Lots to catch up on!

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It has been a while since I have posted on here and I apologize for the neglect. Starting a new job can mess with the time management. Anyway there is so much to get to so lets get started…

It is only the beginning:
The NFL season is unlike anything I have ever seen before. With the whole “Suck for Luck” campaign and a lot of people putting a stamp on teams who are struggling. You have to remember we have been in a lockout and these teams with new Qbs will struggle (Like the Vikings & Donovan McNabb). Its only the beginning you cannot give up on these teams yet. Anything could happen. Now around week 8 or beyond we can probably start thinking about who is going to get Andrew Luck. BE PATIENT.

Speaking of Suck for Luck:
Did anyone see the video PFT’s Mike Florio and SI’s Peter King put out about a lottery for the top pick in the NFL Draft. it’s a crazy idea to do this. The beauty of the NFL is to have teams who are struggling to get the better players. This is a ONCE in a decade type of thing that has happened. It would be pointless to apply an NFL Draft lottery.
I am still going to guarantee that Andrew Luck will be the number one pick regardless of WHO gets the pick. Teams like the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts I would advise to trade the pick to get the boatloads of picks offered (More on the Colts draft strategy in the article).

Colts’ Irsay eyeing Luck? Come on man!:
Colts owner Jim Irsay is talking about taking Andrew Luck. In the article Irsay talks about taking Luck with the top pick, even if he has to sit him three or four years. While a lot of people will find it a no brainer to take Luck with the top pick because of the whole Peyton Manning injury saga, I believe that it would be a mistake. First off, of course Irsay is going to say if his team got the pick he will be taking Luck. Want to know why? It gives the team a good bargaining position to trade the pick. He is keeping a poker face hoping that there will be one team who will panic and offer a ton of draft picks to get that top slot. Why not? Sure, the team would be very happy to take Andrew Luck and I think it would work but it would not be the best thing for the team.
Looking at the Colts roster you can see a lot of holes. It makes you respect Peyton Manning even more because this team is nowhere near the team they have been with him. Lets examine the problems of the Colts roster.

AGE:
Peyton Manning is 35 but his starting center Jeff Saturday is 36. Colts starting RG Ryan Diem is 32 and going on toward the latter stages of his career. So the team will have to get younger on the Offensive line quickly. Even though the team added 2011 draft picks Ben Ijalana (who is on IR) and Anthony Castonzo to this roster to help address the offensive line, it is still not enough. For years, fans have watched Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark make many plays for their team. However, it is time to start thinking about life without them in the future. Wayne and Clark are both 32. Mike McNeil (rookie from Nebraska) who is on the Colts practice squad has similar abilities but needs time to develop. Pass rushers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis have been fixtures for the Colts defense. Freeney (31) has dealt with injuries and is starting to pick up in years and Mathis is entering his 30s. The team has got to start thinking about the future of their defense as well. The team made an investment in former 1st round pick Jerry Hughes (whom the Colts front office admitted as a mistake) but he has not fulfilled the potential.

INJURIES:
The Colts have had to deal with injuries to current starters. WR Anthony Gonzalez has failed to finish the season without being injured. Austin Collie has dealt with concussions. Joseph Addai has dealt with injuries in the past. While Pierre Garcon has been the most durable of the WRS he will be entering free agency soon.

The best move for this team if they get the top pick, is to trade the pick for more draft picks. This team needs more help other than at the QB position. The team could draft a quarterback of the future ( maybe Nick Foles from Arizona) who would be more of a development type. Think of all the needs the team could address by trading the pick? If they traded the pick to a team in the top 5 of the draft (maybe the Dolphins?) they could have a shot a USC OT Matt Kalil or Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon. Having multiple picks will give this team a chance to address many holes on this team. It could also make the team much better if the Peyton comes back healthy!

-AR

Hey Jerry! Are you feeling LUCKy?

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http://everyjoe.com/

Tony Romo’s contract has been restructured according to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News. The article states that the team cleared $6.5 million in cap room. A lot of football fans have put the pressure on Tony Romo for years. He has been the leader of this franchise since replacing Drew Bledsoe during the 2006 season. He has provided the only stability to the position for the team since the great Troy Aikman retired. During Romo’s tenure as the starter the team has seen a lot of highs and lows. The team has even been the fan favorite to win the Super Bowl. While the team has seen stability at the position, there is a lot of disappointment. He has not won the big game and taken the team to the promise land like fans would like to see.
Which leads me to a theory that maybe Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could be thinking about a new option at quarterback for the future. You see with the new CBA  the team does not have to shell out so much money for a top pick like the previous years. With a brand new stadium and a larger fan base, fans could see a potential new face of “America’s Team”.
I thought about it last night. Jerry Jones has a brand new stadium that gets so much attention with its size and state of the art design, high expectations from fans all over the country, and an EXTREME desire to get back to the good old days of the mid ‘90’s. So what prospect has the skills to potentially be the piece this franchise needs to get back to the good Super Bowl years? ANDREW LUCK.. The quarterback from Stanford is the real deal and has been graded out as potentially the best quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning. I do not think the Cowboys are going to be contenders for the top overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, but I do think that Jerry Jones will pay anything to trade up and get that top slot to bring the Stratford High School alum back to Texas. Money would not be a problem since the contract would not be as high as Rams quarterback Sam Bradford signed (6 years $78 million). This years number one pick Cam Newton received a contract of 4 years $22 million guaranteed.Which would make the opportunity to get Luck a little more feasible. While the team would have to pay a lot in draft picks but to have a new quarterback and leader of this caliber would be WELL WORTH IT! I have no sources but if I can put myself in Jerry Jones’ shoes, I am at least thinking about it. If it does come true just remember you heard it

here first!

-AR

Team Preview Atlanta Falcons:

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Team Preview
Atlanta Falcons:
Offense: Matt Ryan had a good off season, the team had three starters on the offensive line who were free agents. The team only lost one of them so the team has four out of five starters back from last year. Garrett Reynolds will replace former starting RG Harvey Dahl (who left for St.. Louis). Reynolds has been with the team since being draft in ‘09. He was a OT coming out of college and I’ll be watching to see how he adjusts to playing the OG spot. The team has depth at RB with Michael Turner and Jason Snelling sharing the load which will help them during the season. At WR the team has Roddy White who had a Pro Bowl season last year and the team made a big jump to get Julio Jones in the draft. I thought the team overpaid to make a jump to get him. He better have a great season or someone in the front office or coaching staff will lose their job. Overall the offense looks solid enough to compete for another NFC South title.
Defense: The team made a big statement getting Ray Edwards from the Vikings and the team already has John Abraham and Kroy Biermann. Should be a nice rotation there at DE. At DT this team is going to have a challenge. Especially, with the New Orleans Saints revamped run game. It would not be a shock to see opponents just run right at the Falcons this year. I expect a very solid season from the LB’s with Curtis Loften manning the MLB and I think Sean Weatherspoon will have a good season. The defensive backfield will be back and solid with Thomas DeCoud at FS and William Moore at SS. Former New England Patriot James Sanders just signed on with the team. This was a signing that I really liked. Dunta Robinson and Brent Grimes will be the starters at CB. Dominique Franks and Chris Owens should handle all the backup duties and will be solid throughout the season.

Biggest Challenge:
Playing the AFC South and NFC North will be a challenge during the season.
Teams are going to run at this Defense. The teams they are facing this year have solid running games which could be an issue. Teams will slow the game down and keep Matt Ryan off the field as much as possible

Biggest Strength:
Keeping Matt Ryan protected and on the field to win games
Solid running backs with Michael Turner & Jason Snelling
The LBS are experienced and should have a solid season

Three Potential Needs for 2012 Draft:
OG- All depends on how Garrett Reynolds performs during the season but we’ll have it as a need for now.
DT- I would like to see the team get a solid NT who will help stop the run. Peria Jerry was taken in the 1st round but has not cracked the first team.
TE- Reggie Kelly and Tony Gonzalez are up in their years and the team has to make it a priority to get younger at TE some point in the future (Maybe free agency with John Carlson being a free agent)

Would You Welcome Carson Palmer back?

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Okay Bengals fans. I know you have been frustrated with this pre-season and the offense has not gained any of your confidence. Andy Dalton is the starter but  has not looked like he is ready to lead the offense the way that Carson Palmer did over the years. Let me be frank, I DID NOT think any of the QBs in the 2011 Draft class were ready to be the starter day one (And the best QB prospect for that year is playing for Stanford this year). The Bengals do not have any alternative. Andy Dalton will be the starter.

But what if Carson Palmer came back? No doubt in my mind he gives the team the best chance to win this year. From the outside (fans perspective) it looks great. Having weapons like Jerome Simpson, Jordan Shipley, Jermaine Gresham, and now A.J. Green , why wouldn’t he want to be a part of it? Plus it would help Andy Dalton develop into a better QB. Now from the inside, it could be ugly. After all Carson Palmer is a guy who was voted team captain by his teammates but walked out on them after last season. He has battled through injuries and has led the Bengals to more successful seasons than the franchise has seen in recent years but would anyone in the locker room respect him if he came back?

Mike Florio from PFT writes that Palmer has not filed his retirement papers and the Bengals have the cap room to cover his salary just in case he comes back. Bottom line if Carson Palmer comes back it will make this team better but will it show? It would create chaos in the locker room if he came back. If he has the balls to come back, he will have to convince his teammates why he did what he did and admit his mistake of bailing on them and move on. This whole situation from Day 1 has been strange and I have a gut feeling that it’s about to get  a littler more strange as time goes on and we get closer to opening day.

If things remain status quo, then I suggest all Bengal fans start watching #7 Stanford football this year. Because you might be seeing a certain player on the team with the Bengals next year.

Thoughts on the Arizona Cardinals

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Last year, Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt took a huge gamble with Matt Leinart as the starting quarterback to replace Kurt Warner. The team ended up releasing Leinart which just made the Cardinals 2010 season in shambles. In the offseason, Coach Whisenhunt has two choices for the future at QB. 1. Draft Blaine Gabbert or 2. Hope that they can get a veteran through a trade. The team was able to get a deal done for QB Kevin Kolb.

I am very happy that Kevin Kolb has an opportunity to start in the NFL. I thought that if he had stayed with the Eagles it would just  add to his frustration. Now Larry Fitzgerald has a veteran NFL QB to throw to him and it could pay off. Yet, the team still has some obstacles to deal with this season:

Nose Tackle: 2010 1st round pick Dan Williams has got to see the field this season. They need to get their value out of him this year. The nose tackle position is an important part to their 3-4 defense. Hopefully he can get back on the field this season.

Wide Receiver: Larry Fitzgerald has a brand new contract and looks to be an Arizona Cardinal for life. The concern is who will be the #2 WR on this team. Early Doucet and Andre Roberts have been battling for the job but I believe the team needed to look at another veteran to compete for the job. Nevertheless, this team is counting on these young players to step up.

Runningback: Ryan Williams’ injury was devastating. You absolutely hate it for the kid. Now the team needs to rely on Beanie Wells and someone on the roster to step up for the role. LaRod Stephens-Howling is not a player that could be the #2 RB. He is more of a third down back. Maybe they should browse the waiver wire or sign a free agent like a Clinton Portis.

Backup quarterback could be an issue if Kolb cannot remain healthy. There’s not a lot of experience at backup QB which could be a concern. Offensive line has been an issue but I think that OL coach Russ Grimm will get the unit in gear. The team might want to think about versatile Offensive Tackle in the 2nd or 3rd round of the 2012 Draft.

I Wonder: Patrick Peterson has yet to crack the starting lineup at CB. NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said that Peterson could make the move to safety. I wonder if we could see Peterson push his way to the starting lineup as a Safety?
-AR