Showing posts with label Mike Wallace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Wallace. Show all posts
Monday, August 12, 2013
Fourth & Forever: Previewing the AFC EAST
Fourth & Forever: Previewing the AFC EAST
The AFC EAST has always been known as the New England Patriots division. They've dominated this division for years, always coming out on top. But things maybe different this season as the Patriots lost a lot of their offense in the offseason. Wide receiver Wes Welker bolted to the Denver Broncos. Tight ends Rob Gronkowski, hasn't participated in any offseason activity due to back surgery and Aaron Hernandez had been released due to being arrested on murder charges. Quarterback Tom Brady is going to be looking to other receivers and tight ends to fill that void and keep this offense elite. The Miami Dolphins are looking to build off their 7-9 record a year ago, by adding key pieces in the offense, such as receiver Mike Wallace and security blanket tight end Dustin Keller. Wallace stretches the offense with his big play ability and Keller is a reliable pass catcher. His previous Jets team, just didn't have a good offense, but he should rejuvenate his career in Miami. Speaking of the Jets. Coach Rex Ryan announced a week ago that he was going to start former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez in the first pre-season game over rookie second-round pick Geno Smith. I think Ryan has been affected by running with the bulls, because the previous four years Sanchez showed one thing. The ability to throw interceptions and run into his own lineman putting the ball on the ground. Smith should be name the starter for the season and I'll explain later. The one team I am excited about in this division are the Buffalo Bills. C.J. Spiller has finally been named the starter over, "I walk with a limp Fred Jackson." Literally Jackson is always hurt, so Spiller gets his shot as the starter. Although no quarterback has been named the starter yet, I expect rookie E.J. Manuel to get the nod over high priced and no delivery Kevin Kolb. Can you say read-option? This division needs offensive help, so I'll look at just the offense.
When it comes to the Patriots, you never know what to expect because they're so secretive. Like I never would have expected former receiver Wes Welker left because coach Bill Belichick put him on blast. Who knew Gronkowski, who is the Patriots bigger weapon played on special teams, in which he broke his fore-arm protecting a field-goal attempt that required four surgeries. Who Knew! I did know that I can save money on my car insurance by switching to Geico! Overall the Patriots are in trouble. They like to run a two tight end offense and its safe to say that without any of their two weapons available, the offense is going to look a lot different. The Pats have three reliable running backs in Steven Ridley, Shane Vereen, and LeGarrette Blount. They all scored touchdowns in their first pre-season game against the Philadelphia Eagles. They ran the ball 31 times for a total of 258 yards. Yes I know its the pre-season but if the backfield can help Brady move the ball. It will help take pressure off of the 36 year-old quarterback. They ranked second in the league with 32 rushes per game, averaging 134 yards per game. With three reliable backs, that shouldn't be a problem. But who am I kidding, the Patriots go as far as Tom Brady takes them. Its going to start in his hands and end in his hands. With free-agent Danny Amendola on board, all is well with a go-to guy right? No, there is only one problem. He is injury prone, missing 20 games in two seasons. If healthy he would be a slight downgrade from Wes Welker. Bringing in quarterback Tim Teebow and letting him learn under Brady was smart. Of course he wont see tick at quarterback, but maybe as a tight-end or fullback. He is a big guy who would be a good blocker, just use him as a player and not as a moneymaker.
The Dolphins are a wild-card team. They may not have scared opponents in the past with no big play abilities, but that should change now. With second year head coach Joe Philbin being under Green Bays pass happy offense for years, things were bound to change. Bringing in Mike Wallace is the start of having big play abilities. Teams will have to watch film on him, as well as keeping a safety near by. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill now has that outside threat. A fast playmaker, who has the ability to score touchdowns in one catch. Catching 27 passes that were 40 yards of more, since he entered the league in 2009. He just needs a quarterback to get him the ball. Tannehill is that guy to help Wallace increase those stats. The Dolphins haven't had a good receiver since Brandon Marshall who was the pro-bowl MVP his last year in Miami in 2011. Wallace is not as big as Marshall, but he is more of a threat down the field. For those big plays to open up, the Dolphins need a threat in the back-field. That's where second year running back Lamar Miller comes into play. Even though he only had 51 carries his rookie year, he averaged 4.9 yards a carry. The highest on the team. Can he replace Reggie Bush? No, but he is a good runner with upside. The former hurricane will lead the attack with Daniel Thomas, spear-headed by what Miller does. If he moves the ball, it opens up play-action for the quarterback to find Wallace downfield. The Dolphins ran the ball 45 percent of the time and I expect that to go down slightly. A pass happy coach produces a pass happy offense, they just needed a catch-happy receiver. I also expect the 1.9 touchdowns a game to go up.
As much as I would love to talk about G-5s, this is a sports story, so I have to talk about a different kind of Jets. The once-pro-claimed ground N pound team, has seem to lost its way. No one respects the run game because of Sanchez not taking pressure off them. The defense can just stay in the box. Right now third year running back Bilal Powell is number one on the depth chart. He ran nine times for a total 14 yards, averaging 1.6 per carry. This is not ground N pound, but more like ground N punt. If there is any hope of reestablishing themselves as a running team, it will be behind Chris Ivory, who they traded for in the off-season. When healthy Ivory is the key to the Jets success. He is a big power-back who has the ability to push the pile. He runs hard and breaks tackles. In New Orleans, when he played, he played like a full-back. Someone who you give the ball to on third and short. What you didn't know is that he had six runs of 25 yards or more. A break-out player who was buried on the depth chart. This guy is hard to bring down and has the quickness to make people miss in the open-field. A three-down back that you feed the rock to on the goal-line. He will thrive in the ground N pound system. In his first series against the Lions on Saturday, quarterback Mark Sanchez throws a pick six. This tells me and should tell Rex Ryan, this guy hasn't learned anything since he came into the league and is picking up where he left off last season. When quarterback Geno Smith came into the game, he threw for six completions on seven attempts for 47 yards. Then he left with an apparent ankle injury, but was back on the practice field the next day. Smith secured the ball the time he was on the field. He made Sanchez look like a rookie and Smith the veteran. He made that statement early on by not participating in Sanchez' quarterback camp. His senior year at West Virginia, Smith threw for over 4000 yards on 71.8 completion percentage. Totaling 42 touchdowns and throwing 6 interceptions. This man is bound to be a good starter who makes accurate throws. Oh yea, he can run the read-option as well. A great way to succeed in the ground N pound. It would be nice though if the Jets had good receivers, because right now Stephen Hill, Jeremy Kerley, Ben Obomanu, are not number one receivers and who knows if Santonio Holmes will be the same coming off a gruesome foot injury.
The Buffalo Bills have finally promoted running back C.J. Spiller to being a starter. Last season Spiller backed-up Fred Jackson and went on to start due to Jacksons injuries. Spiller had a great season. Reaching 1000 yards on only 154 carries. The fewest since Bears running back Beattie Feathers in 1934. Spiller had a total of 1,244 yards averaging 6.0 yards per carry. Just imagine what he does from the get go. Right now Kevin Kolb and E.J. Manuel are battling for the starting quarterback position. Like the Jets, the Bills should know what they are going to get out of Kolb. A quarterback who misses games and throws a lot of interceptions. He has a career completion percentage of 59.6 and 78.9 quarterback rating under 80. He doesn't get rid of the ball fast enough and takes a lot of hits because of it. He doesn't see the field well, as he has as many picks as touchdowns for his career. Manuel started the game on Sunday and threw for 107 yards on 16-21 passing with a touchdown. Manuel should be the starter as he showed great passing accuracy, as well as when to tuck the ball in and run. He also added 28 yards on three carries. A perfect read-option mix with Spiller. He has the ability to throw the ball very well, as he had a career completion rating of 66.9. He also threw 23 touchdowns in his senior year at Florida State. Manuel has talent around him, besides Spiller, he has receiver Stevie Johnson. A quick and athletic pass catcher. He runs routes good and has good hands. He just needs to stay healthy. He also needs a partner in receiving so the defense wouldn't play heavy on one side of the field. That's where the drafting of Robert Woods comes in handy, a second round pick out of USC. He had four catches for 32 yards in the win over the Colts on sunday. At USC he had 76 receptions for 846 yards. He also averaged 11.1 yards a catch. Will just say move the chains. At 6 ft 1 he has the style of play that will make him succeed in the NFL. He is not that fast, but he has the height and is reliable. This will be a sleeper offense, under new coach and former Syracuse coach Doug Marrone. I do know they will run and I believe they can win the AFC EAST.
With the Patriots lacking offensive weapons, seeking a fifth division title, seems highly unlikely. You can bet Belichick is cooking up something to keep that number one ranked offense afloat. Right now, Amendola is the number one pass catcher on the team. As long as Brady and Amendola stay healthy and have a great connection in timing, the offense should keep moving. Add the three running backs and this team can be a top 10 offense. Gronkowski, will be back sometime this season, which will make this offense take a leap forward. The Dolphins will challenge the rest of the AFC EAST. This young team with promising talent still has a lot to prove, to help this offense score. Tannehill, now has a go to receiver and tight end. Can he avoid the turnovers and become a consistent quarterback will be the headline heading into the season. Running back Miller has the keys to the backfield. Can the Former Hurricane prove his fourth round talent. The Jets need Ivory to make this offense work. If he is healthy, than he can definitely help out in the run game. Quarterbacks Sanchez and Smith still have time to persuade Rex Ryan their worth. In the end, Smiths accuracy and precaution of turnovers gets him the starting job. Word broke this past weekend that receiver Santonio Holmes is milking his injury. Its been 10 months since his Lisfranic injury and he hasn't practiced since. Maybe he is waiting until after training camp or even in the middle of the season to return. This team will have lingering turmoil questions all year if this happens. The Bills offense will have a lot to prove; after replacing the coach, running back and quarterback, this offense will have a whole new look. One that will compete and score points. As long as Kolb is out and Manuel in, the offense will pick up as the season goes along. The rookie quarterback has the weapons for any fight.
Monday, July 29, 2013
FOURTH & FOREVER: AFC NORTH PREVIEW
Johnny J
Last year's Super Bowl champs found a sense of urgency in the playoffs. Losing four of the last five games heading into January, Ray Lewis chose to inform his team that this was going to be his last season in the NFL. So how does everybody want to go out? As a champion of all champions. The Ravens rode the back of Lewis and he brought the Lombardi Trophy to the AFC North. I can just imagine how the other teams in the AFC division feels:
The Cleveland Browns started last years season 0-5. It was safe to say they weren't going to make the playoffs one month into the season. They finished 5-11 overall, winning only once on the road. As we all know, you have to win in those tough environmental places to even be considered a playoff team. Can they turn it around in one season? The answer is no. They remind me of a team who uses their best player until they run them in the ground. No, I'm not talking about running back Darren McFadden, but running back Trent Richardson. The Browns ran the ball 40 percent of the time, but in order to win I think they need to increase that to 60 percent. This should be a running team and not a throwing team. Weeden is a betting man. He likes to try and force the pigskin into his over-covered receivers. "I bet you I can squeeze the ball inside three people around my receiver." That sounds like something he would say. The result is a QB with a 3.18 INT thrown percentage on passing plays, which ranked 27th in the league. Instead of huddling around Weeden, they should look for Richardson and ask him what he wants them to do. Being ranked 24th in rushes per game is just not going to cut it. Feed the man, until the defense stops him. Then bring in play-action or throw check-down passes. Do not let Weeden let it fly past 20 yards.
Steelers where you at? This defensive team needs to have an offensive balance. The Steelers let wide receiver Mike Wallace walk in free agency as well as running back Rashard Mendenhall. Can you name an offensive player on this team besides "Womanizer"/"I'm always hurt" QB Ben Roethlisberger? I never have seen this quarterback as a super bowl champ, but he is (two-time champion to be exact--Ed). This slow, hard to bring down, injury prone, I hired body guards to protect me from being a "Womanizer," quarterback is getting slower every year. Last year, the Steelers missed the playoffs ("Playoffs? Playoffs! I'm talking about playoffs!) with a disappointing 8-8 record. Big Ben missed three games; It's reasonable, but when you lose the games you play on top of the ones you don't play, then it becomes a problem. They have Antonio Brown as the number one receiver on the depth chart and Emmanuel Sanders as the second option. Nothing like over the top, big play WR Mike Wallace on board, or even old reliable Hines Ward. This offense is going to miss that big haymaker, knock-out punch. They drafted running back Le'Veon Bell out of Michigan State. He is a decent pick, but since I'm a Wisconsin Badger fan, he is no Montee Ball. Tight end Heath Miller is an "ok" tight end. He is a great check down, third down source to haul it in, but this is a athletic, tightend game now. He is slow. I could probably power walk faster than his burst of full-speed. I still like the defense minus linebacker James Harrison. Time to rely on senior citizen Lamar Woodley. Good secondary though in Troy Polamalu, Ike Clark, and Ryan Clark. Maybe they'll win nine games this season.
The Bengals have given Marvin Lewis so many chances; they should just sign the man to a long-term contract and put to rest all of the hot seat rumors. I wouldn't want him to coach the Packers, but he is decent. He just always finds a way to lose close games. Its almost like the opponents coach always finds a way to out-coach him. But I like this team in this division. They are young and talented, and I mean talented. They have a reliable quarterback in Andy Dalton, who seems to be learning the pro level of football each year. I think they call that "developing". I will have to check on that a little later to get the right terminology. Anyway, the Bengals put some good weapons around him. To go along with stand-out, top-tier receiver A.J. Green, they still have pro bowl tight end Jermaine Gresham and they drafted Tyler Eifert in the first round, just in case Gresham might eventually move on after producing two pro bowl years in 2011 and 2012.(Yes drafting a tightend like Gresham in the first round is insurance, partner). The Bengals also drafted running back Giovani Benard to back up Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis. That is a nice 1-2 punch at running back. Someone who rarely puts the ball on the ground and someone who has fresh legs. A nice 2 piece combo. In this 4-3 defense, the Bengals have a good front four, in Carlos Dunlap, Domato Peko, Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson. That is what you call a pass rush, run-stuffing force. Between all of them, they had 212 tackles, 45 tackles for loss and 32 sacks. Now you add James Harrison to that group; this will be a top five defense to go with a top 10 offense.
The Ravens are in the rebuilding stage on both sides of the ball. They lost eight starters from their Super Bowl team. Instead of paying some of the people who deserve the money, they decided to pay fourth-tier quarterback Joe Flacco $120.6 million. The guy who is usually 10-24 in completion to passing attempts ratio. But he got lucky and won the Super Bowl MVP. Go figure! So with Ed Reed going to the Houston Texans and "I didn't spray Deer-Antler on my injured arm last year," linebacker Ray Lewis retired, the defense definitely looks a lot different now. They also still have Ray Rice, who is also locked up long-term for the Ravens. So rebuilding shouldn't be so hard now on the offensive side, but wait, they lost Pitta to a season-ending injury and they signed Visanthe Shiancoe hoping he fills the void. They traded Anquan Boldin which make this offense kind of one-sided. They have great receiver in Torrey Smith and a so so- receiver in Jacoby Jones. If this was a dance contest, Jones would be the top guy, but it's not and he is not a good route runner. The reason why these receivers wont work is because they both do the same thing. They're both deep-threat, down-the-field receivers. You need a deep-threat receiver, an over the middle receiver, and one who gets off the block and can also be a great route runner. Jones is a punt return specialist. He doesn't run great routes. The defense can play two deep shells on them to stop the downfield completions. That's if Flacco has the accuracy that day to even give his receivers a shot. The defense is still decent with Elvis Dumervil and Chris Canty. They can get after the quarterback with Haloti Ngata, Ladarius Webb and Terell Suggs. I hope he is staying away from all basketball activities; We don't want another ACL injury. Oh they also drafted hard-hitting safety Matt Elam out of Florida. The defense is still good, but who is going to emerge as the voice of the defense now that Ray Ray called it quits? Of course, how can I forget...the coordinator.
With the Steelers, Bengals, and Ravens having a top 10 defense; This division winner is going to have to bring an offense for lunch. Unless these defenses are scoring defensive touchdowns, the offense needs to do more than take pictures for the media. The Browns are still rebuilding so I expect them to be around five wins again this year. This is going to be a three-headed race, in which I believe the Bengals will win this division. They have young talents on offense, who should put up some points with a nasty defense that will be top five. The Steelers will come in second. If Roethlisberger stays healthy and this offense can move the ball down the field they can claim second. Antonio Brown has a lot to prove with him being the top dawg now. Neither the Steelers or Ravens have an offense, but the Ravens are in worse shape than the Steelers because they are one-dimensional. Ray Ray gets the ball and then Flacco just lobs it up to Jones or Smith since they both are deep threat receivers. They will find out the hard way when they can't score touchdowns. A solid third place for them. Wow, I picked the Bengals. Boy have times changed from top to bottom in the AFC North. The Steelers and Ravens behind the Bengals in 2013. Like rapper Drake says, "Started from the bottom, now we here."
Last year's Super Bowl champs found a sense of urgency in the playoffs. Losing four of the last five games heading into January, Ray Lewis chose to inform his team that this was going to be his last season in the NFL. So how does everybody want to go out? As a champion of all champions. The Ravens rode the back of Lewis and he brought the Lombardi Trophy to the AFC North. I can just imagine how the other teams in the AFC division feels:
"Out of all teams, why them?"It shouldn't be a great feeling for the other teams in the NFL to see someone else hold the trophy, especially out of the AFC North. Teams such as the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cincinnati Bengals are not real threats. Do the Browns have what it takes to make the playoffs behind second year quarterback, 29 year-old Brandon Weeden? This use to be the Steelers' division. Haven't heard from them since Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow" song came out three years ago. They look old and slow. Maybe they know something I don't know. The Bengals look like a promising team this season after making the playoffs in back to back seasons. I could have sworn head coach, Marvin Lewis was always in the hot seat. It's hard to let go of a coach when his team gets good at the right moments. On another note, the Ravens will have the toughest road back to the playoffs after the solid championship team became depleted this offseason. Throw that on top of tight end Dennis Pitta being out for the season.
The Cleveland Browns started last years season 0-5. It was safe to say they weren't going to make the playoffs one month into the season. They finished 5-11 overall, winning only once on the road. As we all know, you have to win in those tough environmental places to even be considered a playoff team. Can they turn it around in one season? The answer is no. They remind me of a team who uses their best player until they run them in the ground. No, I'm not talking about running back Darren McFadden, but running back Trent Richardson. The Browns ran the ball 40 percent of the time, but in order to win I think they need to increase that to 60 percent. This should be a running team and not a throwing team. Weeden is a betting man. He likes to try and force the pigskin into his over-covered receivers. "I bet you I can squeeze the ball inside three people around my receiver." That sounds like something he would say. The result is a QB with a 3.18 INT thrown percentage on passing plays, which ranked 27th in the league. Instead of huddling around Weeden, they should look for Richardson and ask him what he wants them to do. Being ranked 24th in rushes per game is just not going to cut it. Feed the man, until the defense stops him. Then bring in play-action or throw check-down passes. Do not let Weeden let it fly past 20 yards.
Steelers where you at? This defensive team needs to have an offensive balance. The Steelers let wide receiver Mike Wallace walk in free agency as well as running back Rashard Mendenhall. Can you name an offensive player on this team besides "Womanizer"/"I'm always hurt" QB Ben Roethlisberger? I never have seen this quarterback as a super bowl champ, but he is (two-time champion to be exact--Ed). This slow, hard to bring down, injury prone, I hired body guards to protect me from being a "Womanizer," quarterback is getting slower every year. Last year, the Steelers missed the playoffs ("Playoffs? Playoffs! I'm talking about playoffs!) with a disappointing 8-8 record. Big Ben missed three games; It's reasonable, but when you lose the games you play on top of the ones you don't play, then it becomes a problem. They have Antonio Brown as the number one receiver on the depth chart and Emmanuel Sanders as the second option. Nothing like over the top, big play WR Mike Wallace on board, or even old reliable Hines Ward. This offense is going to miss that big haymaker, knock-out punch. They drafted running back Le'Veon Bell out of Michigan State. He is a decent pick, but since I'm a Wisconsin Badger fan, he is no Montee Ball. Tight end Heath Miller is an "ok" tight end. He is a great check down, third down source to haul it in, but this is a athletic, tightend game now. He is slow. I could probably power walk faster than his burst of full-speed. I still like the defense minus linebacker James Harrison. Time to rely on senior citizen Lamar Woodley. Good secondary though in Troy Polamalu, Ike Clark, and Ryan Clark. Maybe they'll win nine games this season.
The Bengals have given Marvin Lewis so many chances; they should just sign the man to a long-term contract and put to rest all of the hot seat rumors. I wouldn't want him to coach the Packers, but he is decent. He just always finds a way to lose close games. Its almost like the opponents coach always finds a way to out-coach him. But I like this team in this division. They are young and talented, and I mean talented. They have a reliable quarterback in Andy Dalton, who seems to be learning the pro level of football each year. I think they call that "developing". I will have to check on that a little later to get the right terminology. Anyway, the Bengals put some good weapons around him. To go along with stand-out, top-tier receiver A.J. Green, they still have pro bowl tight end Jermaine Gresham and they drafted Tyler Eifert in the first round, just in case Gresham might eventually move on after producing two pro bowl years in 2011 and 2012.(Yes drafting a tightend like Gresham in the first round is insurance, partner). The Bengals also drafted running back Giovani Benard to back up Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis. That is a nice 1-2 punch at running back. Someone who rarely puts the ball on the ground and someone who has fresh legs. A nice 2 piece combo. In this 4-3 defense, the Bengals have a good front four, in Carlos Dunlap, Domato Peko, Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson. That is what you call a pass rush, run-stuffing force. Between all of them, they had 212 tackles, 45 tackles for loss and 32 sacks. Now you add James Harrison to that group; this will be a top five defense to go with a top 10 offense.
The Ravens are in the rebuilding stage on both sides of the ball. They lost eight starters from their Super Bowl team. Instead of paying some of the people who deserve the money, they decided to pay fourth-tier quarterback Joe Flacco $120.6 million. The guy who is usually 10-24 in completion to passing attempts ratio. But he got lucky and won the Super Bowl MVP. Go figure! So with Ed Reed going to the Houston Texans and "I didn't spray Deer-Antler on my injured arm last year," linebacker Ray Lewis retired, the defense definitely looks a lot different now. They also still have Ray Rice, who is also locked up long-term for the Ravens. So rebuilding shouldn't be so hard now on the offensive side, but wait, they lost Pitta to a season-ending injury and they signed Visanthe Shiancoe hoping he fills the void. They traded Anquan Boldin which make this offense kind of one-sided. They have great receiver in Torrey Smith and a so so- receiver in Jacoby Jones. If this was a dance contest, Jones would be the top guy, but it's not and he is not a good route runner. The reason why these receivers wont work is because they both do the same thing. They're both deep-threat, down-the-field receivers. You need a deep-threat receiver, an over the middle receiver, and one who gets off the block and can also be a great route runner. Jones is a punt return specialist. He doesn't run great routes. The defense can play two deep shells on them to stop the downfield completions. That's if Flacco has the accuracy that day to even give his receivers a shot. The defense is still decent with Elvis Dumervil and Chris Canty. They can get after the quarterback with Haloti Ngata, Ladarius Webb and Terell Suggs. I hope he is staying away from all basketball activities; We don't want another ACL injury. Oh they also drafted hard-hitting safety Matt Elam out of Florida. The defense is still good, but who is going to emerge as the voice of the defense now that Ray Ray called it quits? Of course, how can I forget...the coordinator.
With the Steelers, Bengals, and Ravens having a top 10 defense; This division winner is going to have to bring an offense for lunch. Unless these defenses are scoring defensive touchdowns, the offense needs to do more than take pictures for the media. The Browns are still rebuilding so I expect them to be around five wins again this year. This is going to be a three-headed race, in which I believe the Bengals will win this division. They have young talents on offense, who should put up some points with a nasty defense that will be top five. The Steelers will come in second. If Roethlisberger stays healthy and this offense can move the ball down the field they can claim second. Antonio Brown has a lot to prove with him being the top dawg now. Neither the Steelers or Ravens have an offense, but the Ravens are in worse shape than the Steelers because they are one-dimensional. Ray Ray gets the ball and then Flacco just lobs it up to Jones or Smith since they both are deep threat receivers. They will find out the hard way when they can't score touchdowns. A solid third place for them. Wow, I picked the Bengals. Boy have times changed from top to bottom in the AFC North. The Steelers and Ravens behind the Bengals in 2013. Like rapper Drake says, "Started from the bottom, now we here."
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