by-play person, and a former player from that particular franchise providing the commentary.
I spent time re-watching the Broncos and...
Don't Rush to Judgment
Many in New England expected a defensive lineman to generate buzz during the Patriots’ tilt with the Lions in Detroit on Saturday night. But few hoped it to be the Lions’ entire defensive line.
You see, the man making the noise was supposed to be Albert Haynesworth, he of $100 million infamy and a track record that makes former...
Midwest Move?
Author’s Note: You can also read this on the Bleacher Report http://bleacherreport.com/articles/825939-should-the-kansas-city-chiefs-pursue-james-sanders
It’s cliche to assume that Patriots’ castaways will find greener pastures in Kansas City, but here’s a scenario when the shoe might just fit.
Earlier today, Safety James Safety...
Leverage Games
The NFL’s most notorious absentee may not show up for work any time soon.
That, of course, is because Chris Johnson, the Titans’ speedster running back, remains insistent on his demands for a new contract and top “playmaker” money, even after Titans’ brass has ensured him they are willing to make him the top paid running back in...
Bird's Eye View
Believe it or not, in some ways the worst view in football for a coach is that from the sidelines. Beyond having to jockey for position amidst players, fellow coaches, trainers and NFL game operations officials, the immediate proximity of the sideline prevents a coach from seeing the development of a play and some of its intricacies.
Fortunately for...
Faces & Places: Marlon Favorite
Marlon Favorite’s NFL career has mirrored a U2 concert tour: 9 stops to date already. Sure, 9 teams in an NFL career isn’t unfathomable, what with free agency and constant player turnover, but Favorite’s managed the unlikely feat in a mere 2+ seasons!
Favorite slipped through the 2009 draft, opening the door for the Carolina Panthers to sign him as...
Faces & Places: Julius Thomas
Author’s Note: Today is the introductory edition to a new segment called Faces & Places. This segment will serve to introduce fans to players who garner very little spotlight, but have a compelling NFL story for some reason or another.
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140 Or Less: Practice Makes Perfect
Don’t tell Atlanta Falcons’ Quarterback Matt Ryan it’s just the pre-season. Ryan threw the football an amazing 42 times in the first half versus the Pittsburgh Steelers last night. And for those questioning the excessive number of passing plays the Falcons called, let me ask this: isn’t the pre-season the platform to practice your work?
Atlanta made...
Pressure Beaters
On a night when Patriots’ fans were expecting to see the debut of new acquisition Albert Haynseworth, they were instead treated to a thumping courtesy of the Detroit Lions’ and their heavy pressure defensive scheme.
Pessimists in New England are already heading for the hills and ear-marking the Patriots’ offensive...
First (Overall) Impressions
The Carolina Panthers underwent a franchise facelift during the 2011 off-season, sending Head Coach John Fox on his way and bringing in Ron Rivera to right the ship. But no one’s arrival in Carolina was more anticipated and, presumably, will be as vital to the franchise’s future as first overall draft pick Cam Newton.
Newton has...
Failure to Launch
Authors Note: This piece also appears on the Bleacher Report at: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/823500-the-slow-pre-season-starts-of-kansas-city-chiefs-quarterback-matt-cassel
Kansas City Chiefs fans are likely asking “what gives?” when it comes to quarterback Matt Cassel’s slow starts in each of his 3 pre-seasons with the franchise. Cassel hasn’t been even a...
Five Things to Watch For In the Kansas City Chiefs...
No pre-season game is more closely followed or mirrors the real thing as much as the 3rd pre-season game for each NFL team. So Friday’s edition of the Governor’s Cup in Missouri—pitting the Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Rams—is a pivotal match-up for the Todd Haley-coached squad.
The likelihood is that Matt Cassel and the fellow starters for the Chiefs will be...
140 Or Less: Building From Within
In the NFL free agency era, we’ve come to learn there is no singular blueprint to build a championship roster. In Buffalo, GM Buddy Nix and Head Coach Chan Gailey are laying their foundation by fortifying their interior lines and using those players as their building blocks.
After drafting DL Marcel Dareus in the first round of 2011, the Bills just...
Unintentional Attention Hogs
It’s habitual for football followers to spend an exorbitant amount of time dissecting the flaws of the team who is perceived by most to have had the best off-season. This year’s winner of the NFL paper championship are the Philadelphia Eagles, who — if you haven’t heard — brought in top free agents Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins, Jason Babin, Ronnie...
Football 101: Cover 2 Defense
Author’s Note: This will be the first installment of my Football 101 series. If there are any terms/concepts/etc. related to football that you want explained, feel free to email me with your inquiries at fieldy38@gmail.com.
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School will soon be back in session for most of America, so it’s time to put on my professor cap and give a lesson in Cover 2 Defense.
Cover...
Starter-less in Seattle
Week 3 of the NFL Pre-season serves as the unofficial dress rehearsal for NFL clubs, as head coaches typically opt to play their starters for three quarters of the game or more. It’s an important contest for every team and player, but perhaps no performances will matter more than those of Seattle Seahawks’ quarterbacks...
140 Or Less: Cam Newton and Tattoos
In today’s news story that shouldn’t be news, many are discussing whether or not Carolina Panthers’ owner Jerry Richardson is right to suggest to Cam Newton that he wont tolerate the quarterback getting any body piercings or tattoos. Most are presuming this is part of Richardson’s effort to keep the face of the franchise looking as close to what we associate with the model American...
Thoughts From the Bengals Second Pre-Season Game
On to the Cincinnati Bengals, where the motto in 2011 is “out with the old and in with the new.” After a 4-12 season and another year in the AFC North’s cellar, changes abounded in Cincy and gone are long-time offensive cornerstones Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco. Here are my thoughts on the guys being counted on to replace Palmer and Ochocinco, plus...
140 Or Less: The Lockout & Achilles'
Add Chiefs’ LB Brandon Siler to the growing list of NFLer’s who’ve fallen victim to an Achilles’ rupture during training camp in 2011. Siler, like all others afflicted with the injury, will require significant rehab and miss this season. The Achilles’ rupture is a devastating injury, and some are questioning how the NFL lockout may be playing a...
Thoughts From the Jets' Second Pre-Season Game
Plaxico Burress’ debut in a New York Jets’ uniform — which took place on Sunday night versus the Cincinnati Bengals — has Gang Green followers buzzing about offensive potential in New York and Rex Ryan thinking Super (again). Here are my thoughts on Plax and more from the Jets’ dominant 27-7 victory over the woeful Bengals.
Offense
- We might as well...
Kansas City Chiefs: Five Players Who Could Break...
Author’s Note: The following piece appears on bleacherreport.com, a popular sports media site. It is a slideshow, one of their most popular features, so I’ll include the pictures here as well. Here is the full link to the article: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/818671-kansas-city-chiefs-five-players-who-could-break-out-in-2011/page/6
2010 was a good year in Kansas City....
140 Or Less: The Real Problem With Kickoffs
Griping about the NFL’s new kickoff rule is a habit for NFL players, coaches and fans nowadays. They’d be wise, however, to cease complaining, because the truth is the rule isn’t going anywhere in 2011. The NFL competition committee swiftly rejected the notion that the rule change may be rescinded before the season.
Teams would be...
Thoughts From The Browns' Second Pre-Season Game
Earlier I chronicled one half of the Browns-Lions pre-season affair, so let’s move on to the other side of the coin. Pat Shurmur has already made his mark in Cleveland in his first year as Head Coach, and the Browns hope to capitalize on a soft early season schedule in 2011. Let’s break down all things Cleveland from their 30-28 victory on Friday night.
Offense
- Colt McCoy...
Thoughts From The Lions' Second Pre-Season Game
The Detroit Lions look to propel themselves from NFC obscurity after a strong finish to the 2010 season and a promising core of young talent. Here are some observations from the TV copy of their second pre-season game: a visit to Cleveland to take on the Browns.
Offense
- The Lions’ future fortunes are heavily dependent upon QB Matthew Stafford. After missing 10 games in 2010...
140 Or Less: The Taylor Mays Trade
Author’s Note: “140 Or Less” is a new segment that will capture thoughts from the field in 140 words (not characters) or less. Here is the very first edition.
Taylor Mays has reportedly been traded to Cincinnati this evening, according to multiple reports. The trade is noteworthy on several levels, but consider just how far Mays has fallen...
Thoughts From the Chiefs' Second Pre-Season Game
I just watched the TV copy of the Chiefs-Ravens game from Friday night, with a particular focus paid to the Chiefs and their starting units. Here are some thoughts (to be presented in bullet-point form) that came to mind in watching the team in its second preseason tilt:
Offense:
- Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe picked up where they left off in 2010. Cassel looked early and often to Bowe,...
Sunday Building
The NFL instituted a particularly pivotal rule change for the 2011 season, and it does not involve a kickoff.
The NFL competition committee approved a change that permits teams to dress 46 active players on game day, one more than the previously allowed 45 (note: teams could previously dress 46 players only if the 46th was a third quarterback, and his participation in the game carried a...
Pay Up!
Larry Fitzgerald’s brand, spanking new 8-year, $120 million contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals makes him one extremely rich – and envied – man. While the intricacies of Fitzgerald’s new pact remain unannounced, the raw numbers sent reverberations around the NFL and caught the eye of all those seeking new contracts (I’m looking at you Chris Johnson). $50 million...
Head of the Class
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/18/11
Eli Manning’s recent declaration that he fancies himself as a top five NFL quarterback should not be a big news story. But it is.
Essentially, for those unfamiliar with the root of this news, Manning was backed into a corner by a radio host who asked him if he was in the class of, say, Tom Brady, and whether he was...
Time For a Change
Much ado was justifiably made about the economics of the new collective bargaining agreement that was consummated this off-season and put an end to the record-long NFL lockout. But two weeks into the NFL pre-season, it’s finally on field news that has fans talking and (some) coaches griping.
The most visually obvious on-field modification is the NFL’s decision to...
Misguided Leadership
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/18/11
The number of NFL player’s conducting interviews with lifestyle magazines these days is astonishing. Michael Vick is just the latest trend follower, as he recently spent time with the folks at GQ for an article in the September issue (which, by the way, fellow QB March Sanchez graced the cover of).
But more astonishing than...
Pryor's Engagement
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/16/11
Sure, the NFL has decided to postpone the supplemental draft indefinitely, but interest remains in the curious case of Terrelle Pryor—the embattled former Ohio State quarterback who left a horseshoe size bruise on the Buckeye program.
Pryor decided to forfeit his senior year in light of allegations of him...
New Beginnings
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/17/11
And so begins the Aaron Maybin era in the Big Apple. Maybin recently traded his upstate New York address for a city residence after being waived by the Buffalo Bills and subsequent picked up by the New York Jets, reportedly on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal.
For those unfamiliar with Maybin’s past, the...
Spending Wisely
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/11/11
In a rather un-Philadelphian manner, the Kansas City Chiefs have pocketed most of their salary cap space this off-season instead of luring in high-profile free agents with hefty price tags. And while some are confusing Chiefs’ GM Scott Pioli’s approach with a missed opportunity or even frugality, the truth is Pioli is a man...
Trading Places
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/9/11
The Houston Texans sure do make a compelling case for the old adage that defense wins championships, they just take a roundabout way to demonstrate that. In the past three years, Houston has been arguably the league’s most consistent offensive juggernaut (finishing 3rd, 4th, and 3rd in total offense in 2008, 2009...
Feeling the Pressure
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/8/11
For a team that has extensively invested in keeping Tom Brady upright (and done so well at it that Visa made a commercial about it), you’d think the Patriots would value a sack artist of their own to do to other quarterbacks what they routinely protect Brady from. Such has proven not to be the case in recent years in Foxboro, as Mike...
All In
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/8/11
Don’t expect Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith to don a tuxedo and pose for faux wedding photos with WR Julio Jones any time soon, but that doesn’t mean the all-in trade to acquire the sixth overall pick in the 2011 draft (which would become Jones, of course) was not a benchmark moment for the Falcons’ franchise. ...
Three's Company
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/7/11
In our devastated economy, a surplus of a valuable asset should be considered a good thing, right? Well, apparently not according to those who think the Philadelphia Eagles have set themselves up for controversy by loading their roster with three star corners. What’s the big fuss, you say?
The truth is, in signing...
Passing the Mark: Continued
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/6/11
On to the NFC, where the Philadelphia Eagles appear all-in and a couple of major quarterback trades could spin the fortunes of franchises immediately.
NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys: A year ago Jerry Jones was hopeful that his squad would host a home game during Super Bowl XLV, what would have been a first in NFL history. That dream...
Passing the Mark
Author’s Note: Originally Published 8/3/11
Over a month remains before much of America delivers their youth back to school, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early for report cards. Not even a week has passed and already a bevy of NFL teams have indulged in roster facelifts in preparation for the rapidly approaching 2011 season. In my two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, I came to find...
Locked and Loaded: Five Teams Ready to Play...
Author’s Note: Originally Published 7/13/11
Optimism is abound that football news will soon be rightfully made on the gridiron rather than in the courtroom, as recent reports indicate that a new collective bargaining agreement is near completion and the 2011 NFL season will in fact kick-off as scheduled on September 8th.
A mountain-sized onus rests squarely on the...
