Bleacher Report - Articles by Sean Crowe

NFL Power 10: Ravens Hold Onto the Top Spot in the Power Rankings

Sean Crowe — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:06:10 -0400

For those of you who haven't figured out the NFL is now a passing league, take a look at what's happened the first three weeks of the 2009 NFL season.

NFL teams have totaled 21,077 net passing yards (439.1 per game) so far this season. With 5,635 passing yards this week (an average of 402.5 per game), 2009 would surpass the record for most net passing yards through the first four weeks of a season in NFL history.

Currently, the 2007 season holds the record for most net passing yards through four games with 26,711 yards. The top five seasons for most net yards through four games have all happened since 2002.

Point being, teams are passing more than ever. Which means the quarterback is as important as ever. And this week's Power 10 reflects as much.

Previous week in ( )

1 (1) Ravens (3-0-0)

Joe Flacco, who completed 25 of 35 passes (71.4 percent) for 342 yards with one touchdown vs. zero interceptions and a 111.8 passer rating, has taken a leap this season.

Teams are slowly becoming just as frightened at the thought of facing him as they are of facing Ray Lewis and his defense.

2 (2) Giants (3-0-0)

Eli Manning actually has people debating whether he's the better of the two Mannings this season. While that's completely insane, Eli has been earning that ridiculous contract the Giants gave him this off-season.

And I NEVER expected that to be the case, especially after what happened to his play last season after Cheddar Bob shot himself in the leg.

3 (4) Saints (3-0-0)

I never thought a player would challenge 2007 Tom Brady for "greatest fantasy football player ever" status.

Drew Brees might just do that. He's on pace for 48 touchdowns, 4,500 yards, and he's carrying a monstrous 118.1 passer rating.

4 (5) Colts (3-0-0)

Peyton Manning finished Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals with a 130.5 passer rating. Playing in his first season without Marvin Harrison, and within Harrison's eventual replacement, he's probably playing his best football.

Right now, with Tom Brady struggling (by Manning/Brady standards), Peyton Manning is far and away the best quarterback in the NFL.

5 (8) Jets (3-0-0)

Mark Sanchez, who was just named the offensive rookie of the month for September, became the first rookie quarterback since Greg Cook of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1969 to start and win his team’s first three games of a season. Two of those wins came against the Titans and the Patriots.

Not bad for a kid Pete Carroll thought wasn't ready for the NFL.

6 (6) Vikings (3-0-0)

Brett Favre has defeated 31 different teams as a starter in his career. He can become the first quarterback to beat all 32 current teams when the Vikings host the Packers on Monday night.

7 (7) Broncos (3-0-0)

Which brings us to Kyle Orton. The Broncos are the exception to the rule. They're also the most likely of all the Power 10 teams to completely fall on their face.

On the other hand, Orton is 25-12 as a starter...

8 (-) Bears (2-1-0)

After a disastrous first game in which he threw four interceptions and only one touchdown, Jay Cutler has rebounded nicely. Against the Steelers and Seahawks, Cutler threw 5 touchdowns and only 1 interception.

His passer ratings in those games was 104.7 and 126.4 respectively. He also completed over 70 percent of his passes in both games.

9 (-) Patriots (2-1-0)

Tom Brady's passer rating is down (79.9 this season, 92.4 for his career), he's missing open receivers, and he's only thrown three touchdown passes thus far, but he's still Tom Brady. And as long as you have Tom Brady, you have a chance to win.

Just ask the Buffalo Bills.

10 (3) Falcons (2-1-0)

The Falcons were thoroughly dominated by the New England Patriots, and their all-world sophomore quarterback couldn't get anything going. But even in a loss, we saw what makes Matt Ryan special. The kid doesn't make mistakes. He's wise beyond his years.

Dropped Out

(10) 49ers (2-1-0)

Tough loss to the Vikings, but Frank Gore might be an even tougher loss.

(9) Steelers (1-2-0)

The Super Bowl champs better figure it out soon. The last time they were coming off a Super Bowl championship, they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

Bottom Three

30 (32) Panthers (0-3-0)

The biggest disappointment in the NFL.

31 (-) Rams (0-3-0)

If you play fantasy football, and the defense playing the Rams is available, pick them up. Every week.

32 (31) Browns (0-3-0)

Seriously, Cleveland, what did you expect? Eric Mangini? How did you not see this coming?

You can read more articles like this one on Sean's Examiner.com page, which is located here: http://www.examiner.com/x-1324-New-England-Patriots-Examiner

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Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

Defending Randy Moss Against CBS Columnist Mike Freeman's Hatchet Job

Sean Crowe — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:13:42 -0400

I was perusing the InterWeb today when a headline on CBSSports.com caught my attention.

Moss' lack of effort could be poison ivy to Pats

According to CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman, Randy Moss is, quite possibly, the laziest man in professional sports. Freeman spent three whole hours on Sunday watching Randy Moss, and apparently only Randy Moss, and determined that his effort was lacking.

It was a rather biting hatchet job. The type typically left to Internet hacks, a group I would imagine Freeman doesn’t feel he’s a member of.

Here are some of his finer points:

The problem for the Patriots is that Moss' lack of effort hurts the offense almost as much as his unbelievable abilities help it. Against the Falcons, defenders Moss was supposed to block, but refused to, went on to make the tackle.

Moss not running his routes hard when the play wasn't going to him clearly tipped off Falcons defenders that he wasn't involved in the play and they acted accordingly.

Nice. Completely fictional, but nice.

Of course, no hatchet job is complete without a few insults. And if you can question an injury without any proof, especially if you ignore all of the easily attainable evidence to the contrary…even better!

I'm not buying that Moss was lumbering because he had a bad back. It's being portrayed by some in the media as if Moss rolled onto the field from a wheelchair. But Moss has been pulling this stuff for years. This is nothing new, and it wasn't because he was hurt.

Every other receiver on the field ran their routes harder, blocked harder and overall worked harder. None had nearly the ability of Moss, either. Thus, there's that Moss dilemma again.

His talent is so dazzling it can overcome a terrible, at times, work ethic.

The Patriots seem content to put up with this tomfoolery because Moss still produces. Bill Belichick praised Moss after the game for making a lot of plays.

But there must be a part of the Patriot genome that says: What a dog.

What an unbelievable dog.

In the words of the immortal Jules Winnfield, “Oh, you were finished? Well, allow me to retort.”

Seriously? A dog?

So far this season the Patriots have run 241 offensive plays. Randy Moss has participated in 233 of them. No New England Patriots skill position player not named Tom Brady has been on the field for more plays.

As a matter of fact, nobody’s even close.

Moss averages 77 plays per game. On approximately 20 of them he runs full speed, straight up the field on some type of deep route. You’re basically talking 20 40-yard dashes over the course of a game. That’s a lot of running, even for an NFL wide receiver.

If the next play isn’t designed to go to him, or if it’s a running play, maybe Moss does take it easy a bit (as does, by the way, almost every other big-name wide receiver in the NFL). Most wide receivers need a break after running two or three of those types of routes, never mind 20 of them.

Moss never leaves the field. Ever.

The “Unbelievable Dog” is currently on pace for 139 catches and 1,500 yards. Both would be career highs for Moss. 139 catches would beat his previous best by 28.

But yeah, he’s dogging it.

Apparently, Freeman watched a much different game than Bill Belichick. Belichick had nothing but praise for Moss after the game on Sunday.

“He got a lot of single coverage and he did a good job. He ran a lot of different routes. We threw deep, we threw inside, we threw outside, we threw some quick passes to him,” Belichick said when asked about Moss’ role. “I think he did a good job attacking the coverage, the corners and even some of the split safety coverage, working on the safeties. We hit some, we didn't hit some. He's a tough guy to cover. We try to design and create situations where he has an opportunity and a little bit of space to work. He sure made a lot of plays today.”

He sure made a lot of plays today.

But yeah, he’s dogging it.

Multiple sources in Foxboro have said that Moss really struggled with his back, to the point where his ability to play was literally questionable (not just injury report questionable) heading into Sunday. He ended up putting together what might have been the gutsiest performance of his career, finishing the game with 10 receptions for 116 yards while being on the field for a ridiculous 76 plays.

But yeah, he’s dogging it.

Give me a break.

You can read more articles like this one on Sean's Examiner.com page, which is located here: http://www.examiner.com/x-1324-New-England-Patriots-Examiner

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Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

Blindside Hit: New England Finds Replacement on D in Unheralded Brandon McGowan

Sean Crowe — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:15:49 -0400

One of the questions everyone asked about the Patriots defense coming into this season was who would step up and replace the retired Rodney Harrison.

The list of candidates was plentiful.

Brandon Meriweather was the obvious choice. He’s morphed into one of the better players on the Patriots defense the last couple of seasons. He’s definitely a leader in the secondary. But he’s not the physical player Rodney Harrison was.

James Sanders was resigned in the offseason and immediately became a candidate to replace Rodney Harrison. Sanders is a solid player, but he’s not spectacular. He’s not a playmaker. He’s just another guy.

You can’t replace Harrison with just another guy.

When the Patriots drafted Pat Chung everyone hoped he’d be the one to step up. He’s a physical player, he’s fast, and he was a playmaker in college. He has everything you need to replace a Rodney Harrison, except real NFL experience. Chung hasn’t been able to get on the field with the regular defense.

So who would replace Rodney Harrison?

Brandon McGowan wasn’t even in the conversation. As a matter of fact, some Patriots writers (ahem) even had him off the team as late as the third preseason game.

But here we are, three weeks into the season, and McGowan might be the best player on a pretty good defensive team.

Not only did McGowan take on Tony Gonzalez for a large chunk of the game (and shut him down), but he also put a game changing, fumble inducing hit on Michael Turner in the second quarter.

“I wouldn’t have done it without my teammates,” McGowan told reporters in the locker room after the game. “They held those guys up at the line and gave me a free shot to hit the running back and that’s what I did.”

Bill Belichick had nothing but praise for his new safety.

“It seems like he does a good job for us every week in the kicking game and on defense,” Belichick said about McGowan. “He’s involved in a lot of plays, makes tackles and is a good coverage player and he did. He had a lot of responsibility on Gonzalez today.”

When the Patriots signed McGowan during the offseason, there was barely a headline in any of the local newspapers (we had a headline here, but it certainly didn't do him justice). Apparently, there should have been headlines. Big ones.

And they should have read: Patriots find replacement for retired Rodney Harrison.

You can read more articles like this one on Sean's Examiner.com page, which is located here: http://www.examiner.com/x-1324-New-England-Patriots-Examiner

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Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

NFL Power 10: Could We Be Heading for a Super Bowl XXXV Rematch?

Sean Crowe — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:44:21 -0400

In Philadelphia, Green Bay, New England, and San Diego, fans are jumping over themselves to hit their respective panic buttons.

Their teams are 1-1.

Their teams have the same record as both Super Bowl teams from last season.

Their teams are only two games into the season.

But, trust me, they’re hitting the panic button.

Here’s a rule I try to live my sports life by: Your team must be at least two games below .500 before you can hit the panic button.

Which means Carolina, feel free to start panicking.

1 (10) Ravens (1-0-0)

It’s not often that I agree with Peter King. For example, I’m a huge fan of Dunkin Donuts coffee and he prefers to spend his millions on Starbucks drinks that take 15 minutes just to order. But on this point we agree: The Baltimore Ravens, right now, going into week three of the NFL season, are the best team in the NFL.

We’ve been saying for a long time that if the Ravens ever developed an offense to compliment that defense, they’d be scary. That offense just put up 69 points in two games.

I’m officially scared.

2 (2) Giants (2-0-0)

I’m not a Giants fan. I’m not an Eli Manning fan. I’m still bitter about that whole Super Bowl thing. But ruining the opening of Jerry Jones’ new man-cave in Dallas this week almost won me over.

Eli Manning was impressive, completing 25 of 38 passes (65.8 percent) for 330 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 110.6 passer rating. Maybe all it takes to get a quarterback to play like one of the best in the game is to pay him like one of the best in the game?

The Panthers should try that with Jake Delhomme.

3 (6) Falcons (2-0-0)

Matt Ryan and company can make a huge statement by knocking off the Patriots in Foxboro this weekend. Tony Gonzalez could have a huge game, as the Patriots are known to have issues dealing with opposing tight ends. His addition to this offense has given them an unstoppable compliment to Roddy White and Michael Turner, especially in the red zone.

The Falcons are really, really good.

4 (9) Saints (2-0-0)

Speaking of really, really good, the Saints offense is absolutely insane. 93 points in two games? Seriously? They’re on pace to score 744 points. To put that in perspective, the 2007 Patriots scored 589 points.

Their offense might just be good enough that their pathetic defense won’t matter.

5 (8) Colts (2-0-0)

Speaking of pathetic defenses, how awful were the Colts on Monday night? They allowed the Dolphins to hang on to the ball for 45:07. They allowed the Dolphins to convert 15 of 21 third down chances. They gave up 239 rushing yards, and 27 first downs.

But they WON the game!?!?!

Peyton Manning had the ball for less than 15 minutes, yet managed to put up 27 points. The dude is pretty good.

6 (7) Vikings (2-0-0)

For reasons unknown to even the most knowledgeable football minds, the Vikings have trouble with the Detroit Lions. For reasons known to everyone who’s ever watched the Detroit Lions, that trouble never seems to result in a loss.

Adrian Peterson is reportedly nursing a sore back this week, which is worth watching. With Peterson, this is one of the best teams in the NFL. Without Peterson, they’re the Carolina Panthers.

7 (-) Broncos (2-0-0)

OK, so the Broncos have played the Bengals and the Browns, and it took a miracle for them to defeat the Bengals, but I really like the way the Broncos are playing. Plus, as Cold Hard Football Facts has noted, Kyle Orton is the luckiest quarterback in the history of football.

And I’m not one to go against luck.

8 (-) Jets (2-0-0)

The Jets have gone two games against pretty decent offenses without giving up a single rushing or passing touchdown. Their rookie quarterback is playing twice as well as the 2008 version of Brett Favre played. Their offensive line has been dominant.

I predicted six wins for this team. I may have been a little off…

9 (1) Steelers (1-1-0)

I’m not ready to completely jump off the Steelers bandwagon just because they lost to the Chicago Bears. I’m awfully close to jumping off, I may be hanging out the door, but I’m still on the ride. For now.

Fact is, they need to get that offensive line straightened out. When they made their Super Bowl run last season, the line morphed into a decent-but-not-great unit. This season, they’ve regressed into a pathetic-and-going-to-get-Big-Ben-killed unit.

10 (-) 49ers (2-0-0)

I put the 49ers here for two reasons:

1) They’re undefeated, and nobody else who hasn’t already been listed is undefeated.

2) They may never make the list again this season, so I figured I’d throw them a bone.

Dropped Out:

(3) Eagles (1-1-0)

I still think the Eagles are going to be OK, they just need to tread water until McNabb comes back. Michael Vick is eligible to play this week, which should be interesting…even though he’s completely useless as a quarterback.

(4) Patriots (1-1-0)

Tom Brady says he’s not 100 percent happy with his throwing mechanics so far this season. I’d say it’s hard to have good mechanics when your offensive line is allowing opposing defenders to take free shots at you all game long.

(5) Packers (1-1-0)

You can’t lose to the Bengals if you want to be in the Power-10. It’s a rule.

Bottom Three:

30 (31) Lions (0-2-0)

Someday, somehow, the Lions will win a football game. Nobody’s sure when, and God knows we can’t figure out how, but it will eventually happen.

I think.

31 (30) Browns (0-2-0)

Brady Quinn is proof of Charlie Weis’ genius. Not because he was able to win games at Notre Dame with an obviously deficient quarterback, but because he was able to convince NFL scouts that Quinn was a first round quarterback.

32 (-) Panthers (0-2-0)

Too hard on the Panthers this week? They’re last in the NFL with a -36 net points, they’re 26th in the NFL in points for, and they’re 30th in the NFL in points against.

Frankly, I’m being too kind…

You can read more articles like this one on Sean's Examiner.com page, which is located here: http://www.examiner.com/x-1324-New-England-Patriots-Examiner

Follow the Patriots Examiner on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PatsExaminer

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Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

Roger Goodell Should End Donte Stallworth's NFL Career

Sean Crowe — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:23:15 -0400

This article was originally published on 6/18/2009 at PatriotsExaminer.com.

I’m not going to get into the ridiculous legal system that allowed Donte Stallworth to get drunk and kill a man, and yet only give him a 30-day stay in prison. The law is the law, as insanely stupid, unfair, and ridiculous as it is. Needless to say, justice was not even remotely served in this case.

I want to talk about Donte Stallworth's NFL career.

The former Patriot has been indefinitely suspended by Roger Goodell. The real length of his suspension will be decided after his prison sentence is up and he has a face-to-face meeting with Goodell, presumably to convince the Grand Poobah of the NFL that’s he’s really, sincerely sorry for killing that guy, so he should be allowed back in the NFL.

Goodell shouldn’t give a rat's you-know-what if Stallworth is sorry. No matter how much remorse, real or contrived, Stallworth shows, Mario Reyes, who was guilty of nothing more than trying to walk home from work, will still be dead.

Luckily for Goodell, this is an easy decision. Precedent has already been set, by Goodell himself.

Michael Vick was suspended for two years from the NFL for killing dogs. He may be suspended even longer if Goodell doesn’t believe he’s remorseful enough. If you stick with my “Man > Dog” theory (see my Patriots-Examiner%7Ey2009m5d22-Michael-Vick-has-paid-his-debt-to-society-NFL-should-reinstate-him-for-the-2009-season" target="_blank">Michael Vick article for details) then Michael Vick’s suspension should be the starting point for Stallworth’s.

For the record, PETA disagrees. Stallworth didn’t run over a dog, so as far as they’re concerned, he’s still a good person.

Stallworth, or his attorney, and the NFLPA are likely going to point to the suspension Leonard Little received for basically the same crime back in 1998.

Little, who had a blood alcohol content of 0.19 (which is more than twice the legal limit) crashed into, and killed, Susan Gutweiler. While the prosecutor in that case was far more harsh, handing down a sentence of 90 days in prison, the NFL let him off embarrassingly easy.

Little received, and served, an eight-game suspension for killing Susan Gutweiler.

The NFL has a chance to rectify that horrible decision.

Donte Stallworth should never see an NFL field again. He should be suspended initially for two years. Every two years he should be allowed to plead his case to return to the NFL, just so the commissioner can remind him that he’s a murderer who doesn’t deserve an NFL paycheck. Preferably in public, and in the most humiliating manor possible.

Make an example of this man. The NFL was all too eager to make an example of Michael Vick, and he killed dogs, not people. Stallworth killed a construction worker who had just worked a late night shift, and wanted nothing more than to get home so he could rest up for his next shift.

Again, "Man > Dog."

Mario Reyes is never going to play football again. He’s never going to do anything again. He’s dead. He’s dead because of Donte Stallworth. Stallworth should pay a price for his death, and that price should be his NFL career.

Well, technically, that price should have been a long prison sentence.

For a different perspective, check out this article by the SF Workplace Issues Examiner.

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Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

Five Patriots Who Could Surprisingly Not Make the 2009 Roster

Sean Crowe — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:04:41 -0400

This article was originally published on 6/7/2009 at PatriotsExaminer.com.

I hate surprises.

Every offseason, about this time, I take a look at the Patriots’ roster and try to prepare myself for any potential Lawyer Malloy-type surprises come preseason cut-down time.

For those of you who don't remember, Lawyer Malloy was surprisingly cut in the final week of the 2003 preseason. It was so shocking, most Patriots' fans didn't believe the initial reports. Some of us didn't believe the story until we saw him the next Sunday destroying the Patriots in a Bills uniform.

Anyway, I refuse to let myself be surprised again by moves like that—too painful. So I put together this list every offseason to help avoid having that type of thing sneak up on me again.

Many factors weigh into a player getting released or traded, but the most common factors are cap number, performance, and age. If you’re old, you have a high cap number, and if your performance hasn’t lived up to your salary, you may find yourself on the next train up to Buffalo, or down to Miami, or New York—out of New England.

While looking at this season’s list of potential surprises, a few names jumped out at me.

Richard Seymour (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $3.3 million)

Seymour was once the best defensive lineman on the team. He may be the third best defensive lineman on the 2009 Patriots. Seymour, when healthy, can still dominate. The problem is, he’s not healthy as often as the Patriots would like.

Combine the $3.3 million in cap savings with the injury history and Seymour could be moved before the season starts. He certainly won’t be cut, but a trade isn’t out of the question.

Jarvis Green (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $2 million)

Jarvis Green is coming off an injury, entering the last year of his contract, and is a backup who’s being paid like a starter. The Patriots may decide dropping Green and re-signing Wilfork or Seymour is a better use of $2 million in cap space.

Stephen Neal (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $2 million)

Stephen Neal is the reason the Patriots need a thousand backup offensive guards on their roster. The guy is never healthy. When he’s healthy, he’s a decent guard. But he’s not worth the cap hit, especially if he’s not playing. Should the Patriots find a replacement in training camp or preseason, Neal’s roster spot is certainly in jeopardy.

Nick Kaczur (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $1.8 million)

The problem here is that there’s nobody else on the roster who can play right tackle. The bigger problem here is that Nick Kaczur can barely play right tackle himself. Personally, I’d take the $1.8 million in cap savings and line up the fattest guy I can find at right tackle and tell him to just stand in the way. After all, it takes just as long to run around a stationary fat guy as it does to run around Kaczur.

Maybe longer.

Tedy Bruschi (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $1.4 million)

This may be blasphemous, but Bruschi is my most-likely candidate to end up Lawyer Malloy-ed at the end of the preseason. I love Tedy, as does most of New England, but he has some serious issues working against him.

His performance has drastically declined over the last few years.
He’s probably the fourth best inside linebacker, from a talent standpoint, on the team (behind Jerod Mayo, Paris Lenon, and Gary Guyton).
$1.4 million is a lot of cap space for the fourth best guy at a position.
He doesn’t give you anything on special teams anymore, and the fourth best inside linebacker should be a decent special teams player.

Belichick loves Bruschi, but we know how he works. If the Patriots are a better team with $1.4 million in cap space and no Tedy Bruschi than they are with Tedy Bruschi, then the veteran inside linebacker is as good as gone.

I’m not saying it’ll happen, but based on the information at hand, I’m preparing myself just in case.

For detailed Patriots salary cap information, check out http://www.patscap.com/.

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Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

Rodney Harrison's Two Greatest Moments with the New England Patriots

Sean Crowe — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:34:33 -0400

I have to admit, I'm sad to see Rodney go. Thinking back, aside from Tom Brady, I'm not sure there's a New England Patriot who has provided me with more joy and entertainment.

I wrote an expanded list at Examiner.com, which you can read here (expanded meaning "Top-Five" instead of "Top-Two").

Without further adieu, here are my two favorite Rodney Harrison moments:

2) “I had more catches than Freddie Mitchell!”

The Patriots were looking for back-to-back Super Bowl victories, but the game Philadelphia Eagles stood in the way. Leading up to the game, Eagles’ wide receiver (and future Burger King employee) Freddie Mitchell shot his mouth off about not knowing the names of anyone in the Patriots’ secondary.

That was bad enough, but then he said he had a little something for Rodney Harrison.

I guess he meant it when he said “little” because Mitchell was a non-factor in the Super Bowl. Harrison, on the other hand, was a beast. Immediately after having an interception called back due to penalty, he stopped a potential Eagles’ scoring drive by picking off McNabb.

But the most memorably play from that game was McNabb’s last pass. Rodney Harrison intercepted it, icing the game, then proceeded to run down to field flapping his arms, mocking the thousands of rowdy (and now disappointed) Eagles fans that dominated the crowd.

It’s hard to imagine a better moment for any player than that one, but there is one…

1) “Thank you for believing in me!”

The end of the Super Bowl against the Panthers was crazy. Both defenses were completely spent, and both offenses took advantage. It might have been the greatest fourth quarter in Super Bowl history.

During the Panther’s last drive, Rodney Harrison broke his arm. He knew it was broken, but the Panthers were in the hurry-up offense. Harrison couldn’t get off the field. Not only did he stay on the field, but on the next play he made the tackle, breaking his arm even worse.

Tedy Bruschi summed that sequence up nicely to the Boston Herald earlier this week:

“He broke his arm and didn’t come off the field,” Bruschi said. “He played the next play, made the tackle on the next play, and then it completely broke. For him to do that, that shows his toughness. He went and got the air cast on and said, ‘I’m not staying in here, let me go back out there.’

“And of course then there was the celebration pose, with confetti coming down and his arm in a brace. That’s the toughness of Rodney Harrison.”

THAT was Rodney Harrison. THAT was the player I loved. The whole scene ended with Harrison and Belichick embracing, Belichick telling Harrison how glad he was to have him on the team, and Harrison thanking Belichick for believing in him.

My single, all-time favorite moment as a Patriots fan.

Rodney had some down moments (the HGH issue and not being able to break up the Tyree pass in the Giants’ Super Bowl). But the great moments outweigh the bad ones, and the bad ones only proved the man was human.

Rodney Harrison: My favorite New England Patriot ever, and one of the greatest New England Patriots ever.

You will be missed.

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Find more Patriots coverage like this at http://www.patriotsexaminer.com.

Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

Vince Wilfork Sends a Strong Message to the Patriots by Skipping OTAs

Sean Crowe — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:35:59 -0400

@Wilfork75 spent this week gardening at home while the rest of the Patriots spent the week practicing at Gillette Stadium.

You see, Wilfork wants a new contract, and if he doesn’t get one, he’d be happy spending the summer (and maybe a large chunk of the fall) gardening instead of playing football.

The Patriots cannot allow this to happen.

Sometimes, the player has the leverage, and sometimes, the team has it. Contract negotiations are all about leverage. When a player is still under contract, the team typically has all the leverage.

The only way the player can take back the leverage is to hold out. The Patriots have had a few players hold out over the last few years, and both of them now play for other teams (Asante Samuel and Deion Branch).

That result is not an option when it comes to Vince Wilfork. He’s too important to what the Patriots do on defense. They simply cannot get by without him.

Wilfork is one of the few players in the NFL who, even though he’s still under contract, has all of the leverage. He’s got the Patriots by the little Belichicks.

If he doesn’t show up, the Patriots’ defense is, to put it bluntly, screwed.

There is nobody on the roster who can play nose tackle effectively every down except for Vince Wilfork. There are very few, if any, players in the NFL who can play nose tackle as well as Vince Wilfork.

Want to know why Jerod Mayo was the Defensive Rookie of the Year last season? Look at the fat guy lining up in front of him keeping 3/5 of the opposing offensive line occupied.

The Patriots’ defense doesn’t work without a dominant defensive line. The most important position in a 3/4 defensive line is the nose tackle.

Ron Brace is a nice pipe-dream, and maybe he’ll eventually become a pretty good NFL nose tackle. But he’s no Vince Wilfork, and he probably never will be.

The list of defensive tackles who are better than Wilfork is a short one. Albert Haynesworth of the Redskins, Kevin Williams of the Vikings, and maybe Haloti Ngata of the Ravens make up the entire list. That’s it. And none of those guys are coming to New England any time soon.

I’m not advocating giving Wilfork Haynesworth money, but the big man needs to get a big raise.

The Patriots HAVE to pay up.

They’ve played hardball in the past. They’ve stuck to their formula. Nobody is above the team. Everyone has a price.

Vince Wilfork doesn’t fall into those categories. Only Tom Brady is more important, and only slightly more.

You think it was bad last season trying to get by without Asante Samuel? Just wait until you see them try to survive with Mike Wright starting at nose tackle.

It’s time to show Vince the money.

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Michael Vick Has Paid His Debt to Society, NFL Should Reinstate Him

Sean Crowe — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:20:38 -0400

Michael Vick is a despicable human being.

He organized a dog fighting ring, killed dogs for fun, had his pit bulls rip apart house pets, and has very little remorse for anything other than the fact that he got caught.

He’s scum. I wouldn’t want him anywhere near myself, my family, or any of my friends.

I’d sooner spit in his face than shake his hand.

But this talk about continuing his ban from the NFL is ridiculous.

Michael Vick has been out of the NFL for two years. He spent most of that time in prison. He’s millions of dollars in debt. He’s disgraced. He has no more sponsorships. He’s effectively been destroyed for what he did.

I’m not trying to make you feel sorry for the guy, but the situation is what it is.

The federal government says he’s paid his debt to society. What gives the NFL the right to say he’s no longer allowed to make a living?

With all due respect to PETA and their completely insane members, we all need to take a step back here. What Michael Vick did is horrible, inexcusable, terrible…I’m tired, I have no other adjectives. It was bad. One of the worst things ever.

But what do we want to happen here? Suspend him for life? Never allow him to work again? Seriously?

Look, Leonard Little killed a man and was suspended for eight games.

KILLED a man.

Missed eight games.

Michael Vick has missed 32 games, not counting preseason and playoffs. He killed dogs.

I’m not trying to minimize what he did, but most people not in PETA would agree: Man > Dogs.

Kobe Bryant basically admitted to raping a 19 year old girl (paying her off, to me, is an admission of guilt), and was suspended for…wait, he wasn’t suspended. Now he’s being marketed as a great family man who kisses his supportive wife on the way off the court after every victory. It's sickening.

Puke inducing, even.

Nobody killed the Lakers for resigning him. But GOD FORBID an NFL team sign Michael Vick. PETA and the animal crazies will unleash hell upon them like they’ve never seen or imagined.

Because, after all, do what you want to a human….just stay away from their pets.

I bring this up because people (specifically, ESPN's John Clayton) are suggesting that the Patriots might sign Vick to run the Wildcat offense in New England should the commissioner reinstate him.

I’m 99.999% certain this will never happen for a plethora of reasons.

But I’m 100% certain that the NFL should reinstate Vick as soon as his home confinement is up.

He paid his dues. It’s time to let him get on with his life and his career.

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NFL Power Rankings: Post-NFL Draft Edition

Sean Crowe — Mon, 04 May 2009 00:36:08 -0400

With the draft over and done with, it's time to reshuffle the NFL Power Rankings.

The deck is reshuffled, but a familiar card landed on top.

1. New England Patriots

What happens when an 11-win team adds a healthy Tom Brady, Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs, one of the best cornerbacks in the draft (Darius Butler), and one of the best safeties in the draft (Patrick Chung)?

You get a team fighting to add a fourth Super Bowl ring to Brady’s hand, that’s what.

It’s amazing how the Patriots have re-tooled. They’re a pass-rushing linebacker away from being really, really scary right now.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers really needed to address the offensive line this offseason, and frankly, they failed to do so.

Kraig Urbik will compete for a starting spot, but he’s nothing special athletically. The Steelers were a very good team last year that had a very fortunate playoff run (and the worst Super Bowl opponent of the Super Bowl era).

If they want to repeat, they can’t have their quarterback slammed around like a rag doll every Sunday like he was last season.

3. New York Giants

I’m not sure their offense is explosive enough without Plaxico Burress, but the Giants’ defense is going to be spectacular.

The Giants added Chris Canty, Rocky Bernard, and Michael Boley to an already ridiculous defense. They might not be able to score as many points as they have in the past, but they won’t allow as many either.

This team is a breakout wide receiver away from another Super Bowl run.

4. Carolina Panthers

I hate, HATE the re-signing of Jake Delhomme.

I hate it more than I hate a Super Bowl in London, and I really, REALLY hate the idea of a Super Bowl in London. The Panthers are going to be a good team again, and they’ll fail because of their washed-up QB again.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

5. Indianapolis Colts

Life without Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison will be much easier because of the addition of rookie running back Donald Brown.

The Colts might actually be able to have some balance on offense, which makes the always dangerous Peyton Manning even more dangerous.

6. Atlanta Falcons

The addition of To-Go gives QB Matt Ryan another weapon to help him avoid the sophomore slump.

I’m not sure the Falcons are a Super Bowl team just yet, but they’re close. In a related (maybe) note, whether reinstated or not, Mike Vick isn’t allowed within five miles of the Falcons' team facilities.

7. Baltimore Ravens

Michael Oher was an absolute steal at No. 23. The Ravens are masters at drafting, yet employ the exact opposite strategy of my recognized draft wizard Bill Belichick.

Rather than using their mojo to trick teams into trading way too much to move into their picks, they use their mojo to somehow convince every team in front of them to pass on the guy they want to draft, which leads to them getting guys like Oher late in the first round.

8. Tennessee Titans

Vince Young is a problem that will fester under the surface in Tennessee until it boils over, he becomes the starter again (which brings up a whole other group of problems), or the Titans ship him out of town.

You just can’t screw up with a high first round quarterback. In Vince Young, the Titans have a major screw-up on their hands.

9. Chicago Bears

Their entire offseason can be summed up in two words: Jay Cutler.

They gave up a ton to get him, but the Bears haven’t had a quarterback since...

Ummmm...hey, I’m only 30 years old.

That said, they still have no offensive line, and we’re likely going to watch Cutler get killed—but even on the sidelines, he’s the best quarterback the Bears have had in years.

10. Miami Dolphins

Vontae Davis and Pat White are both extremely talented, but nobody’s really sure if either is going to pan out in the NFL.

Davis apparently already believes he’s the best cornerback in Miami history and has developed a reputation for ignoring his coaches.

White is a supremely talented football player without a position. Can he play QB in the NFL? WR? RB? None of the above? All of the above?

Nobody’s sure...

11. Minnesota Vikings

Brad Childress is a blowhard with an ego the size of Brett Favre’s head. Somewhere between him bragging about one-upping Bill Belichick and admitting he wants to sign Favre, the Vikings should have sent him packing.

Who watches what Favre did in New York and says, "Boy, this guy could really help our team"?

12. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles watched the tremendous job that Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs did against the Giants in the Super Bowl and said to themselves, “You know, we should get those two guys so they can do that against the Giants twice every season!”

13. Green Bay Packers

The Packers needed defensive help, and they got it big time.

B.J. Raji is an absolute monster and gives them a 3-4 nose tackle who has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL.

Clay Matthews was one of the highest-rated linebackers in the draft. The Packers were surprisingly aggressive on draft weekend, and it’ll pay off next season.

14. Arizona Cardinals

No respect for the NFC’s representative in last season’s Super Bowl.

Of course, I didn’t respect them going into the Super Bowl, or the playoffs, or last season, or any season, for that matter.

Why start now?

15. San Diego Chargers

I’m putting the Chargers here with an asterisk.

If Shawne Merriman is healthy and back to being Shawne Merriman, the Chargers will be one of the best teams in the AFC.

If he’s not, and Larry English is forced to do his Shawne Merriman impression, the Chargers will once again be a middling defense.

16. Dallas Cowboys

Terrell Owens is gone, but Wade Phillips, Jerry Jones, Tony Romo, and Jessica Simpson are all still involved. Jerry Jones has not improved his team one iota this offseason; he might have made it worse.

Maybe he should fire his GM.

17. New York Jets

If Mark Sanchez can step in and play right away, the Jets will be significantly better than they were last year.

If he can’t, and I don’t think the Jets want him to, they’ll be significantly worse.

Favre was terrible in December last season, but he was serviceable up until that point.

Outside of Sanchez, no quarterback on that roster even approaches serviceable.

18. Denver Broncos

Josh McDaniels reminds me of a young Bill Belichick, especially his handling of the Jay Cutler mess.

McDaniels needs to do a better job of emulating the New England version of Bill Belichick so he doesn’t end up like the Cleveland version.

19. Houston Texans

I love Houston’s draft.

I have a man-crush on Connor Barwin, and Brian Cushing may have been the best linebacker in the draft.

Houston quietly featured one of the best offenses in the NFL last year. If they can get that defense on track, they could surprise some people.

20. New Orleans Saints

Malcolm Jenkins should help, and the Saints definitely have a prime time offense, but their defense still isn’t good enough.

They have the misfortune of playing in the same division as the Panthers and Falcons—both legit conference championship contenders in the NFC.

21. Washington Redskins

Any team with Albert Haynesworth should be ranked higher than this.

That said, no team with the dynamic Jim Zorn/Jason Campbell combo should be ranked this high, especially if they’re forced to play the Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants a combined six times next season.

22. Buffalo Bills

Marshawn Lynch, Terrell Owens, Donte Whitner, a head coach who is one bad stretch away from being fired, and a fanbase that’s ready to revolt...why aren’t the Bills doing Hard Knocks this year?

23. San Francisco 49ers

Because Raider fans are destined to be tortured until Al Davis retires (unlikely) or dies (the undead can’t die), Michael Crabtree is destined to become the next Jerry Rice.

Now the 49ers just need to find a young quarterback who can spend the next 10 years throwing him the ball.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars

I’ve given up on the Jaguars.

Every year they’re the “It” team everyone picks to win the AFC.

It’s time to face facts: Jack Del Rio just isn’t a very good head coach.

He’s a motivator, a strong personality, and a confident guy who sounds like a leader, but he’s been outcoached in every big game he’s ever coached in.

They can sign as many Torry Holts as they want; it won’t change the fact that this team is fatally flawed.

25. Kansas City Chiefs

Matt Cassel is going to find out quickly that the Chiefs’ offense isn’t the New England one he ran last season. This team is on the right track, but they’re still a year or two away.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Josh Freeman is pretty convinced he’s going to succeed.

I’m not so sure.

I had him ranked third among quarterbacks in a draft that didn’t have a quarterback that would have gone in the first round in last year’s draft.

He’s not Matt Ryan, he’s not Joe Flacco, and without a Ryan or Flacco, this team isn’t going anywhere in 2009.

27. Cincinnati Bengals

Character means nothing in Cincinnati.

In the first round, they drafted a guy who left the combine early without telling anyone, then showed up fat at his pro day. Then they took a linebacker who, while talented, dropped into the second round because teams questioned his character.

Awesome.

28. Cleveland Browns

Alex Mack and Brian Robiskie aren’t sexy picks, but they’ll both be quality NFL players.

Unfortunately, quality players are in the minority in Cleveland.

Oh yeah, and Eric Mangini isn’t exactly my favorite head coach.

29. Seattle Seahawks

Aaron Curry was probably the best player in the draft.

Max Unger is going to be a solid center.

Deon Butler should develop into a pretty nice wide receiver.

There, I’ve said all nice things about the fourth-worst team in the NFL.

30. Oakland Raiders

Darrius Heyward-Bey. Michael Mitchell. Someone, please, put Al Davis out of his misery.

31. St. Louis Rams

I actually like the Rams’ draft.

They got the best offensive tackle in the draft. They got themselves a solid, but not spectacular linebacker in James Laurinaitis.

The thing is, they were REALLY bad last year.

Really, really bad.

A solid draft class alone isn’t going to fix this.

32. Detroit Lions

I promise you this...no matter how bad it gets, no matter how poorly they do—there is absolutely no way they’ll finish the 2009 season with a worse record than the 2008 Detroit Lions.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots at http://www.patriotsexaminer.com.

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Darius Butler, Patrick Chung Headline Patriots' Solid-but-Unspectacular Draft

Sean Crowe — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:59:52 -0400

Based on the feedback I received this week, it appears that most Patriots fans aren’t all that excited about what went on in last weekend’s draft.

Most of you seem to be upset that the Patriots didn’t address the linebacker position on day one. Remember what I said leading up to the draft about the Patriots and their draft philosophy. They always take the best guy available.

They weren’t going to take a linebacker just for the sake of drafting a linebacker. The Patriots didn’t have any of this year’s crop of linebackers rated as highly as they did Jerod Mayo last year. If they did, they would have traded up to get him.

Overall, the 2009 draft was solid, but not spectacular. Patrick Chung and Darius Butler are probably the only two guys you’ll see play extensively this season.

Butler is the only guy with superstar potential, but he’s in no way a can’t miss guy. Ron Brace should be a solid two-down nose tackle.

Of the day two picks, I think Tyrone McKenzie has the best chance of being a contributor this season.

His skills directly translate to what the Patriots want out of an inside linebacker. Belichick spoke extremely highly of him after the draft. He could be in the rotation by the end of the season.

I’m not sold at all on Brandon Tate. Not even a little.

I understand the pick. There aren’t many first round talents available in the third round.

The Patriots had a ton of picks and could afford the gamble. I’m just not sold the guy is ever going to get his act together, especially with the NFL’s trigger-happy commissioner.

Let me put it this way. Tate knew for four years when his NFL Combine was going to be (well, approximately). How insanely stupid do you have to be to test positive for pot? And if you do test positive, why should I believe that it won’t happen again?

And if it happens again, he’ll be suspended by the NFL. Which makes him useless.

I’d love to be proven wrong, but I don’t think I will be.

I’m rooting hard for Sebastian Vollmer to become a player for a plethora of reasons. The obvious one: his nickname is Sea Bass.

His becoming a player would mean the end of Nick Kaczur, which would be absolutely fantastic considering I’m not sure Brady’s knee can withstand the two or three times a game Nick Kaczur tries to get him killed.

NEPatriotsDraft has the list of undrafted free agents the Patriots (and everyone else for that matter) have signed since the draft ended. Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer is intriguing.

ProFootballTalk.com has a story about Brad Childress bragging about getting one-up on Belichick by drafting Percy Harvin. Childress is a complete buffoon. Good luck with Sage Rosenfels and his druggie receiver friend.

I’ll get into my thoughts on the rest of the AFC East in more detail later, but here are some quick comments:

I can’t believe the Bills didn’t draft a left tackle.

The Jets made the right move giving up what they did to get their quarterback. You need a quarterback to win in the NFL. Before the trade, the Jets didn’t have a single decent quarterback on their roster.

The Dolphins drafting Pat White is scary.

Nobody seems to be all that upset about Ellis Hobbs being traded (well, except Ellis himself). Peter King summed up why he was traded nicely in his MMQB column Monday:

Hobbs is a gutsy, feisty little corner, a confident kid who gave the Patriots some good games covering top receivers. But the Patriots are a totally bottom-line group, and with keepers Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite making the team last year, and Darius Butler coming in Saturday, that's three cornerbacks picked in the first, second and fourth rounds of the past two drafts. Bill Belichick figures youth will be served, but I like that acquisition for Philly.

Patriots 2009 Draft Recap:

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The NFL Won't Be the Same without John Madden

Sean Crowe — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:49:03 -0400

When John Madden announced his retirement, my reflex reaction was one of happiness. Madden has driven me absolutely nuts for almost 10 years now.

Cris Collinsworth, for all his faults, is 10,000 times better in the booth than the 2008 version of John Madden.

Trust me, it’ll be an upgrade.

And yet, I’m a little sad to see Madden go.

I remember going over to my grandfather’s house for Thanksgiving and listening to Madden call the game. I remember knowing it was a big game, simply because Madden was there.

And he was good. Back then, he was damn good.

Anyone under 20 probably can’t fathom this, but Madden wasn’t always the guy you were forced to watch on Sunday Night Football last season. He used to be great.

He used to be the best.

It’s unfortunate that most young Patriots fans only remember Madden for his “play for overtime” comments during the Patriots-Rams Super Bowl. By that time, Madden had long since lost his fastball. If he was Pedro Martinez when he first started with FOX, he was Tim Wakefield by the time the Patriots and Rams met in that Super Bowl.

In his prime, Madden was the perfect color commentator. He knew football, he had credibility, and he could talk to both hardcore and casual football fans.

Don’t take that last point lightly.

There are very few commentators who could explain what just happened both to my liking and my mother’s.

John Madden had a way of doing it.

Madden understood his audience, and he played to it perfectly. Just enough nuts-and-bolts stuff to keep me happy, and just enough “boom” and simplification to keep my mother happy.

There isn’t a color commentator in the game today who can do it like Madden did. And there may never be another one.

In his later years, he became a caricature of himself, but he remained “hip” by having his name attached to the greatest and most successful sports video game franchise ever.

Trust me, kids today know who Madden is because of the video game. Not because of how well he does in the booth with Al Michaels.

So, anyway, I’m going to miss the guy. The NFL won’t be the same without him.

This article originally appeared on New England Patriots Examiner.

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New England Patriots Face a Much Tougher Schedule in 2009

Sean Crowe — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:36:46 -0400

The NFL released the Patriots' 2009 regular season schedule Tuesday night. You can check it out here.

The Patriots actually leaked their prime-time schedule about a half hour before the entire schedule was due to be released. Those crafty…err…Krafts.

Prime Time Games

Sept. 14 (Monday) — vs. Buffalo (7 p.m.)
Nov. 15 – at Indianapolis (8:20 p.m.)
Nov. 30 (Monday) – at New Orleans (8:30 p.m.)
Dec. 6 – at Miami (8:20 p.m.)

The Buffalo game we already knew about. We’re also pretty happy about it. It’s a home game, in prime time, against the Bills.

The Bills, who aren’t nearly as good as the Patriots, will be missing their best offensive player in Marshawn Lynch, and could be missing their starting safety in Donte Whitner (depending on how his recent arrest plays out).

Sounds good to me.

The Colts game is kind of surprising. The last few years, the NFL has elected to put the Patriots-Colts game in the 4:15 p.m. slot in mid-November (sweeps) due to the game’s ability to draw ratings no matter when it’s played.

New Orleans should be a fun, offensive battle, and Miami-New England is always fun.

Toughest Stretch of the Schedule

Sept. 27 – vs. Atlanta (11-5)
Oct. 4 – vs. Baltimore (11-5)
Oct. 11 – at Denver (8-8)
Oct. 18 – vs. Tennessee (13-3)
Oct. 25 -- at Buccaneers (9-7)
Nov. 1 -- Bye Week
Nov. 8 – vs. Miami (11-5)
Nov. 15 – at Indianapolis (12-4)
Nov. 22 – vs. N.Y. Jets (9-7)
Nov. 30 – at New Orleans (8-8)
Dec. 6 – at Miami (11-5)
Dec. 13 – vs. Carolina (12-4)

Are you kidding me?

Over this stretch of schedule, the Patriots will play 7 of 11 games against playoff teams from last season. Their opponents’ combined record from last season was 115–61.

Yikes.

Let me put it this way. If the Patriots’ defense plays like it played last season, there’s absolutely no way they win 11 games again.

Of course, I have no reason to believe the Patriots’ defense is going to be anything but better—and significantly better. But the strength-of-schedule difference is worth pointing out.

The Patriots should start the season 2-0. They are much, much better than both the Bills and the Jets. They should finish the season 3-0 (at Buffalo, vs. Jacksonville, and at Houston).

If the Patriots can take care of business at the bookends of their schedule, they likely would only need to go 6-5 against that death-stretch to make the playoffs.

Then again, 11 wins missed the playoffs in 2008…

Two Most Intriguing Games on the Schedule

Oct. 4 – vs. Baltimore
Oct. 11 – at Denver

The Denver game is intriguing for obvious reasons. The student vs. the teacher.

Or maybe the team that gave a franchise quarterback to the Chiefs for a second-round pick while leaking that the Broncos were interested in Matt Cassel, throwing their team into complete disarray that resulted in the Kyle Orton era vs. the student?

The Baltimore game is intriguing because, if you recall, it was the 11-5 Ravens that made the playoffs over the 11-5 Patriots. Not that it’ll go back and erase what happened last season, but you can be sure the Patriots will have this one circled.

Obviously, we’ll all be looking forward to the Jets, Dolphins, and Colts games. It’ll be fun to see Matt Ryan back in New England.

Heck, I’m excited about the entire schedule.

How long ‘til September?

This article also appeared on New England Patriots Examiner.

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The 10 Most Surprisingly Intriguing Games of the 2009 NFL Season

Sean Crowe — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:55:19 -0400

With the NFL releasing the 2009 schedule later today, I figured I’d take a look at the 10 most surprisingly intriguing (to me, anyway) games of the 2009 season.

As soon as the schedule comes out I’ll be highlighting these games—and because of NFL Sunday Ticket, I’ll actually be able to watch them all.

I’m already excited.

Broncos-Chiefs

The offensive coordinator vs. the quarterback he made rich.

Or the recently made rich quarterback vs. the offensive coordinator he turned into a legit head coaching candidate.

However you want to look at it.

This matchup is made even more intriguing by the fact that Josh McDaniels tried to get Matt Cassel and failed, then saw him land with a division rival for a measly second round pick.

Falcons-Jets

John Abraham returns to New York for the first time since he left after the 2005 season, but that’s not why this game interests me.

In the Falcons, you have a team with a fantastic young quarterback.

In the Jets, you have a team without any semblance of a quarterback.

I just like seeing it rubbed in New York’s face...

Cardinals-Titans

Kurt Warner vs. Kerry Collins. They’re a combined 73 years old. They’ll be a combined 74 years old when the 2009 season starts. Even better, they both signed multi-year contracts this offseason.

How can you not be intrigued by this?

Bengals-Lions

In a matchup that could determine who gets the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NFL draft, the hapless Lions travel to Cincinnati to face the pathetic Bengals.

Everyone loves the Bad News Bears. Now, imagine them as a football team. Playing against clones of themselves. ‘Nuff said.

Broncos-Patriots

Most years, a Broncos-Patriots game wouldn’t show up on anyone’s preseason radar. With the exception of the “intentional safety” game, the Broncos usually blow out the Patriots. Every now and then the opposite happens (like last season), but these two teams very rarely play an entertaining game.

Or at least a game that’s entertaining to both fanbases.

I’m not saying this game will be any different, but the whole “teacher vs. student” storyline is always interesting.

Another subplot is how well McDaniels knows Tom Brady. Maybe he can find a weakness. I mean, other than his knee...

Steelers-Lions

Massive bloodbath potential here. Thank God for NFL Sunday Ticket. No way I’d miss this one. The over-under on rushing yards for the Steelers is 280.

I’ll take the over.

Cowboys-Chargers

Norv Turner vs. Wade Phillips. Two men who have mystified generations of football fans with their annoying ability to get and retain head coaching jobs in the NFL.

Two guys with supremely talented teams that underachieve every year.

An overrated offensive head coach vs. an overrated defensive head coach.

The over-under on delay of game penalties is nine. The over-under on wasted timeouts is four. Per team.

We can only hope that one or both of these guys won’t be fired before we get to see this clash of the head coaching titans.

Raiders-Redskins

Dan Snyder vs. Al Davis. Talk about a battle of inept NFL ownership—these two guys are poster children for how not to run an NFL team.

In all fairness, Al Davis only falls into this category because he’s lost his mind. Snyder never actually had a mind to lose.

49ers-Bears

Mike Singletary was an absolute monster when he played linebacker for the Bears. As a head coach, he’s been an entertainingly loose cannon. This game will mean something to him (it would mean more if it were being played in Chicago, but it will be meaningful nonetheless), and I expect his players to react accordingly.

This will be a surprisingly good game.

Vikings-Panthers

The Vikings and Panthers will meet in the battle of teams that needed to address the quarterback position this offseason to remain relevant but failed miserably. Sage Rosenfels? Seriously?

Give me a break...

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com.

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B.J. Raji, Brian Cushing, Other Prospects Tarnished By Irresponsible Journalism

Sean Crowe — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 01:09:57 -0400

Reports have surfaced recently that the NFL has informed the agents of several players who have been accused of failing drug tests at the combine that they did not, in fact, fail any tests.

If this is true, then someone has some serious explaining to do.

Far be it for me to chastise the traditional media, but I’m more than annoyed with the recent handling of “leaked” NFL combine drug test results.

About 12 years ago, I exchanged e-mails with a popular ESPN writer. I had just launched a sports website and was trying to get him to link to it on his ESPN page.

The writer told me that he was against fan-driven sports sites (at the time, “blogs” didn’t exist). His contention was that outside the traditional media, there are no checks and balances.

Since they’re not in danger of being fired, there’s nothing to stop “fans who are pretending to be sports writers” from reporting false rumors.

They answer to nobody. There’s no accountability. He wasn’t about to encourage something like that.

I e-mailed him when ESPN followed the Boston Herald’s lead and rushed to report the whole “Patriots taped the Rams’ walk-through” story.

ESPN knew it was a shaky story with even shakier sources, but they reported it anyway in the hopes that it would help their Super Bowl pregame show ratings.

The report was false. They knew when they reported it that it was likely false. Yet nobody was fired. There was no accountability.

Of course, my e-mail went unanswered.

More recently, Sports Illustrated reported that Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji tested positive for a banned substance at the combine. They were confident in their sources. They reported it as if it were fact.

The traditional media, ESPN included, wasted no time jumping on the story.

NFLDraftBible.com, hardly a bastion for reputable journalism, followed up the Sports Illustrated report with a report of their own. They claimed that USC linebackers Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews Jr. had both tested positive for steroids.

Again, the traditional media pounced.

When I wrote my open letter to potential NFL draft picks, I refused to play that game.

It was irresponsible, especially considering that when these names were leaked, the NFL wasn’t even aware of who passed or failed the combine tests.

The NFL has reportedly informed Raji, Cushing, and Matthews Jr. that they did not fail their drug tests.

So I checked SI.com. No retraction. No apology. Though oddly enough, the original report about Raji was no longer on their site.

Not that I expected one, but NFLDraftBible.com didn’t have a retraction (that I could find) on their site either.

It’s amazing. In a race to break the news first, nobody seems to care anymore whether or not the news is true.

And accountability? Nonexistent.

John Tomase still works for the Herald, even though he falsely reported that the Patriots videotaped the Rams’ walk-through.

Nobody at Sports Illustrated is going to get fired for the B.J. Raji story.

NFLDraftBible.com is still allowed to exist.

Apparently, in the media, the only way you can get yourself fired is if you advocate downloading pirated copies of movies that were made by the guys signing your paycheck.

After all, it’s about making money, not reporting the news.

Which, by the way, is precisely why sites like Examiner.com, Pro Football Talk, and BleacherReport.com need to exist. To point out the hypocrisy.

To hold them accountable.

After all, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the rest of the traditional media aren’t going to hold themselves accountable. They’ll tarnish the reputation of their own mothers without a second thought if they think it’ll help their ratings.

So let’s make a deal. From now until draft day, unless the NFL puts out a statement saying a player tested positive for a banned substance, let’s assume they’re innocent until proven guilty.

Let’s get back to talking about what these tremendous athletes can do on the football field instead of making up stories about what they do off the field.

Follow Sean Crowe on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

An Open Letter to Potential NFL Draft Picks

Sean Crowe — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 01:41:18 -0400

Dear potential NFL draft picks,

I was never good enough even to consider playing big time college football.

Hell, I wasn’t good enough to consider playing small time college football.

I can’t imagine what it would be like to know that I’m going to be drafted by an NFL team in a few short weeks.

Some of you are just a few short weeks away from potentially making more money than most of us will make in our lifetimes.

So how about growing up a little?

Is it too much to ask to avoid the pot for the couple of months between your bowl game and the draft? Seriously? How could any of you test positive for pot at the combine?

At the COMBINE, of all places!

The stupidity of that is astounding.

If I’m an NFL GM, how can I trust that you won’t be the next Ricky Williams? You couldn’t stay away from pot for three months! That shows me an amazing lack of self control, and an even more insane lack of intelligence.

The official list of players who failed the combine drug test hasn’t been released yet. I’m not going to participate in the irresponsible journalism that's been running wild the last few days (Whenever you hear "ESPN is reporting..." you can assume either someone else reported it first, or it's irresponsible journalism).

I’m not going to repeat rumors I've heard. I'm not going to name names.

But suffice to say, some names will be on the list.

And I’m dumbfounded by this.

If you're one of the players whose name is about to show up on your first ever NFL drug test under the “Failed” column, I implore you: grow the hell up.

Don’t waste your talent. Don’t screw up a good thing.

You’re about to enter a profession that will pay you very well. Your career will likely last between three and eight years. You’re telling me, for millions of potential dollars, you can’t stay off the weed for eight years?

I’m writing this not as a critic, or one of those holier than thou, anti-drug crusaders.

I’m writing this as a fan.

Speaking as a fan, I want to enjoy your NFL career.

I want to watch great NFL players live up to their potential. I have no interest in reading about how my team’s first round pick is going to miss the first four games of the season.

So if you can't do it for yourself, do it for the millions of people who would trade places with you in a heartbeat. Do it for the poor chumps who paid to see you every Saturday, and will continue to pay to see you on Sunday.

Otherwise, don't waste my time.

Best Regards,

Sean Crowe
The New England Patriots Examiner

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

If You Can Play Quarterback, the Jets Are Accepting Applications

Sean Crowe — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:34:27 -0400

It’s not a good time to be a New York Jets fan.

The Jets were supposed to be a Super Bowl contender last season. They were supposed to be the team who finally knocked the Patriots off their AFC East perch.

Brett Favre was supposed to be the solution to their quarterback problems. He was supposed to lead the Jets to the promise land.

Instead, the Jets did EXACTLY what I predicted prior to the season: They won nine games and barely missed the playoffs.

Not to toot my own horn, but here’s an exact quote from my August 20th preview:

The Jets will go 9-7, barely missing the playoffs. Then Favre will retire.

Then he’ll un-retire.

We’ll see about the second half of that prediction.

The Jets were very easy to predict last season. Their defense was OK. Their offense was OK. But their quarterback situation was, to be kind, shaky.

Anyone who’s watched the NFL for more than a season or two understood the Jets weren’t winning anything with Brett Favre at the helm.

Unless they do something soon, they risk going into next season with an even worse quarterback situation.

You think Favre was bad? How about this motley crew:

Erik Ainge, Kellen Clemens, and Brett Ratliff

Of the three, only Kellen Clemens has any real NFL experience.

In his three seasons, he’s started eight games (all in 2007) and played in 14. He has the same number of fumbles (five) as he does touchdown passes. He’s thrown 2.2 interceptions for every touchdown pass. His career QB rating is a paltry 59.3.

Neither Brett Ratliff or Erik Ainge has ever thrown a pass in the NFL.

The Jets are moderately excited about Ratliff based on his preseason performance last season, but the NFL street is littered with quarterbacks who’ve looked good in the preseason.

Basically, their QB situation is an absolute mess.

The Jets are reportedly interested in trying to swing a deal for disgruntled Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler.

But not so fast.

Josh McDaniels doesn’t seem to be interested in dealing his QB just yet, and the Jets locker room doesn’t seem to be all that interested in welcoming Cutler to New Jersey.

ProFootballTalk.com reported a couple of weeks ago that the Jets might be interested in guys like Byron Leftwich, Jeff Garcia, J.P. Losman and Kyle Boller. They may also be waiting to see if Marc Bulger becomes an option.

But hey, according to Ron Borges of the Boston Herald, Rex Ryan is happy with the guys he has on his team.

From a Patriots’ perspective, that’s all good news.

Let me put it this way: If they Jets don’t resolve their quarterback issues before September, that’s one less team the Patriots will have to contend with in the AFC East.

For more Jets news, check out our two Jets examiners: Angel Navedo and Tyson Rauch.

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

The Wussification of the NFL Continues As Owners Pass New Safety Proposals

Sean Crowe — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:45:06 -0400

The NFL owners have gotten together once again and attempted to make the game of football a little safer for its players.

Here’s the problem: NFL football is not a safe game.

You can’t take the hitting out of the NFL. No matter how hard you try, players are going to get hurt.

It’s a tragedy (relatively speaking) that Tom Brady missed the entire season last year because a defender tried to make a play and lunged at his knee. It’s bad for the NFL, bad for the Patriots, and bad for the fans.

But you can’t overreact and make a rule that says any defender on the ground is no longer allowed to attempt to tackle the quarterback. That’s dumb.

One has to wonder whether or not anyone, either seriously or in jest, brought up changing the game from tackle to two-hand-touch.

In addition to the Tom Brady Rule, the NFL also outlawed the wedge on kickoffs, made the “bunch” formation illegal on kickoffs, made crack-back blocks like the ones Hines Ward made famous illegal, and made it illegal to hit a defenseless receiver in the head or neck with your forearm or shoulder.

Seriously?

I’m not even sure where to start.

The wedge is something I ran in high school. As a matter of fact, it was the only kick return play we knew. Teams have been running it since the days of the leather helmets. All of a sudden it’s not safe enough?

Seriously?

There’s some legitimacy to the wide receiver rule. No forearm shivers to the head when a wide receiver is in a defenseless position. Fair enough I guess.

But crack-back blocks?

If a linebacker has his head down during a play and gets leveled unexpectedly by a wide receiver, he deserves what he gets. What’s the receiver supposed to do? Tap him on the shoulder and warn the defensive player that he’s coming?

The wussification of the NFL continues. I’ll let Dennis Miller take it from here:

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

Josh McDaniels and the Broncos Have a Serious Problem in QB Jay Cutler

Sean Crowe — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:19:11 -0400

Josh McDaniels knew he had a problem with his franchise quarterback when he took the job in Denver.

It wasn’t a talent issue. It wasn’t a performance issue.

It was an attitude issue.

The leader of your offense has to completely buy into your system. He has to be an extension of you in the locker room.

Bill Belichick doesn’t win championships without Tom Brady, but Brady doesn’t win championships without Belichick either.

The relationship between a quarterback and a head coach is important. More important than any other player-coach relationship on an NFL team.

If a wide receiver doesn’t buy into the system, other wide receivers on the team can take their place. The same thing goes for running backs, cornerbacks, safeties, etc.

But there’s only one starting quarterback. There’s only one guy who touches the ball on every offensive play. There’s only one guy who speaks in the offensive huddle.

Cutler, with all of his physical talents, isn’t ready to be that guy for McDaniels. Matt Cassel, even though he lacks some of the physical tools Cutler brings to the table, is.

Which is why McDaniels tried to deal away his starting quarterback and bring in his former starting quarterback.

The trade fell through. It never happened. McDaniels is prepared to go into the season with his current starting quarterback while the one he wanted starts for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cutler, however, is too busy crying to anyone who will listen about how he was "wronged" by his new head coach. The relationship, according to Cutler, is irreparably damaged.

Give me a bloody break.

Cutler needs to get the hell over himself. He needs to grow up.

So your team tried to trade you? So freaking what?

Cutler has done absolutely nothing in the NFL. He’s proven absolutely nothing. The Broncos have gone 8-8, 7-9, and 9-7 over the last three seasons.

Don't you have to make the playoffs before you're allowed to become a diva? Maybe Cutler can explain to me how anyone on a team that's gone 24-24 over the last three seasons can have such a high opinion of himself.

He’s not Brady. He’s not Philip Rivers. He’s not even Cassel.

He’s a loser, a middling quarterback with a mouth that his play can’t back up.

He’s an immature punk who needed to be put in his place.

Cutler has a ton of talent, nobody questions that. But being a starting quarterback in the NFL takes more than just talent. If talent were all it took, Jeff George would be in the Hall of Fame.

McDaniels laid down the law with his new quarterback, and his new quarterback is currently throwing a temper-tantrum.

One of two things will come from this. Cutler will learn his lesson, come back, buy into McDaniels’ system, and be the Broncos starting quarterback.

Or he won’t.

Either way, McDaniels will be fine. McDaniels turned Cassel, a guy who had never started in college or the NFL, into a legitimate NFL starting quarterback.

You don’t think he can do the same with Chris Simms?

Or anyone else with a shred of talent and the right attitude for that matter?

If he doesn’t get his head out of his ass, Cutler can enjoy his time in Detroit—where he can be a coddled superstar quarterback on another non-playoff team.

The Broncos, meanwhile, will be just fine without him.

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

Matt Cassel Trade Fallout: Break Out the Tin Foil Hats

Sean Crowe — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:07:37 -0400

In Belichick We Trust.

At least until he trades a former Pro Bowl linebacker and a franchised quarterback to an old friend for a second-round draft pick.

The tin foil hat crowd is out in full force.

Belichick turned down better offers and gave Cassel away to help a friend. Belichick traded Vrabel because Vrabel was a union guy and wanted the players to get a cut of Patriot Place.

Or my personal favorite: Belichick is setting himself up to take the head coaching job in Kansas City after he's fired in New England.

Here's a few things we know about Belichick:

1) He's a shrewd negotiator when it comes to making trades.
2) He's a cold-hearted, cut-throat business man.
3) He'd trade his own son if he thought it would help the Patriots win a football game.

Why, in God's name, would we believe that he all of a sudden grew a heart and decided to help out an old friend at the expense of his current team? Why in the world would we believe that he turned down better offers and just gave Cassel and Vrabel to Kansas City in a moment of weakness?

I don't like the trade. I think the Patriots got fleeced. But I guarantee you that Belichick believes this was the best deal he could make in the time frame during which he needed to make the deal.

Maybe the Broncos were interested. Maybe they would have given up a first round pick. Maybe.

One of two things happened here. Either Belichick didn't want to give Cassel to a team he'd be competing with immediately in the AFC (face it, the Broncos are much further along than the Chiefs). Or there was no trade. The Broncos were not ready to make the deal when the deal needed to be made.

And make no mistake about it, the deal HAD to be made when it was made. The Patriots didn't even have enough room to resign James Sanders. They had to restructure Randy Moss' contract just to get Fred Taylor signed. They were HURTING. They were paralyzed by the Matt Cassel cap figure.

Was it their own fault? Yes.

Did they paint themselves into a corner? Yes.

But if you believe that Belichick has done anything this offseason for any reason other than he thought it was the best thing for the New England Patriots, then the sun reflecting off of your tin foil hat is starting to fry your brain.

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

For the NBA, It's a Question of Integrity

Sean Crowe — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:52:55 -0400

Far be it for me to question the integrity of the National Basketball Association, but after the last two days of Cleveland Cavaliers' games, let’s just say I have my doubts that everything’s on the up-and-up.

First, you have a game against the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics dominated the Cavs in the paint, while the Cavs repeatedly settled for outside jump shots. Typically, when something like this happens, the team taking the ball to the paint ends up at the free throw line more often than the one settling for jump shots.

Not this time.

The Cavs took 38 free throws to the Celtics 12. And it was BAD. Very bad. Bad enough that the ESPN announcers talked about it, and the Celtics home (TV and Radio) announcers both openly questioned the integrity of the officials calling the game.

Tommy Heinsohn, admittedly not known for his impartiality, actually said that in his opinion, something didn’t smell right with the officiating crew, and the NBA should immediately investigate what’s going on.

He's been known to question officials before, but I've never (in nearly 20 years of watching) heard him go as far as he went on Friday night.

Much to the NBA's apparent dismay, the Celtics were able to beat King James and the Cavs even with the free throw disparity and without Kevin Garnett playing. Not sure what that says about the Cavs, but it says a heck of a lot about that Celtics team.

Then came Saturday. Another game where the Cavs had almost twice as many free throw attempts as their opponent (25 to the Heat’s 15). Another questionably officiated game.

The whole thing was capped off by a Dwyane Wade drive where he was leveled by apparent super star Anderson Varejao while the official, rather than calling a foul, started clapping, called a few technicals on Miami, ejected Wade, then asked King James for his autograph.

Remember that game on Feb. 10 against Indiana that ended with a foul called on LeBron James? I’d bet my entire life savings (admittedly, with the way the stock market is, it’d be a small bet) that the NBA came down like a ton of bricks on that officiating crew.

How DARE they call a foul late in the game on The King? Are you KIDDING? He’s King Freaking James!

Since that game, the Cavs have attempted more free throws than their opponents in all but three games. They’ve averaged almost 10 more free throws per game than their opponents. And, as we’ve witnessed in the last two games, there are very few fouls called against them in crunch time.

Even super stars like Wade and Paul Pierce don’t get calls, while lesser players like Varejao and Mo Williams get calls as if they were an extension of King James.

Like I said, far be it for me to question the integrity of the NBA. But this goes beyond the super star getting every call. This is borderline game fixing.

Which, actually, is far more comforting than the alternative—complete and utter incompetence.

Why the NFL and the NFLPA Will Never Allow an Uncapped 2010 Season

Sean Crowe — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:42:03 -0500

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. Specifically, the upcoming “uncapped” 2010 season.

I, like you, have been wondering what this means for the Patriots.

Technically, the Patriots are a big-market team. They’re owned by a billionaire. If the NFL were to announce tomorrow that they were getting rid of the salary cap, it should help your favorite NFL team.

Maybe not as much as it would help the Dallas Cowboys or either New York team, but suffice to say the Patriots would be among the haves, while teams like the Buffalo Bills will be solidly among the have-nots.

The problem is, the NFL and the NFLPA built so many poison pills into the uncapped season that it might actually be harder to spend money than it is with a salary cap.

If you’re a free agent and you want to sign with a good team, you’re probably going to be out of luck in an uncapped NFL. There will be something called the “Final Eight Plan” that will limit the amount of free agents playoff teams can sign.

The salary cap disappears, but so does the salary floor. So the Miami Dolphins could turn their roster into something similar to the Florida Marlins if they so desired.

Players who have been in the NFL for four seasons expect to become unrestricted free agents. In an uncapped NFL, they’d be restricted for another two seasons.

Teams would have the right to use the transition tag on two players instead of one, giving them the right to match any offer made by another club. The franchise tag would be far easier to swallow, because one-year deals for huge money would be no problem with no salary cap.

Which means it will be increasingly harder for players to leave via free agency.

Player benefits would be a thing of the past should the NFL get to the uncapped season. Teams would no longer have to pay into 401Ks, severance pay, tuition assistance, and player annuity. The league typically puts about $225 million per year into these types of programs.

The league and the NFLPA are both smart. They know that what they have works. They may argue over how large a slice of the pie both sides should get, but they know the pie they have now is pretty good.

They’d rather not trade it in for the same pie from which Major League Baseball is eating.

So I’m not putting one ounce of effort into worrying about an uncapped year. I just don’t believe it’s going to happen. It didn’t happen in 2007, it won’t happen in 2010.

The NFL owners will threaten to lock out the players. Both sides will set deadlines. The players will walk out of the negotiations and threaten to decertify the union.

But in the end, after the 2009 season ends and before free agency begins, a new collective bargaining agreement will be signed. Everyone will be happy, except for Ralph Wilson, who will be confused.

But most importantly, an uncapped season will be avoided once again.

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

Tully Banta-Cain's Failed Stint with 49ers More Proof of Bill Belichick's Genius

Sean Crowe — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:02:23 -0500

Tully Banta-Cain was a nice role player for the New England Patriots.

In his last season with the Patriots, he showed flashes of brilliance. He had 5.5 sacks, became a pretty good third down pass rusher, and looked like he was ready to become a full time starting linebacker in the NFL.

The 49ers saw this, and signed him to a big-money contract hoping he would take the next step in San Francisco. TBC never took that next step.

The 49ers ended up releasing TBC earlier this off-season, and in case you hadn’t heard, the Patriots signed him.

Bill Belichick’s genius isn’t in his game plans. There are plenty of great X’s and O’s coaches in the NFL. There are numerous guys who can draw up a great play.

Belichick can do those things as well as anyone. But his genius is in knowing exactly what a player can and can’t do.

His talent evaluation skills, when it comes to players on his own team, are matched by nobody. It’s the reason why the Patriots have a roster that’s 53 useful players deep, while most teams don’t even have a full set of useful starters.

Belichick knew TBC wasn’t a full-time linebacker. He knew TBC would have issues in coverage and setting the edge against the run.

But he also knew TBC could be a menace rushing the quarterback, and an even bigger menace on special teams.

So that’s what TBC did when he was in New England. He was a standout special teams player and a third down pass rusher. He looked good doing those things because those were the things he was good at doing. Belichick never asked him to set the edge against the rush. He rarely asked him to drop back into coverage.

Belichick saw a guy who could rush the passer, and he used him to rush the passer. That’s it.

It sounds simple, but there aren’t 5 other head coaches in the NFL who handle their own talent as efficiently.

It’s also the primary reason why I think Josh McDaniels is going to be successful in Denver. The guys who have left here to become head coaches have all been pretty good X’s and O’s guys. McDaniels is no exception. But it’s his background in personnel that will make the difference in Denver.

Because you can come up with the best game plans in the world, if you don’t have players who can carry them out, you’re not going to be successful.

Just ask Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis, and Eric Mangini.

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

Why the Patriots Must Keep Vince Wilfork from Becoming the Next Asante Samuel

Sean Crowe — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:34:11 -0500

After the 2005 season, the Patriots had a chance to sign Asante Samuel to a long term extension.

The sides were reportedly only a few million dollars apart. Close enough that a deal should have been struck. But the Patriots and Samuel both took a hard line, and the deal never happened.

Samuel became a free agent after the 2006 season. When he reached free agency, he was as good as gone. The Patriots, who likely could have extended Samuel for relatively cheap dollars compared to what he got in free agency, were forced to franchise him for a season then watch him leave for Philadelphia and a ton more money.

The Patriots weren’t able to replace Samuel in 2008, and you can make a decent case that his loss cost them a shot at the playoffs.

If their secondary was able to come up with one stop in the Colts game or a big play in overtime against the Jets, the Patriots wouldn’t have missed the playoffs.

The lesson here is that when you have a guy on your team that you need to keep, you have to lock him up BEFORE he becomes a free agent. Even if it means budging just a little and giving him a few million dollars more than you think he’s worth.

Because if you wait for free agency, there won’t be enough money available to keep him. There’s always some other team willing to overpay for a useful player who’s coming from a good team.

Since Bill Belichick arrived on the scene, the Patriots haven’t made many mistakes. When they have, they’ve learned from them. Like their players, the Patriots’ front office very rarely makes the same mistake twice.

Which begs the question: Why haven’t the Patriots extended Vince Wilfork’s contract?

With all due respect to Asante Samuel, losing him would pale in comparison to losing one of the best nose tackles in the game. Samuel can be replaced. There are other elite cornerbacks in the league, or potentially in the draft, that the Patriots could sign.

Who would you replace Wilfork with?

All of the good nose tackles in the NFL, and most of the mediocre ones, are locked up long term already because their teams know they’re indispensable.

Ask Ray Lewis how good he’d be if Haloti Ngata wasn’t keeping three-fifths of the opposing offensive line busy on every play.

Vince Wilfork might be the most indispensable player not named Tom Brady on the New England Patriots. And after the season Matt Cassel had last year, he may have overtaken Brady.

Effective 3-4 nose tackles are a rare breed. They have to be willing to forgo their own stats, do the dirty work against the interior of the opponent's offensive line, and take a tremendous beating week in and week out.

When you find one who’s not only willing, but able to do the job, you hang on to him.

Which is why the Patriots MUST sign him to an extension. Immediately.

Wilfork was in the news recently telling the Boston Globe that he’s willing to listen, but the Patriots haven’t tried talking yet. Which is understandable considering the Patriots lost their GM, lost their offensive coordinator, and had to franchise their backup quarterback.

But now that things have settled down, it’s time to lock up their nose tackle.

Don’t let Vince Wilfork become the next Asante Samuel.

Related Articles:

Asante Samuel was the difference between making and missing the playoffs for Eagles and Patriots
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NFL Divisional Round Recap: Asante Samuel helps lead Eagles to NFC Championship game
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This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

Patriots Draft Prospects: Brian Cushing, LB, USC

Sean Crowe — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:11:37 -0500

Previous Prospects:
D.J. Moore, CB/KR/WR, Vanderbilt
Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

Brian Cushing, LB, USC

Height: 6-3 Weight: 255
Age: 22 Class: Senior

The Good:

In many ways, Brian Cushing is the perfect outside linebacker.

His combination of size, speed, and athleticism is unique. He has the ability to physically dominate offensive linemen just as easily as he can blow right by them. He has all the tools required to cover tight ends, and he’s fast enough to cover some wide receivers.

He’s versatile, which is something we know the Patriots love. He has experience at defensive end and linebacker.

He can be a run stopper, a pass rusher, and he can drop into coverage.

Like I said, in many ways, Cushing is the perfect outside linebacker.

The Bad:

Durability is a problem.

As dominant as he can be, there is some question as to whether or not he can hold up through a long NFL season.

He’s really only had one completely healthy year in college.

While he’s played pretty well when not 100 percent healthy, that’s not as easy to do in the NFL.

If he’s going to be an impact player on Sunday, he needs to PLAY every Sunday.

The Verdict:

The Patriots could do worse than Cushing, that’s for sure.

He’s slated to go right around where the Patriots are picking at 23. As a matter of fact, there are a ton of mock drafts out there that have him landing in New England.

If he can stay healthy, he’s a perfect fit. The Patriots are really, really old at the outside linebacker position. They also lack a consistent pass rush. Cushing would bring youth and pass rushing ability.

As long as he can stay healthy…

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

A Way Too Early Preview of the 2009 NFL Season

Sean Crowe — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:52:08 -0500

Now that the 2008 season is officially over, it’s time to start looking ahead to the 2009 season.

Which teams will improve? Which teams will fall off? Which team is going to be next season’s Miami Dolphins? Which team will be next season’s Cleveland Browns?

The best thing about the NFL is that right now, even fans of the Detroit Lions believe their team can get to the Super Bowl next season. Last year’s St. Louis Rams can be next year’s Atlanta Falcons.

After all, if the Cardinals can get to the Super Bowl, anyone can get there!

Three Teams on the Rise

Denver Broncos

Long gone is the myth that head coaches can’t succeed in their first season with a new team. The Broncos were undone by a roster that lacked defensive talent and an offense that suffered key injuries.

And don’t overlook the fact that Mike Shanahan’s coaching style may have finally grown stale in the mile-high city.

The Broncos have a new head coach, a new philosophy, and offensive weapons that are perfect for the Josh McDaniels’ spread offense.

The Chargers won the AFC West with eight wins last season. They’ll probably be favored coming into the season to win the division again. But watch out for the Broncos.

No way they lose every big game down the stretch and allow someone else to back into their playoff spot again.

New England Patriots

The Patriots won 11 games, yet they missed the playoffs last season. But 11 wins didn’t tell the whole story. The Patriots played a pretty weak schedule and suffered tremendously on the defensive side of the ball.

Their secondary was terrible, with a capital awful.

The Patriots have five picks in the first three rounds of this year’s draft. They also have that Matt Cassel guy, whom I still think is going to be traded for additional first day draft picks before April’s draft.

Oh yeah, and that Tom Brady guy is going to be back next season.

The Patriots are in position to retain everyone from their record setting offense, and upgrade the defense significantly through the draft. They won’t lose a single significant player this offseason.

The Patriots are the early favorites to retake the AFC East title, no doubt about that. Vegas has them as the favorites to win it all.

Green Bay Packers

It was a strange season for Brett Favre’s former team. First, they had the Favre saga carry into the preseason. Then their defense lost the ability to stop anyone during the regular season.

If I’d have told you that Aaron Rodgers was going to play as well or better than Favre had the year before, yet they’d finish 6-10, you never would have believed me.

The Packers need to fix their defensive line. The Packers struggled to replace Corey Williams and will have to find a way to do so this offseason.

But I refuse to believe their defense was as bad as it looked at times last year.

How you feel about the 2009 Packers comes down to this question: Is their defense closer to what we saw in 2007, or is it closer to what we saw in 2008.

I think it’ll be closer to the 2007 version.

Three Teams on the Decline

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins will have a few things working against them next season.

They caught a few teams by surprise last season, and it gained them two or three extra wins. They were able to feast on what was really a terrible schedule on their way to 11 wins. They went 2-5 against teams with winning records (counting their playoff loss to the Ravens).

That’s not taking anything away from what they did. Going from one to 11 wins is unheard of. And there’s no way this team is going to fall back to what they were in 2007.

But they will fall back a little.

Their schedule will be tougher. They won’t catch teams by surprise. Chad Pennington is still running the offense, and last I checked his arm was still made of noodles.

Seven or eight wins for the 2009 Dolphins is a pretty realistic target.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens made the list because they’re surely going to lose at least one of their marquee free agents, Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, and Bart Scott.

It’s also very possible, if not very likely, that Joe Flacco will experience a sophomore slump.

The Ravens also have the misfortune of playing in the same division as the Steelers, who are going to be good just about every year.

The Ravens’ defense was punishing last season. But the defense masked an offense that wasn’t nearly as good as it needs to be to get them to the next level.

The Ravens need to get Flacco some help in the passing game. They need a wide receiver that defenses respect—maybe Anquan Boldin.

But unless their offense improves and they can figure out how to replace whoever leaves their defense via free agency, the Ravens are going to struggle to match the success they had in 2008.

New York Giants

The Giants were the best team in the NFL for a large portion of the 2008 season. Then it all unraveled. Most of the unraveling done by their immature, unintelligent, insert-insulting-term-here No. 1 wide receiver Cheddar Bob.

The Giants suspended Plaxico for the rest of the season after he shot himself in the leg (and his career in the foot), which was the right thing to do regardless of the on-field consequences.

He’s likely to miss at least eight weeks next season, and that’s only if he avoids jail time.

But the Giants NEED Cheddar Bob. Desperately.

There’s nobody on their roster who can do what he does. Without him, teams can stack the line and stop the Giants’ running game. Just look at what the Eagles were able to do in the postseason.

And Eli Manning isn’t Peyton Manning. He’s not making that crop of wide receivers look like all-pros.

I’m not saying the Giants are going to be significantly worse next season, because they won’t be. They still have one of the best defenses in the NFL. And their running game is still second to none.

But falling off just a little is all it takes in the NFC East. It’s the price you pay for playing in the toughest division in football.

My WAY Too Early Sleeper Candidate

Kansas City Chiefs – They actually have some talent. They’re not nearly as bad as Herm Edwards made them look. And I have way too much faith in Scott Pioli and Todd Haley to believe that they won’t be significantly better. Potentially, 2009’s Miami Dolphins.

My WAY Too Early Super Bowl Favorites

Pittsburgh Steelers – I’m not buying the Patriots getting to the Super Bowl until after they finish improving that defense. Until that happens, the Steelers will remain the best team in the AFC.

Carolina Panthers – It took Jake Delhomme’s worst game as a professional to knock them out of the playoffs. Assuming no repeat performances, by him or whomever they replace him with, the Panthers will be one of the favorites to come out of the NFC next season.

Sorry Arizona.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

Alex Rodriguez Loses His Last Redeeming Quality

Sean Crowe — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:01:26 -0500

I’m wondering what the few defenders of Alex Rodriguez are going to say now.

He’s a terrible teammate. His teammates in Texas hated him. His teammates in New York think he’s a fraud. Every time Derek Jeter is forced to utter A-Rod’s name, he makes a face like a guy who just bit into a raw onion.

The dude is disliked. By everyone.

He cheated on his wife with multiple strippers. Manly strippers as well, if you believe the rumors.

He cheated on his wife with the fake-British cesspool that is Madonna. Now he follows her around like a puppy dog while his ex-wife sits at home trying to figure out where it all went wrong. Or how to spend A-Rod’s money. Either way.

He was born in the United States. Raised in the United States. But because the Dominican Republic has a better chance of winning the WBC, he’s going to play for them. The same reason, coincidentally, why he wanted to play for either the Yankees or Red Sox.

He knows he can’t win a championship without a ton of help. If he’s “the guy” he’s going to fail. He knows it. We know it. In the regular season, he’s a cross between Babe Ruth and Pete Rose. In the post-season, and in big games, he’s a cross between Bill Bergen and Doc Bushong.

When asked about his performance in the 2004 disaster against the Boston Red Sox, A-Rod allowed his agent to claim it was all Mariano Rivera’s fault. He never came out against what his agent said. He never took responsibility.

If A-Rod fails, throw his teammates under the bus!

He’s the best player in baseball, damn it.

He opted out of a ridiculous contract because he thought he could get more money. When he found out he couldn’t, he came crawling back to the Yankees. Yet was STILL given a $275 million contract.

Only increasing his ridiculously over-inflated sense of self worth.

Way to go Hank.

But A-Rod always had one redeeming quality: He was never a part of the steroid discussion.

A-Rod was a jerk, but a clean jerk. He was the guy who was eventually going to take the home run title away from Barry Bonds. We dealt with all of those other things because, between him and Bonds, he was the lesser (and cleaner) of two evils…

…and then we find out A-Rod tested positive for steroids in 2003.

Here I was, thinking that his head growing over the years was caused by his massive ego. I guess not.

A-Rod, congratulations.

You are officially the most despicable human being in professional sports. You have done the impossible and surpassed Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and the guy who put that 19 year old pitcher into the little league world series.

If the Yankees had any balls they’d cut you loose.

If the rest of baseball had any balls, nobody would sign you once they did.

They’d boycott your sorry ass and make sure you never, ever take the home run record from Bonds. They’d save that feat for someone they knew was clean. Someone who wasn’t a despicable piece of trash.

Someone who isn’t you.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

Thank God, It's Finally Time To Tear Down Michael Phelps

Sean Crowe — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:04:06 -0500

Throughout the Olympics, we tried to get Michael Phelps.

We wanted to believe he took performance enhancing drugs, only we had no proof. We were stunned to find out he was clean.

So we begrudgingly called him a hero and went back to our everyday lives.

But now we got him. Not taking performance enhancing drugs, exactly, but drugs nonetheless.

We caught Michael Phelps smoking...a bong!

Yeah! Get him! Tear him down! Take his medals!

We’re Americans, damn it. And the one thing we do better than spending money we don’t have is tearing down our heroes.

I’d like to speak directly to anyone who thinks this is a big deal. To anyone who has written, or will write an article declaring Michael Phelps the devil, a scumbag, or worse...the Barry Bonds of swimming.

You people, please, get a life.

Michael Phelps busted his ass training for the Olympics. He won more medals than anyone else. He did it in an impressive and, more importantly, clean manner.

A little pot, a drug that many people feel should be legalized anyway, shouldn’t take any of that away. Hell, if he were smoking pot during the Olympics, wouldn’t it make what he accomplished even more impressive?

A pot-head showing up on time for all those races would have been a miracle. Although, it would have explained the diet.

Anyway, point is, get a life America.

We have many, many people here worth tearing down. Our former president. The lousy CEOs who gave themselves millions while laying off thousands. The scumbags who decided to allow sub-prime mortgages and caused this insane housing crisis. The loser next door who signed for a mortgage he knew he couldn’t afford.

Plenty of people are worthy of feeling our wrath. Michael Phelps, medals, bongs, and all, is not one of those people.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.

Shouldn't the NFL Be Recession-Proof?

Sean Crowe — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:03:30 -0500

This isn’t new news, just something that’s been eating at me for a while now.

A person I respect told me recently that when the going gets tough in the private sector, the good companies rally around their employees and do whatever it takes to keep them.

After all, every successful company needs good employees, especially during the hard times.

It’s a good philosophy, but one I’m not sure many companies in the real world follow. Take the NFL for example. They’ve been raking in money hand over fist for the last couple of decades.

They’re undoubtedly the most popular and lucrative professional sport in the United States. Their owners are all millionaires, some billionaires.

And unlike baseball, most NFL owners aren’t exactly struggling to keep their team afloat.

Given that, there’s something wrong with the NFL laying off employees.

The NFL is taking in $6.5 billion a year. After player salaries, they still end up with about $2 billion a year. And yet they can’t make it through one year of an economic downturn without laying off more than 10% of their workforce?

Meanwhile, do you think Roger Goodell considered taking a paycut to help keep some of these people employed?

Goodell is making approximately $10 million per year. They laid off 150 employees. If each one of those employees made $65,000 per year (doubtful), they still wouldn’t have cost the NFL as much money as their commissioner.

How about laying him off and keeping 150 of their hard-working employees instead?

Not an option, I guess. As always, the rich get richer, and the middle class can go screw.

I’m one of those people who hate to be reminded that my favorite sport is a business. But it is a business. A cutthroat business. With the same type of crooked, me-first, CEOs running them as your average mortgage company.

It’s not just the NFL’s corporate offices either.

Back in November, the Patriots quietly laid off 60 employees from their Gillette Stadium workforce. That amounts to a 5% workforce reduction.

The Redskins have laid off employees over the last couple of months as well.

These are businesses that have made billions of dollars over the last 10 years. Businesses that are worth over a billion dollars. Businesses with owners who have more money than God.

Yet at the first sign of a slowdown they’re throwing their employees, the same ones who presumably helped make those billions, out on the street.

It’s ridiculous.

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe is the New England Patriots Examiner and a Senior Writer / NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.You can check out his Bleacher Report archives here.

Patriots Draft Prospects: D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt

Sean Crowe — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:17:16 -0500

The Patriots have the 23rd pick in the first round of this season’s draft. Over the next few months, Patriots Examiner be taking a look at some of the players they might be looking at with their first round pick.

I’m a fan of mock drafts, and I’ll probably write a few of my own, but if you can’t wait for me to get off my lazy butt and write one, NE Patriots Draft’s mock draft database is a fantastic resource.

Conventional wisdom is that the Patriots will go defense early and often in this year’s draft. Their biggest needs are at cornerback and linebacker, so we’ll do our best to look at all of the cornerbacks and linebackers that are slotted to go in and around the 23rd pick.

We’ll start our Patriots Draft series with one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC.

D.J. Moore, CB/KR/WR, Vanderbilt

Height: 5-10 Weight: 184
Age: 21 Class: Junior
40 Time (unofficial): 4.34 to 4.45

Moore is one of the most versatile players in the draft. He’s a potential lock-down cornerback who can step right in as a dynamic kick returner. He’s also a pretty good wide receiver.

Basically, he's the prototypical Belichick player.

Moore was probably the best cornerback in the SEC. Given that the SEC is the best conference in college football, that's saying something.

In Moore, the Patriots would get something that they were sorely lacking last season: a cornerback who can cover good receivers.

His biggest issue will be his size. At 5-10, he could have trouble with some of the bigger wide receivers in the NFL.

But what he lacks in size, he makes up in athleticism. And the Patriots have shown a willingness to draft short cornerbacks in the past.

Plus, he's at least 2, probably 3 inches taller than Ellis Hobbs.

Unlike the Deltha O'Neals of the world, NFL receivers are not going to be able to run by Moore. He could time anywhere between 4.3 and 4.5 at the combine, but on the field in pads he’s lightning quick.

He catches mistakes, which is another quality that the Patriots' secondary was lacking last season. They don't play you at wide receiver if you can't catch the ball.

He's also a pretty good tackler and should be able to hold his own in run support.

Moore had 6 interceptions in 2008, even though opposing quarterbacks avoided him like the plague. He finished his collegiate career with 13 interceptions, 12 coming in his final 2 seasons.

We all know the Patriots love versatile players, and Moore fits that description perfectly.

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.