Bleacher Report - Articles by Kyle Bunton

New York Giants Top the NFL Preseason Top 10

Kyle Bunton — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:23:53 -0400

Hey ladies and gentlemen, thought I would come back from my month layoff of not writing and write my NFL preseason top 10.

I will be updating the top 10 every week and making sure it's accurate to me. So I present to you, my NFL preseason top 10.

1. New York Giants

Now, I know everybody is saying that the Patriots are the best team, but that's just on paper. They were the best team on paper last year also, if I remember, and I don't remember them winning the Super Bowl.

Until the Giants lose a game in the regular season, they are the ones to beat, because in case you guys forgot, they are the defending Super Bowl Champions.

Eli Manning showed us what he was capable of in the playoffs, and I expect him to show improvement this year. Brandon Jacobs is a tough runner that is hard to bring down, and Ahmad Bradshaw is a change-of-pace running back.

Their defense isn't going to be as dominant as it was last year in the playoffs, and the wide receivers are going to be about the same with Plaxico Burress coming back with a healthy ankle. Jeremy Shockey's departure is a loss because of his talent, but is an upgrade because of his attitude in the locker room.

2. New England Patriots

What a season last year, 16-0 in the regular season and then came up short at winning the Super Bowl. Sorry guys, 18-1 without a Super Bowl win is horrible.

I do believe they are probably going to have the best offense once again, with Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Tom Brady, but their defense is going to be even older than last year, and they lost Asante Samuel, but drafted a beast of a linebacker in Jerod Mayo, who should be a breath of fresh air at the linebacker position.

They have the easiest schedule in football, and that should help with the defense not wearing out, but don't expect another 16-0 season.

3. San Diego Chargers

Man, this team is loaded with talent: LT, Shawn Merriman, Luis Castillo, Antonio Gates, Jamal Williams, Shaun Phillips, Antonio Cromartie, Quenten Jammer, and Mike Scifres. Now, with all that talent you would think they could make a Super Bowl run, but they haven't been able to.

Last year, the injury bug bit them where it hurt (LT, Rivers, and Gates). As long as they can stay healthy and have the electric defense they usually have, then I don't see why they can't make a Super Bowl run and maybe finally make it "Lights Out" for the critics.

They seem to know how to beat the Colts, but it's the Patriots they have to prove themselves against.

4. Dallas Cowboys

Now I know your saying Tony Homo or whatever nickname you have for Tony Romo, and I bet your also probably saying TO is a crybaby and is a jerk.

Well, I hate to break it to you guys, but TO is a freak of an athlete, no question about that. He does drop passes, but he catches a lot of TD passes, thanks in part to Tony Romo being his quarterback, oh and don't forget about Jason Witten, either.

Tony hasn't won a playoff game, but I see that changing this year. The team is better all around, and the offense is going to be the same or even better, with the addition of Felix Jones.

If Adam Jones is allowed to play again, he brings depth at cornerback and makes their special teams a threat. They added a stud of a cornerback in the draft by drafting Mike Jenkins. They have the pieces to be the best team in the NFC this year.

5. Indianapolis Colts

The only reason they are this low is because of the health concerns for Peyton Manning (infected bursa sac), Marvin Harrison (legal issues and his bum knee), and Dwight Freeney (foot).

Manning and Freeney should be ready for the start of the regular season, with Manning probably coming back in the preseason. They will be like the Colts are every year: great offense and a solid defense (as long as Bob Sanders and Freeney are healthy). This might be the year that they lose the division crown to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars

You had to know that last little bit about the Colts was going to lead to this. I really like the Jaguars' running game, stout defense, and solid quarterback play. David Garrard showed he can play a full season as a starter and produced good numbers.

The duo of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor is one of the best two-running-back systems in the game, if not the best. They added some wide receivers to help Garrard, but to also alleviate the pressure on the ground game.

They added two pass-rushers via the draft, so they can get pressure on quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. They play aggressive D and have one of the best head coaches in the game. I really like the Jaguars' chances of winning the AFC South division this year, but I won't put them in front of the Colts until they beat them.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers

What a solid first year for Mike Tomlin. He showed he can coach with some of the best in the game. Big Ben had a big year last year, and expect even bigger numbers this year, with additions like Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed. He still has Willie Parker, Hines Ward, and a wide receiver that I believe will break out this year, Santonio Holmes.

Their defense is shaky at times and is pretty much the same as last year. I expect them to be better, but not quite good enough to win the Super Bowl.

8. Green Bay Packers

Enough is enough about this whole Brett Favre coming out of retirement crap. Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback for this team right now. He is mobile and has a good arm, and is very accurate on slant throws (Dallas game from last year). They have a good defense, with cornerbacks that can shut down anybody except Plaxico Burress (Giants/Packers playoff game last year).

Ryan Grant was a surprise hit for the Pack and expect some of the same from him this year. They are deep at wide receiver, and that should help with the transition of Rodgers coming in as starting quarterback.

9. Seattle Seahawks

Mike Holmgren is in his last year and wants to go out with a bang. Well, I doubt they go out with a bang, but I do believe they will win their division and get to the playoffs. Matt Hasselbeck is a solid quarterback with some decent wide receivers. The ground game should improve with the addition of Julius Jones, but it shouldn't be a major upgrade.

The defense will be the same as last year, if not better, and they were already good last year. The team will rally behind Holmgren and try and get to the Super Bowl for him, but they just don't have the firepower.

10. Tie- Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings

Cleveland Browns: Derek Anderson showed that he was the right quarterback for the team and showed he can produce big numbers. Braylon Edwards is an All Pro wide receiver, Joshua Cribbs is the best return man not named Devin Hester, Jamal Lewis gets tough yards and is hard to stop around the goal line, and Kellen Winslow, if healthy is a great tight end.

The defense should be better than last year with additions like Shaun Rodgers and Corey Williams. I still believe, unless they prove me wrong, that they are second best to the Steelers.

New Oreleans Saints: Last year, they got hit by injuries and just couldn't produce on defense. That changes this year, with additions of Jon Vilma and Sedrick Ellis. The offense is high powered with Drew Brees under center. They are shaky at running back, but with the addition of Jeremy Shockey, they might not need to run the ball that much. I expect them to get back to where they were two years ago.

Philadelphia Eagles: Talk about a team getting looked over. If healthy, this team is a Wild Card threat, and maybe, if lucky, a division crown. Donavan McNabb is a very good quarterback, but is injury prone.

Brian Westbrook is what the offense revolves around. He is a running-and-catching threat. The one thing about this team I really like is its defense. They added All Pro cornerback Asante Samuel, and don't forget about hard-hitting safety Brian Dawkins. As long as they stay healthy, they can win some games.

Minnesota Vikings: This team is kind of confusing to me. The quarterback position is shaky, unless they somehow get Brett Favre.

Now, to the running-back position. Adrian Peterson is a freak, but is injury-prone and lacked some consistency last year. He had eight games where he didn't break 100 yards in a game. In those eight games, he rushed for a total of 388 yards, with one game where he rushed for only three.

In the six games where he broke 100 yards, he rushed for 953 yards. So he ran for most of his yards in those six games.

The Vikings added Bernard Berrian to help Tarvaris Jackson with a deep threat. Oh, and Chester Taylor is capable of being a starting running back for a bunch of teams, so if a team is going to give up something good for him, the Vikes will trade him.

Now to the defense. With the addition of Jared Allen, playing alongside Kevin and Pat Williams, the Vikes have one of the best defense lines, if not the best. The secondary can be shaky, but I expect it to do just fine. It's going to be hard for this team to win games with a shaky pass game, but we shall see.

Like I said guys, I will be updating this every week. I hope to see you guys every week right back here.

"Matt Forte Will Be the Next Great Running Back for the Chicago Bears"

Kyle Bunton — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:49:56 -0400

I've said from the day the Chicago Bears drafted Matt Forte that he was going to be the starting running back for the Chicago Bears, even when Cedric Benson was still with the team.

Now that Cedric is gone, the door is wide open for Matt Forte to earn the starting running back spot. I've never doubted this draft choice, even when people said I was stupid.

Now I know there were some other picks that could've been made, but let's say the Chicago Bears didn't draft Matt Forte. Who would we be stuck with at running back—Garrett Wolfe and Adrian Peterson (the OK running back from Chicago, ha ha).

The Bears drafted Earl Bennett to help the receiving core, and if Brandon Lloyd lives to up to his potential, he'll do fine. Losing Bernard Berrian lost us our best receiver, but he wasn't going to be a star.

The draft choice of Matt Forte was probably the best of all the picks they made, besides the Chris Williams pick. He didn't get a lot of attention because he went to the University of Tulane, but that doesn't mean he didn't put up great numbers.

Here are his stats from college:

Forte's Career Rushing Stats

Year	G-GS	No.	Yds	Avg	Yd/Gm	TD
2004	11-3	140	624	4.5	56.7	4
2005	11-6	169	655	3.9	59.5	4
2006	9-9	163	859	5.3	95.4	8
2007	12-12	361	2127	5.9	177.2	23
Career	43-30	833	4265	5.1	99.2	39

Forte's Career Receiving Stats

Year	G-GS	No.	Yds	Avg	Yd/Gm	TD
2004	11-3	20	180	9.0	16.4	2
2005	11-6	23	163	7.1	14.8	1
2006	9-9	28	360	12.9	40.0	2
2007	12-12	32	282	8.8	23.5	0
Career	43-30	103	985	9.6	23.5	5

Now those are what I call some great statistics. He is only the 11th player in NCAA history to top the 2,000-yard plateau. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds at the combine.

He does run a little too upright at times, but they said that about Adrian Peterson (the GREAT running back from Minnesota), and look at what he did last season.

He was second in rushing yards per game last year with 177.3, second only to Kevin Smith from UCF (drafted by the Detroit Lions). He was also second in scoring with 11.67 points per game. He was fourth in all-purpose yards with 201.7 per game.

His five 200-yard games tied the single-season NCAA record held by three players (Marcus Allen of Southern California in 1981, Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State in 1988, and Jamario Thomas of North Texas State in 2004).

The kid is 6'2'' and 223 lbs. He has drawn comparisons to the Arizona Cardinal/ex-Indianapolis Colt, Edgerrin James. He can run inside and outside, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield, which has been lacking in the Chicago Bears offense for quite some time now.

He is better than anybody in free-agency. The only reason I see the Chicago Bears picking up someone like Shaun Alexander is for depth, not a starting job.

Now I'm not saying he's the next Gale Sayers or Walter Payton, but he'll do great things for the Chicago Bears.

He can get to that second level of the defense and make people miss for those long runs. He hits the holes hard and can get to the outside quickly. He can even throw a little bit, which might actually help the Bears.

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the NEXT BIG THING in Chicago—his name is Matt Forte.

Breaking Down the NFC North for t he 2008-2009 Season

Kyle Bunton — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:38:40 -0400

1	Mon, Sep 8	at Green Bay	7:00 PM
2	Sun, Sep 14	Indianapolis	1:00 PM
3	Sun, Sep 21	Carolina	1:00 PM
4	Sun, Sep 28	at Tennessee	1:00 PM
5	Mon, Oct 6	at New Orleans	8:30 PM
6	Sun, Oct 12	Detroit	1:00 PM
7	Sun, Oct 19	at Chicago	1:00 PM
9	Sun, Nov 2	Houston	1:00 PM
10	Sun, Nov 9	Green Bay	1:00 PM
11	Sun, Nov 16	at Tampa Bay	1:00 PM
12	Sun, Nov 23	at Jacksonville	1:00 PM
13	Sun, Nov 30	Chicago	8:15 PM
14	Sun, Dec 7	at Detroit	1:00 PM
15	Sun, Dec 14	at Arizona	4:05 PM
16	Sun, Dec 21	Atlanta	1:00 PM
17	Sun, Dec 28	NY Giants	1:00 PM

Detroit Lions

1	Sun, Sep 7	at Atlanta	1:00 PM
2	Sun, Sep 14	Green Bay	1:00 PM
3	Sun, Sep 21	at San Francisco	4:05 PM
5	Sun, Oct 5	Chicago	1:00 PM
6	Sun, Oct 12	at Minnesota	1:00 PM
7	Sun, Oct 19	at Houston	4:05 PM
8	Sun, Oct 26	Washington	1:00 PM
9	Sun, Nov 2	at Chicago	1:00 PM
10	Sun, Nov 9	Jacksonville	1:00 PM
11	Sun, Nov 16	at Carolina	1:00 PM
12	Sun, Nov 23	Tampa Bay	1:00 PM
13	Thu, Nov 27	Tennessee	12:30 PM
14	Sun, Dec 7	Minnesota	1:00 PM
15	Sun, Dec 14	at Indianapolis	1:00 PM
16	Sun, Dec 21	New Orleans	1:00 PM
17	Sun, Dec 28	at Green Bay	1:00 PM

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, let's get down to the dirty work: predictions and key acquisitions.

Chicago Bears

As we all know, Cedric Benson is gone, thank the lord, Brian Urlacher is happy being on the field, Lance Briggs is still a Bear, Robbie Gould got a new contract, as did Tommie Harris, who became the highest paid DT.

There is quarterback controversy brewing with Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman, but whoever wins the starting job will not bring the team much success.

Now, I know people are saying that this team stinks, but they did make some key upgrades via the draft and free agency.

The Bears drafted: Chris Williams (OL, Vanderbilt), Matt Forte (RB, Tulane), Earl Bennett (WR, Vanderbilt), Marcus Monk (WR, Arkansas), Kellen Davis (TE, Michigan State), Chester Adams (OT, Georgia), Ervin Baldwin (DE, Michigan State), Marcus Harrison (DT, Arkansas), and Craig Steltz (S, LSU).

The Bears also picked up receivers Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd from free agency.

Chris Williams should move into the starting job, as should Matt Forte, Marty Booker, and Brandon Lloyd, if he can live up to his potential.

I see the Chicago Bears going 9-7 this season, which might be a wild-card spot, but I doubt that will happen.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers had some key players leave the team, but the one that hit them the most was the retirement of Brett Favre. Aaron Rodgers comes into the season with the starting job, but it is also his to lose. Rookie Brian Brohm is right on his heels. The Packers released WR Koren Robinson and TE Bubba Franks.

The Packers picked up two QBs in the draft, Brain Brohm of Louisville, and Matt Flynn from LSU. They also drafted Jordy Nelson, WR from Kansas State, Brett Swain, WR San Jose State, Jermichael Finley, TE from Texas, Jeremy Thompson, DT from Wake Forest, and Patrick Lee, CB from Auburn.

I see the Green Bay Packers going 12-4 this year.

Minnesota Vikings

What a surprise last year. Adrian Peterson's record-breaking year, a defense that was amazing, and a team that almost made the playoffs when nobody thought they would come even close.

This surprise has a lot of high expectations this year, due to the success of the running game with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor.

In the draft the Vikings took: John David Booty (QB, USC), Jaymar Johnson (WR, Jackson State), Justin Surrency (WR, Northern Iowa), John Sullivan (OL, Notre Dame), Letroy Guion (DT, Florida State), and Tyrell Johnson (CB, Arkansas State).

Now, for the really big news: Jared Allen is the new starting DE for the Minnesota Vikings, as if Kevin and Pat Williams weren't enough. They also picked up Bernard Berrian in free agency.

I see the Minnesota Vikings possibly going 12-4, but probably more along the lines of 10-6 or 11-5. If the QB play is consistent, and the defense and running game can start where they left off last year, then they will go 12-4.

Detroit Lions

Oh, the season they could've had. But they blew it.

In the draft, the Lions brought in: Kevin Smith (RB, UCF), Kenneth Moore (WR, Wake Forest), Cliff Avril (DT, Purdue), Landan Cohen (DT, Ohio), Andre Fluellen (DT, Florida State), Jordan Dizon (LB, Colorado), and Caleb Campbell (CB, Army).

They lost DT Shaun Rodgers to the Browns in free agency. They also released RB Kevin Jones.

I see the Lions going 8-8 and nothing more, but possibly a whole lot less.

// -->

Matt Forte Will be the Starting Running Back in Chicago

Kyle Bunton — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:45:39 -0400

Ok, this article is for everybody that has been asking who will take Cedric Benson's starting role, if and when he is cut from the team.

The answer is Matt Forte. If you don't know the name let me fill you in.

He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in Round Two of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has shown the speed and moves to get to the second level of a defense unlike Cedric Benson. Matt can also catch the ball in the backfield, also unlike Cedric Benson. Here are some stats and info:

Matt Forte

6'1'' 224 pounds

Tulane University

He was second in the NCAA in rushing yards in 2007 with, 2,127 yards, second best to Kevin Smith from University of Central Florida.

He had 23 rushing touchdowns in 2007.

He averaged 5.9 rushing yards per carry with no fumbles in 2007.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cedric Benson

6'0'' 225 pounds

University of Texas

He rushed for 1,834 yards with 5.1 yards per carry in 2004.

He rushed for 19 touchdowns in 2004.

He didn't fumble in 2004.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

And if you are even thinking about picking up Shaun Alexander, LaMont Jordan, or anybody else, you're crazy. We have a better running back than anybody we could pick up, and one who is way better than Cedric Benson.

I know he's a rookie, but look at what Adrian Peterson on Minnesota did last year. Matt Forte isn't Adrian Peterson, but he's pretty darn good.