Bleacher Report - Articles by Hank K.

Football Mythbusters: Romo, Manning Not Ready for Big-Time

Hank K. — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:12:50 -0400

MYTH: I couldn’t find a quote this week to disagree with. Instead, I’m going to address the general consensus that the Giants belong at the top of everybody’s “Power Rankings” this week.

FACTS: The Giants beat the Cowboys, but didn’t look like a Super Bowl team in the process. Instead, they almost played down to the level of the Cowboys on Sunday night.

Before I receive a thousand comments saying that the Cowboys are Super Bowl contenders since they got rid of Terrell Owens, I’d like to ask you, the readers, to think for a minute.

Lately, the Cowboys have gotten into a pattern of winning in September and October, then slowly sliding until they eventually crash and burn completely toward the end of the season.

Despite that pattern, Cowboys fans say “This is the year!” just because the Cowboys got rid of their best—and loudest—receiver. They’ve started off the season with a win and an incredibly close loss, yet Cowboys fans are still hopeful because the team has opened up strong yet again.

As a former Cowboy, Eagle, and 49er would say, “If it looks like a rat, and smells like a rat, by golly it is a rat.” I don’t see how anyone can claim to be surprised yet again when the Cowboys falter at the end of the season.

Between facing the Eagles, Giants, and Redskins two times each this year, the Cowboys are going to have to play their best all year long if they even want a chance to get into the playoffs as a wild-card team.

Though the Giants should be OK in the long term, they had a shaky outing against the Cowboys. The normally punishing Big Blue defense executed poorly on Sunday: they failed to wrap up the ball-carrier very well and, as a result, Marion Barber and Felix Jones dominated on the ground.

On offense, the good news for the Giants is that Eli Manning outplayed Tony Romo. The bad news is, that comparison is similar to saying someone is the prettiest girl in a bearded-lady competition.

I’m just not convinced that either Eli Manning or Tony Romo live up to their billing. Neither leaves a good impression on me, and I just don’t think either of them will ever be mentioned in the same breath as modern-day greats such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees.

Eli Manning was inconsistent throughout the entire game, and was bailed out several times by a big night from both Steve Smith and Mario Manningham. Manning never looked away from his primary receiver, and it was obvious that he wasn’t even scanning the field. There were several times where he forced the ball to a receiver who wasn’t in position to make a play, while another receiver was wide open.

Eli Manning has been hyped too much since entering the NFL. Thanks to his last name, there have always been high expectations for him as an NFL quarterback. Though he shows flashes of brilliance at times, those moments only serve to make it even more frustrating when he makes bad plays.

There’s always going to be the argument that Eli Manning was good enough to win a Super Bowl, so he is therefore a top-notch quarterback. However, as Dan Marino can attest, a Super Bowl ring is a team accomplishment and is not always a reflection on a single player.

I think part of the problem might be the play-calling. Eli Manning, while definitely not a scrambler, is not exactly a pure pocket quarterback either. His lack of comfort in the pocket sometimes seems to pressure him into making bad throws, hurting the Giants on 3rd-and-long situations.

To fully maximize Manning’s potential, the Giants should use a lot more bootlegs, allowing him to play in a style similar to that of Jay Cutler or a younger Jeff Garcia. I think this gives the Giants the best way to make their quarterback a true weapon.

What is wrong with Tony Romo? I don’t even know. Despite the wealth of talent around him, he seems to always fall just short of winning the games that matter. His performance against the Giants was just flat-out sloppy, missing his receivers and throwing interceptions that led to points for the Giants. In a game as close as this one, turnovers are deadly.

Though overall Sunday night’s game was really good, the rematch will be better if both quarterbacks step their game up.

Side Notes

— Two games into the season, there is talk of Adrian Peterson deserving the MVP award, and Matthew Stafford deserving to be benched. Both discussions are probably true, but a little premature. Stafford and the Lions were clearly overmatched against the Saints and Vikings, and Peterson has yet to play against a great NFL run defense. We’ll see where this leads.

— Cincinnati upset Green Bay. A bit surprising, but not too much. The Bengals are capable of putting together a pretty strong offensive attack, and the Packers’ defense is better than last year—but still nowhere near the NFL’s elite.

— Miami came REALLY close to upsetting the Colts. A strong running game—bolstered by the Wildcat formation—put the Colts to the test, and a second Monday night game this year was decided by a play as the clock ran out. Indianapolis might be 2-0, but both of those wins were really hard-fought.

— Denver beat Cleveland. I don’t think Denver will be as terrible as people are predicting. They’re a much different team than last year, but different doesn’t always translate to bad.

Cleveland, on the other hand, is in for another long season. For an offense that struggled enough last year, trading away elite tight end Kellen Winslow was a bad move. Whoever starts at quarterback deserves a chance to win. If I were Eric Mangini, I’d start coaching former QB Josh Cribbs as a full-time quarterback, hoping his mobility will help to compensate for how behind his development as a passer is.

— The Cardinals beat the Jaguars solidly, and Kurt Warner had an incredible game. Just because they were upset by the 49ers in week one doesn’t mean you should write off the Cardinals just yet. They are still the defending NFC champions.

Don’t write off the Jaguars yet, either. They ought to be pretty good when they draft Tim Tebow in 2010. I’m being a little facetious, but I like the idea. Jacksonville isn’t looking like a team that will draft very late, and a local college hero could help boost ticket sales for an NFL team that has had a hard time generating interest.

Also, having Tim Tebow and Vince Young in the same division could become very interesting a few years into the future. I’ll get into more about that, and mobile quarterbacks, a little later in this column.

— The 49ers beat the Seahawks, winning yet another intra-divisional game and showing that the return of healthy receivers didn’t automatically make the Seahawks competitive again. I’m still thinking the 49ers have all the right components to be successful not just this year, but in the long term. Mike Singletary is getting off to a great start as a full-time head coach.

— After pushing the Chargers to the brink in week one, the Raiders spoiled Matt Cassell’s debut as a Chief. Though I don’t know if they have the tools to supplant the Chargers as champions of the AFC West, I don’t think the Raiders will be as bad as they were predicted to be this year.

— The Chargers almost made a great comeback against the Ravens, but then Ray Lewis had his say. The Chargers shouldn’t worry, though, because their offense is capable of carrying them despite their defense, which is struggling.

With the return of Shawne “Lights Out” Merriman and the drafting of Larry English, the Chargers’ defense was supposed to be one of the best this year. While it hasn’t been terrible, it isn’t what it was made out to be. However, QB Phillip Rivers is even more than he was made out to be. If he keeps it up, he can become one of the top QBs in the league.

— I don’t think I was taken seriously last week when I said the Steelers looked less than impressive in their opener. After being upset by Chicago in week two, maybe Steelers fans will recognize that the Black and Gold still have some work to do.

— I also said the Titans were underperforming. They didn’t exactly prove me wrong. The new defensive coordinator needs to seriously look at why his team allowed 34 points against the Texans the week after being shredded through the air by Ben Roethlisberger.

Matt Schaub had four touchdown passes against the Titans. You know your defense is struggling when it allows the opposing quarterback to throw more TDs than Drew Brees throws that week.

Also, Kerry Collins shot himself in the foot by fumbling with a minute and a half left. He’s not helping dispel the belief that he isn’t capable of winning games for the Titans. After his first two performances this season, he’s going to be under intense scrutiny if the Titans fall to 0-3 against the Jets. Remember, Vince Young was benched in 2008 for off-the-field issues. Kerry Collins was benched in 2006 in favor of a rookie because he wasn’t winning games.

Young had his ups and downs in the preseason after shaking off some serious rust in the Hall of Fame game, and his good moments were extremely impressive. He’s shown that he understands what it means to be a true dual-threat quarterback, using his legs to buy time and get his receivers open, and running if nobody’s open.

A true dual-threat quarterback is unstoppable, especially in the red zone. If Collins continues to regress, I don’t see how Jeff Fisher can keep his former first-round pick on the bench for much longer.

— Everybody’s talking about how “poorly” the Patriots played against the Jets. Give Rex Ryan his due. He has the Jets playing incredible defense, giving the offense a lot more of a margin for error. Also, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez is getting the job done the way it needs to be done. I think the Jets are going to surprise a lot of people this year.

— The Redskins got booed at home after WINNING a game. It was that bad. A score of 9-7 leaves nobody happy. The Redskins really played down to the level of their competition, and should rebound a little bit as the year progresses. That being said, I see them fighting the Cowboys for third place in the NFC East.

— The Eagles have a conundrum at quarterback. There is an NFL rule that says if your No. 3 quarterback enters the game, the other two quarterbacks are not allowed back in the game. As a result, the Eagles don’t know who to put as their No. 2 quarterback this week against the Chiefs.

If Kevin Kolb plays poorly and gets hurt, the Eagles have to choose between Michael Vick and Jeff Garcia. My suspicions are that the Eagles will lean towards Vick. They ran nine plays out of their version of the Wildcat against the Saints. They alternated with Brian Westbrook, Jeremy Maclin, and DeSean Jackson taking the snaps.

With Vick, a player custom-made for the Wildcat (which favors a left-handed passer taking the snaps), the Eagles should run all over the Chiefs with a Wildcat-style package. However, if the Eagles thought Michael Vick was ready to play again in the NFL, would they have signed Jeff Garcia when Donovan McNabb got hurt?

— The Falcons beat the Panthers 28-20, giving themselves a two-game lead over the defending division champions. I can seriously envision Atlanta going deep in the playoffs. Two seasons after the loss of Michael Vick tore apart the Falcons, they are ready to compete for a Super Bowl.

— The Bills pounded on the Buccaneers. Terrell Owens and Lee Evans form one of the top 10 receiving tandems in the league, which causes defenses to focus on them. As a result, not as many men can rush the passer or defend the run.

The Bills can surprise everyone this year with a newfound high-octane offense. They’re going to be happy they signed Terrell Owens.

As for the Buccaneers, they’re not as bad as people predicted. However, they have to play six games against the Panthers, Falcons, and Saints in a brutal NFC South. I don’t see them making the playoffs this year.

Week 3 picks:

Baltimore beats Cleveland, Houston beats Jacksonville, New York Giants beat Tampa Bay, Washington beats Detroit, Green Bay beats Saint Louis, Chicago beats Seattle, Carolina beats Dallas, Philadelphia beats Kansas City, Miami beats San Diego, Arizona beats Indianapolis, Chicago beats Seattle.

Some harder picks: New York Jets beat Tennessee, Minnesota beats San Francisco, Oakland beats Denver, New England beats Atlanta.

I'll also pick an upset that I have no factual basis for choosing, I'd just REALLY like to see it happen. This week's Crazy Upset Pick will be Cincinnati beating Pittsburgh.

Football Mythbusters: Titans, Steelers Should Both be Disappointed

Hank K. — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:45:18 -0400

MYTH: "It was a 15-round, old-school Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight that went the distance" (Keith Bulluck, regarding the Titans’ 13-10 overtime loss to the Steelers in the season opener)

FACTS: It was anything but. Though it is easy to say both teams played great and were evenly matched, the game was so low-scoring and close only because of mistakes by both teams.

Though the Steelers won, they have no reason to be excited about this victory. The loss of Troy Polamalu is reason enough for the Steelers to be unhappy about the game. On top of that, the Super Bowl Champions did not appear remotely super.

On offense, their running game was nonexistent. On paper, the Steelers should be expected to run the ball much better than they did last year with the return of a healthy Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall. On the field, the Steelers ran the ball even more ineffectively than they did last year.

Instead of using Mendenhall in a complementary role to Parker’s outside speed, the Steelers used Parker as an every-down back, and the results weren’t pretty: 19 yards on 13 carries.

Though the Steelers’ touchdown drive at the end of the second quarter made the Steelers’ passing offense look excellent, the “great” plays have to be taken in context.

Instead of pressuring Roethlisberger with an additional rusher or two, which worked to near perfection the few times the Titans actually did so, the Titans only rushed with their four defensive linemen.

The rest of the Titans’ defense went into a zone defense that was spread really widely. These miscues in defensive play-calling gave Roethlisberger plenty of time to penetrate the spread-apart zone defense with pump fakes that the safeties fell for twice in a row.

Despite his numbers, Roethlisberger was less than stellar as a passer. He is constantly praised for his ability to extend the play by scrambling around in the pocket. Without a doubt, it is absolutely amazing when Roethlisberger makes a play like that.

However, for every play like that, there are usually four to five where Roethlisberger holds onto the ball too long, trying to make a play, and instead gets sacked or turns the ball over.

That lack of consistency makes it hard for me to buy into the idea of him as a quarterback on the level of Brady, Manning, or even Drew Brees.

Though he was incredible in spurts on Thursday night, he had some major ups and downs. Had he displayed more consistency, this game wouldn’t have even been close.

On defense, the Steelers allowed one long run by Chris Johnson (and this was before Polamalu left the game), but otherwise did an effective job against the run. Once again, this was the Titans’ fault.

LenDale White and Chris Johnson form the best running back tandem in the league. With White’s brute power and Johnson’s breakaway speed, the two of them earned the nickname “Smash and Dash” as they gave defensive coordinators headaches all year.

This formula led the Titans to a league-best 13-3 record in 2008, but the Titans did not employ it against the Steelers, instead using Johnson as the primary back and only giving White eight carries.

Unfortunately, the Titans didn’t Dash too well without any Smash to help out. Johnson himself only got 16 carries, too, though.

It’s this simple: when White and Johnson get the ball, the Titans win. When they don’t, the Titans lose.

This held true even throughout the pre-season of Johnson’s rookie season. The Titans went 3-1 in the pre-season, losing badly to the Falcons by a score of 17-3. Lendale White sat that game out with an injury.

When the Titans started off 10-0, their dreams of an undefeated season came to an end at the hands of the New York Jets.

At the beginning of the game, the Titans benched Lendale White for getting into an argument with running backs coach Earnest Byner after a fumble.

The Titans lost 34-13. Twice is a coincidence. After it happened a third time against the Steelers, you can only hope the Titans will see the pattern.

It should be noted that the trend works in reverse, too. In the playoff loss to Baltimore, the Titans were dominating on the ground until Chris Johnson left the game with an ankle injury. Afterwards, the offense sputtered and the Titans lost 13-10 to the Ravens.

All off-season long, the Titans tried to downplay the loss of Albert Haynesworth, saying they were confident in their rotation at defensive tackle. However, the Titans were unable to get anywhere near the pass rush they had in 2008 without Haynesworth. This had almost a trickle-down effect on the rest of the defense, giving the Steelers’ receivers more time to get open.

As I mentioned before, on a few occasions, the Titans did bring additional rushers, getting excellent pressure on Roethlisberger and preventing him from making plays.

Had the Titans’ coaching staff recognized and adapted to their inability to pressure Roethlisberger with only their defensive line, the team would’ve had a much better chance of winning the game.

Because Jeff Fisher is my absolute favorite coach in the league, I really hate to say this, but the Titans lost the opener because they were outcoached, and failed to adapt their strategies on offense and defense.

Had the defense rushed more men, and had the offense revolved more around the Smash and Dash duo, we’d be discussing a completely different ball game.

Side Notes

Jay Cutler’s debut in Chicago was disastrous. Though he had a few nice moments, all in all, he was skittish and sloppy. It was a very disappointing start for Cutler.

Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, definitely made his case as the NFC North’s best starting quarterback, despite being pressured all day long by Bears DE Adewale Ogunleye.

Ogunlye was phenomenally explosive off the line of scrimmage and dominated the entire game. The Packers tried chipping him with backs and tight ends, but it didn’t make a difference.

Rodgers did an excellent job considering his complete lack of time in the pocket, and delivered nicely on the game-winning touchdown. Rodgers definitely benefited greatly from learning behind Brett Favre for a few years.

Matthew Stafford played like he needed to sit back and learn, too. Three interceptions aren’t a great way to start your career. Then again, Drew Brees had a rough start in San Diego, but eventually became one of today’s best quarterbacks. He threw for an impressive six touchdowns against the Lions.

Speaking of quarterbacks who benefited from sitting on the bench as a rookie, Phillip Rivers led the Chargers to a game-winning touchdown against the Raiders in a matchup that was apparently a lot more even than I thought it would be.

The Raiders showed some fight at the end of last season, including their season finale where they ruined Tampa’s playoff hopes.

It seems like this has carried across to the 2009 season. The Raiders didn’t get the win, but they showed some real signs of life. They had better hope they can show some signs of life against the brutal NFC East, the AFC West’s inter-conference opponents.

Another AFC West team that surprised me was Kansas City. Despite not having QB Matt Cassell, their offense was impressive against the defensively sound Ravens.

Over the next couple weeks, we’ll be better able to tell if that is thanks to the Chiefs’ addition of former Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley, or if it is due to the Ravens’ off-season loss of defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

Additionally, quite a few of Ryan’s former defensive players came to play for his Jets. With the addition of multiple talented players, and a defensive scheme that these new players are familiar with, the Jets’ defense could be much improved, while the Ravens’ defense could slump. This could be an interesting storyline in the weeks to come.

Two key points were lost behind the story of the amazing game-winning touchdown catch by Brandon Stokley. First of all, either the Bengals have failed to deliver on their expectations of having a high-powered offense once again, or the Broncos’ defense got a LOT better over the off-season.

Another issue is the demotion of Brandon Marshall, who did not start the game, instead substituting into the game during a few plays.

This isn’t the pre-season. The only way Josh McDaniels would bench a starter for any period of time is if he feels the benefits of benching him outweigh the loss of the on-field production the player brings to the table.

Look for more Brandon Marshall headlines as the year progresses. Between this and the Cutler trade, I think Josh McDaniels wishes he were coaching the Detroit Lions instead.

At least then he wouldn’t have to meet as high of a set of fans’ expectations. The Broncos’ playoff hopes have sunk lower and lower after the end of the 2008 season, Denver’s first shot at football relevance since Elway retired.

Regardless of who plays quarterback in Minnesota, the Vikings are going to be carried on the back of the amazing Adrian Peterson.

His long touchdown run against the Browns was mind-blowing: halfway through the run, he stopped, stiff-armed two defenders, and started running at full speed again.

Browns’ coach Eric Mangini started Brady Quinn at quarterback after refusing to tell the media who was going to play quarterback for the Browns.

Though Mangini was ridiculed throughout the media for this lack of disclosure, the reasoning behind it was sound. He kept the starter secret so the Vikings wouldn’t know who to prepare for, and this was a good idea.

Though Quinn's and Derek Anderson’s playing styles may not differ as much as those of Peyton Manning and Michael Vick, there are still many subtle differences in the nuances of each quarterback’s styles of play.

The Vikings’ personnel studying film had to watch where and how both quarterbacks liked to throw the ball in a variety of situations.

This creates double the work for the Vikings’ defensive staff. Though this shrewd move wasn’t enough to win the game for the Browns, it was a well thought-out plan. I liked it.

The Texans got murdered by the Jets. Earlier in the summer, I wrote an article saying the Lions should start Daunte Culpepper and let Matt Stafford learn, while the Jets should throw Mark Sanchez into the fire and see what he could do. If Week 1 performances are any indicator, I was right.

This brutal loss makes the Texans’ matchup against the Titans on Sunday even more important. Starting off 0-2 can set an unpleasant tone to the season for the losing team. Neither the Titans or the Texans can afford to lose this game.

The 49ers could be a dark horse pick to win the NFC West. They’re a very physical team in the NFL’s weakest division. Their upset of the reigning NFC Champion Cardinals could prove to be more than just a fluke.

In a previous article, I pegged the 49ers as the NFC West’s team to beat. I don’t know if they’ve got what it takes to make noise in the post-season against teams like Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Orleans, or the New York Giants.

Philadelphia has gone from having the most enviable quarterback situation in the league to the least enviable in a matter of seconds.

After Donovan McNabb suffered a cracked rib against the Panthers, the Eagles had to stomach the idea of facing New Orleans without either McNabb or Michael Vick, who is not eligible to play until week 3.

Had they left the situation at that, and chalked up the New Orleans game as a likely loss, the situation would have been bad enough, because the Eagles would have had to decide whether they had the best chance of winning starting a healthy Michael Vick or a Donovan McNabb who probably would not be up to full strength.

The Eagles made this situation worse by signing free-agent Jeff Garcia, who was cut by Oakland due to his dissatisfaction with being JaMarcus Russell’s backup.

Though it gives the Eagles a better chance of beating New Orleans, it also creates a three-way dilemma at quarterback. I feel the Eagles sacrificed in the long term to get better results short-term.

Due to all the news about Donovan McNabb, you might not have heard that the Panthers played in this game too. To me, it definitely didn’t look like the reigning NFC South champions were in shape to defend their title.

The Seahawks are going to be better than they were last year if they can stay healthy. However, don’t be fooled by their 28-0 victory over the Rams. The Seahawks aren’t that good, the Rams are just that bad.

Marc Bulger doesn’t have an offensive line to protect him, and he doesn’t have good receivers who can get open quickly to make up for this lack of protection. That’s a recipe for disaster.

The Falcons showed that they mean business, beating Miami by a score of 19-6. Don’t be fooled if anyone says that the way Atlanta bottled up Miami’s new version of the Wildcat is proof the Wildcat is some sort of “fad.”

Remember, this was also rookie wildcat quarterback Pat White’s very first NFL game. The weakness was the player, not the scheme. Give Miami some time.

Atlanta is looking like a serious Super Bowl contender. Trading for Tony Gonzalez was a great way to augment an already-potent offense, and Atlanta’s defense looks pretty good. I could see this team going toe-to-toe with anybody in the league.

The Cowboys looked great without Terrell Owens. Their running game looks great, and Tony Romo has great chemistry with his receivers.

This sounds the exact same as the start of last season, but now the other three teams in the NFC East are even better than last year. I just can’t envision Dallas as a force in the NFC this year just because the rebuilding Buccaneers were clearly outmatched.

If I were David Garrard, I’d be fairly insulted at the Jaguars’ 2-point conversion attempt. Instead of selling the run and throwing a play-action pass to the flat (that play works REALLY well in short-yardage situations.

It’s the closest thing there is in football to a guarantee that our play will work), the Jaguars tried their version of the wildcat formation, with Maurice Jones-Drew lining up in the shotgun as a receiver came in motion.

As the receiver went in front of Jones-Drew, the center snapped the ball, and Jones-Drew faked the handoff to the receiver, kept the ball, and ran up the middle. Nobody bought the sweep, and Jones-Drew’s run was stuffed.

Here’s why the Wildcat, a formation I’ve written about and consider a great formation to include in an offense, was the wrong call for this situation. You’re on the two-yard line, and your running back is in the shotgun. He has to run a full seven yards to score.

The Wildcat is not going to be as effective for getting short yardage to get into the endzone, because at the goal line, defenses can run-blitz without as much of a threat from a mobile passer taking the snaps and stretching the field. Also, it has been in the news since OTAs that the Jaguars were experimenting with the Wildcat.

Also, I highly doubt that anybody in the league believed the Jaguars were only running it to “help their defense get better at defending it when the Jaguars play against Miami.” The Colts knew it was coming, and they were as prepared for it as you can possibly be.

Though it could have been used more effectively at other points in the game, the Jaguars did not use the formation in as opportune of a situation as they could have.

The Giants’ defense looked even better than it did during their 2007 playoff run, and their offense will always be dangerous as long as they have Brandon Jacobs and the Giants’ formidable line of maulers up front. Kevin Boss should really help Eli Manning convert crucial third downs.

I’m not too impressed with the Redskins for some reason. I don’t know what it is, but something about them is underwhelming. Can they really stand a chance in the same division as the Eagles and the Giants?

Tom Brady is back.

He looked skittish for the first half of the Monday night game, but it was visible when he rediscovered his comfort zone. The entire second half of the game, he was getting more and more comfortable, and by the end of the game, he looked as good as he did in 2007.

The Patriots’ miraculous comeback against the Bills just looked too easy for Tom Brady as he threw two touchdowns in 76 seconds. He knew exactly where to put the ball, and he delivered. This team scares me.

On a positive note for Bills fans, Buffalo put up an excellent fight in this game, which had a very memorable conclusion. Overall, both teams looked really good. Losing Jerrod Mayo will hurt the Patriots a little bit, but Bill Belichick will find a way to win without him.

Week 2 Picks

Atlanta beats Carolina, Minnesota beats Detroit, Green Bay beats Cincinnati, Oakland beats Kansas City, San Francisco beats Seattle, Pittsburgh beats Chicago, Denver beats Cleveland, New York Giants beat the Cowboys. Some harder picks: Philadelphia beats New Orleans, New England beats the New York Jets, Baltimore beats San Diego, Tennessee beats Houston.

I'll also pick an upset that I have no factual basis for choosing, I'd just REALLY like to see it happen. This week's Crazy Upset Pick will be Miami beating Indianapolis.

How to Best Use LenDale White and Chris Johnson

Hank K. — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:00:29 -0400

The 2008 season was dominated by Smash and Dash, LenDale White and Chris Johnson. The Titans’ running backs used this nickname long before Carolina’s running backs did, and it fits them better, too. White and Johnson are more of a dynamic contrast to each other. White’s size and power made him unstoppable in goal-line situation, and Johnson’s breakaway speed put fear in defenders’ hearts every time he touched the ball. One thing I noticed was that the two of them were rarely on the field together. This slide show offers things you could do with a formation that featured both Johnson and White. White is on the strong side of this formation, so he can benefit from the blocking of the tight end. Johnson is on the left side of the quarterback. I had been referring to this as a split backs formation until I found out that was the wrong name for it; since then I’ve just been calling it the Smash and Dash formation. In a split backs formation, the running backs are placed farther behind the quarterback, and there is more distance between the two RBs. Because of that, Split Backs actually favors the pass. This formation, which is technically not Split Backs, favors the run because the running backs are closer to the line of scrimmage. With both backs on the field, defenses are less sure of what type of play to defend against, meaning that they have to design plays to effectively contain White and Johnson at the same time. This strains the defense and opens up room for the passing game as well. In that sense, Smash and Dash are both highly relevant threats when on the field together.

Begin Slideshow

What to Watch for in Tennessee Titans 2009 Training Camp

Hank K. — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:18:23 -0400

Who I want to hear a lot more about: Chris Johnson

Not as a running back, because all this speculation about the Titans’ backfield situation bores me. Smash and Dash are still in place for at least another year. Whether Tennessee keeps LenDale White or moves on to Javon Ringer in 2010 is irrelevant right now, because it is premature to speculate about that.

I’m interested in Johnson moving out wide once in a while. Towards the end of the 2008 season, the Eagles had a play where they would have Brian Westbrook and Corell Buckhalter in the backfield at the same time.

Westbrook would motion out wide, and defenses would focus on him at receiver. The defense would ignore Buckhalter, who’d run up the middle for a pretty good gain.

This play could be even more successful with White and Johnson in the backfield. If Johnson motions out wide or into the slot, this could give defenses a huge problem.

If they are in man coverage, not only does one man have to cover him, but a safety would probably have to play deep zone coverage just for the purpose of trying to stop Johnson, who is capable of outrunning the entire defense. This safety playing deep would leave more running room for White.

There’s also the advantage of a personnel mismatch. If a team has two running backs in the backfield, and then a tight end to block and two wide receivers, it looks like a running formation. For that reason, defenses are usually going to be in their base 4-3 or 3-4 packages instead of a nickel or dime.

If Johnson motions out into the slot, a team then has a very pass-heavy formation, with four players lined up in position to run deep routes. This creates a mismatch in the secondary, as there are only four defensive backs. If Johnson is covered one-on-one, he can just go deep on a streak and will have a very good chance of getting open.

If he is double-covered by two defensive backs—you’re not going to assign a linebacker to help cover someone who runs a 4.24 in the 40-yard dash—then the tight end will probably be covered by a linebacker, which is not a favorable matchup for the defense.

Not only could the Titans stretch the defense by passing deep from this formation, the emphasis on the pass would cause the defense to create more running room for LenDale White. If the defensive backs are playing a few yards off of the line of scrimmage to prevent Johnson or the receivers from outrunning them, the Titans can hit them with short passes, or even set up a screen to Johnson.

Last year, Johnson didn’t display the greatest hands. I’ve read that he worked almost exclusively out wide during OTAs, so I’m thinking if he can improve his pass-catching, he could be a much more complete threat to defenses.

Who I don’t want to hear another word about: Vince Young

If he sneezes during practice, hundreds of Titans fans will be on the Internet that night discussing who said “Bless you” to him and who didn’t.

It’s this simple: He is probably one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the league right now. He’s got a big frame, great height, and phenomenal speed.

His throwing motion is questioned, but his height makes his sidearm release almost a non-issue. He has good arm strength and accuracy and is able to fit passes through the smallest holes in coverage, but his problem is finding those holes.

Young has nobody to blame for his lack of success but himself. He’s never going to win the starting job back through the media, so he has to stop talking and improve his game.

As I just said, Young has all the physical tools to be great. If he dedicates himself to learning the Titans’ offense and reading defenses better, he can win the starting job back. Though Kerry Collins fans point out the Titans went 13-3 without Young, they ignore that Collins had a much better team to work with than Young did in 2006 and 2007.

In 2006, Collins was 0-3, while Young was 8-5. Similarly, when Collins played against the Texans in 2007 in lieu of an injured Young, the Titans needed a record-setting eight field goals in order to win by two points. When Young returned for the second game against the Texans, the Titans won by eight.

Their stats for those games: Collins completed 25 out of 42 passes for 280 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions and a 79.5 QB Rating. Young’s rating was 99.9, as he completed 21 of 31 passes for two touchdowns and one interception.

Similarly, when they both played in 2006, Collins threw one touchdown versus six interceptions and went 0-3 as a starter. Young, a rookie, threw 12 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, won eight out of 13 games, and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

Talent-wise, there is no way you can say Collins is better than Young. Ninety percent of the people who claim Collins is better weren’t saying that a year ago.

Talent isn’t keeping Young out of the starting quarterback position.

What’s keeping Young out of the starting rotation is his lack of dedication to the game. If he truly gave 110 percent this offseason, there will be no way the Titans couldn’t eventually hand him the starting job.

Aside from studying the playbook obsessively, here’s another suggestion for Young. It sounds crazy, but read my reasoning behind it before you dismiss it as too "out there."

Vince Young should play a lot of Madden.

I’m not talking about playing against his buddies while eating pizza and having a good time. I’m talking about going into practice mode, playing through one play, and then watching the replay four or five times.

Think about it: Where else can you see a play, know the exact defensive play that was called, and then see that defense on the "field?"

If used as an actual study tool, Young’s Xbox 360 could be his best bet of regaining the starting job. This way, he can practice reading defenses on his own time, instead of just during practice, accelerating his development.

No matter what happens in practice, every move of his will be overanalyzed and repeated endlessly. For the sake of all the money the Titans invested in him, I hope he becomes the Titans’ starting quarterback eventually.

For the sake of my sanity, I hope I don’t hear about him until then.

Player under the microscope: Center Leroy Harris

With Kevin Mawae still nursing an elbow injury, Harris will get a lot of time with the starting offensive line. He did a pretty good job in the Divisional round against the Ravens, but that was overshadowed by two botched snaps that led to Collins fumbles.

With Mawae getting up there in age, we will probably see Harris as a starter sooner rather than later. The coaches know this, too, so they will be paying special attention to Harris, and expectations will be high.

Player under the radar: Defensive Tackle Jovan Haye

“Nobody can replace Albert Haynesworth” has become a catchphrase among writers discussing the Titans.

All offseason, we’ve been hearing about how the Titans’ defense is going to have to blitz more in order to make up for the loss. We’ve been hearing about a constant rotation at defensive tackle to try and make up for the impact Haynesworth had.

Haye must be excited. He was a good defensive tackle in Tampa, but he wasn’t a big name among football media and fans. Now he’s in Tennessee, where almost nobody expects the defensive line to be as good as it was last year.

There is no pressure whatsoever on him, so he might just surprise a lot of people with a great year.

Players we’re going to miss: Brandon Jones and Chris Carr

On paper, the Titans upgraded at wide receiver this offseason. However, Kenny Britt is still a rookie and will have a tough transition to the NFL.

Also, Titans fans acting like the team just signed Randy Moss are ignoring the fact that Nate Washington was a No. 3 receiver in Pittsburgh.

If both Britt and Washington have a good season, the Titans’ passing game will be able to compensate for defenses that try to put eight men in the box. If either one of them struggles this year, then the Titans’ depth at receiver will be very suspect.

Jones showed a lot of promise with the Titans, but moved on to the 49ers this offseason. Had the Titans matched the 49ers’ contract offers, they’d be even better equipped to enhance the vertical aspects of their offense.

Carr had a very solid year returning kicks and punts in 2008, and he could constantly be relied on to give the Titans’ offense great field position. With no clearly designated kick returner, the special teams unit might not be as impressive as it was last year.

Also, as a backup cornerback, he had a great game against the Jaguars. The Titans’ depth at corner has gotten very thin this offseason, and keeping Carr would have done a little bit to remedy that.

Player we’re not going to miss: Justin McCareins

All he did was occupy a starting spot, preventing Brandon Jones or even Lavelle Hawkins from getting valuable playing time and contributing to the offense.

Player we’re going to wish we had acquired in the offseason: Any of the various corners that hit the free-agent market.

I like DeAngelo Hall, but I wouldn’t advocate giving him the money he got from the Redskins. But Dre’ Bly, Chris McAllister, Ken Lucas, or even Samari Rolle would have been nice to add.

It seemed to me that there were a lot of free-agent corners this offseason, but the Titans only got Demarcus Faggins. Rumor has it that Texans fans are laughing at the Titans the way Titans fans laughed at the Texans for signing Chris Brown.

One thing you wouldn’t expect to see that you probably will see a lot of: Passing

Though the Titans are a run-first team, and will continue to be so, they worked out of the Shotgun for a majority of OTAs. I think they feel that improving in the passing game will help augment their offense tremendously.

One thing you’ll expect to see a lot of, but probably won’t see: The Wildcat Formation.

Though I believe that the Titans are going to use it early and often in the regular season, I don’t think they’ll want to display it in practices that are open to the public.

Football Mythbusters: Terrell Owens, Cancer or Competitor?

Hank K. — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:11:24 -0400

MYTH: Terrell Owens is declining in skill as he ages, and he absolutely destroys locker-room chemistry.

FACTS: First of all, there is no way you can say Owens is on the decline. Since the start of the 2000 season, Owens has only failed once to catch for 1,000 yards, and that was in the 2005 season where he only played seven games.

In that season, despite the off-field drama with Donovan McNabb, Owens caught 47 passes for 763 yards and six touchdowns. That averages out to between six and seven receptions a game, 109 yards, and just under one touchdown per game. Projecting those averages onto a full 16-game regular season would give you 107 receptions, 1744 yards, and 14 touchdowns.

Owens’ play has been phenomenal this decade, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He has been one of the most dominant receivers on the field and to suggest he is on the decline is just wishful thinking by those who are annoyed by his antics.

There sure are plenty of antics to be annoyed by. Thankfully, they have gotten fewer and farther between as the years progress, but there is a clear history of behavior issues with Owens.

I’m not talking about his touchdown celebrations—professional football is a form of entertainment, and nobody understands that better than Owens. Whether he’s pulling a Sharpie out of his sock, borrowing a cheerleader’s pom-poms, or just doing a crazy dance, it’s fun to watch T.O. score.

It’s when his team isn’t scoring that there is a problem. It started in San Francisco. When the 49ers weren’t doing very well, Owens loudly demanded the ball more often and publicly blasted his quarterback in an interview with Playboy.

He met Donovan McNabb at a Pro Bowl, the two enjoyed playing together, and McNabb asked the Eagles to deal for Owens. The 49ers used this opportunity to get rid of their headache, and shipped Owens to Philadelphia for a fifth-round pick and defensive end Brandon Whiting.

This change of scenery worked for the Eagles and T.O. the first year, and Owens was an immediate contributor: He had 77 receptions for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. Then, despite an injured ankle, Owens played through pain in the Super Bowl for nine catches and 122 yards.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, Owens decided he wanted to renegotiate his contract that offseason and hired agent Drew Rosenhaus. The situation got ugly, with both Owens and Donovan McNabb criticizing each other in the media and making themselves look foolish. After seven games, the Eagles suspended Owens and then deactivated him. That offseason, he was released and signed by the Cowboys.

After a finger injury in the beginning of his first season with Dallas, Owens overdosed on Hydrocodone in what was labeled as a suicide attempt. The police report stated that Owens answered “yes” when asked if he intended to harm himself.

In Michael Strahan’s book Inside the Helmet, Strahan says he doesn’t believe T.O. tried to commit suicide. He says that athletes are told what to take by their trainers, and don’t even question it or know what they are putting into their bodies; so he wouldn’t be surprised if a trainer or doctor made a mistake and Owens accidentally overdosed.

Was Owens really trying to commit suicide, or were his statements that he wanted to hurt himself just the ramblings of a man in a drug-induced stupor? T.O. is probably the only person to know that for sure.

Though T.O. had a statistically good season, the Cowboys lost by one point in the Wild Card round against the Seahawks. The next year, the Cowboys had a phenomenal season, finishing 13-3 before losing to the Giants in the divisional round. Up until this point, Hydrocodone controversy aside, everything seemed great.

Along comes the 2008 preseason. Owens claimed during this point that the Cowboys lost in the playoffs because they didn’t throw to him enough. During the regular season, everything started off pretty calmly: After an early-season win over the Green Bay Packers, Owens told media he didn’t mind not getting as many passes, and having to run-block more.

After the team’s first loss of that season, Owens changed his tune. He said that the Cowboys lost because he didn’t get the ball enough. Later in the season, the Cowboys completely imploded, finishing 9-7 and ending their season with a 38-point loss in Philadelphia.

For a team that looked so good on paper, a common sentiment was that the Cowboys severely underperformed in 2008. The most popular explanation for a 9-7 season by such a talented team was a lack of locker-room chemistry, and owner Jerry Jones promised he was going to focus on the character of the team.

Owens, whose blow-ups had alienated him from his previous two teams, was looked at as the poster boy for bad locker room behavior, and was sent packing on March 4th, 2009. Within three days, he was signed by Buffalo, and it was seen as a sign of desperation on Owens’ part.

Once he signed with Buffalo, there was a lot of speculation regarding if T.O. would succeed there, or if the move would backfire. Critics said it was only a matter of time before he would be unhappy in Buffalo and destroy the chemistry there.

However, there is no reason to believe that Owens will not have a successful year in 2009. Up until this point in the article, I have focused on what causes people to say negative things about Terrell Owens. In the past, Owens has given people reasons to say negative things. This year, though, they should have a lot more positive words about Owens.

It should be noted that Owens is at his worst when his team is losing. He was never a problem for the 49ers until after their 7-9 season. Though his contract was a large part of his dispute with the Eagles, it should also be noted that they had a 4-3 record at the time Owens was suspended.

He is often criticized for demanding the ball more often, but it only happens after losses. As mentioned earlier, Owens said he didn’t mind not getting the ball as often.

When the team isn’t winning, Owens wanting the ball isn’t a sign of a diva or a crybaby —it is a sign of a highly competitive individual wanting more of an opportunity to help the team win. If his desire for more passes his way was truly due to selfishness, he would demand the ball all the time, not just during losses.

On top of that, Owens shouldn’t have to worry about losing as many games as the Cowboys did last year. The Bills’ acquisition of him dramatically improved their offense.

Last year, there was no real deep threat to complement Lee Evans, so opposing defenses were able to stop the passing game by double-covering Evans without fear of any other receivers hurting them.

With the addition of Owens, the Bills now have two dominant receivers, and double-covering one of them will leave room for the other to get open. Though there are concerns about Buffalo’s offensive line, defenses will not be able to send as many men to rush the QB without leaving unfavorable matchups in the secondary.

If teams start to blitz heavily, then the Bills can punish them with quick-developing slants or drag routes to beat the blitz. With a much more potent passing game, defenses will have to back off and play against the pass more, making more running room for Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.

If the Bills’ defense is even mediocre, then their offense will keep them in games, similar to the way Arizona’s loaded passing game carried them last season.

Even if the Bills end up with a worse record than Owens would like, he will still probably be on his best behavior. He was signed to a one-year contract. Though in his new reality show he optimistically said, “Buffalo gave me one more year to showcase my skills,” that’s just a sugar-coated way of saying, “I have a year to prove I’m worth it.”

A one-year deal is pretty much a trial period. At age 35, Owens has to understand that this is most likely his last stop with an NFL team. If he has a blow-up that leads to a departure from the Bills, nobody is going to want him. Similarly, if he doesn’t perform well on the field, he will be sent packing and have a hard time finding a fifth team to sign him.

Because this is his last chance, and because he has all the tools around him to be a productive part of the Bills’ offense, T.O. should shine under the spotlight in 2009. Getcha popcorn ready.

Football Mythbusters: ESPN Dropped the Ball on Roethlisberger

Hank K. — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:37:08 -0400

MYTH: ESPN was somehow right or justified in choosing not to report on the Ben Roethlisberger lawsuit.

FACTS: First of all, this article is not in any way meant to disparage Ben Roethlisberger. There aren’t enough facts available to prove without a doubt whether he did what he was accused of or not. There is his side of the story, and then there is the female’s side. Therefore, speculating as to whether he’s guilty or not is pointless.

Though it doesn’t merit speculation, this story is certainly news that deserves attention. If he’s guilty, then it merits attention because such a high-profile player did this. If he’s innocent, then it deserves attention because then Roethlisberger is being targeted by a scam artist because of who he is.

Either way, ESPN was dead wrong for not reporting this. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and affiliate of MSNBC Sports, reported that ESPN put out a memo to its employees telling them specifically not to report on Roethlisberger.

I first read this story on the morning of Tuesday, July 21, though it could have broken late Monday night. All day Tuesday, there was not one mention of this on ESPN.com. This story was not put on their Web site until some point during Wednesday.

With today’s rapid communications, ESPN or any mainstream media outlet is capable of putting a story on their Web site minutes after it breaks.

This severe delay in putting up any mention of the story lends credence to Florio’s report. To completely ignore a story like this, especially during the days of the offseason when there is almost nothing interesting to report, strongly reeks of a lack of journalistic integrity.

I’m not saying ESPN should have listed all the sordid details in the accusation—that would be crossing the line between factual reporting and reveling in shock value. However, a lawsuit was filed against the quarterback of the reigning Super Bowl champions, and it’s difficult to see how a “news” site could fail to mention news such as that.

Maybe they wanted to wait and see until more facts came out to avoid embarrassing an innocent Roethlisberger. But once again, a lawsuit was filed. That, in itself, is a fact, and it was not reported.

This story appeared on the Web sites of AOL, Yahoo! Sports, CBS Sports and MSNBC, all within hours of the story breaking. One has to wonder if ESPN’s silence has to do with avoiding embarrassing themselves more than Roethlisberger.

Ben Roethlisberger is considered the next superstar in the league. His team won two Super Bowls in the past four years, and ESPN has been gushing since February about how great Roethlisberger and the Steelers are.

They’ve debated on the site whether the Steelers should start being called “America’s Team,” and whether the Steelers should be considered the Team of the Decade instead of the Patriots (who appeared in four Super Bowls this decade, winning three).

This hype about the Steelers has been over-the-top to say the least, and a lot of sportswriters would have egg on their faces if Big Ben’s career imploded, thus jeopardizing the Steelers at quarterback.

Ask yourself “If Pacman Jones, who is not even signed by an NFL team, were accused of this, would ESPN hesitate for even a second to report it?” The answer to that is definitely no.

ESPN cannot even afford to report on this and portray Roethlisberger in a positive light – if he ends up being guilty, it would further embarrass ESPN.

Right now, silence is the best option for the media outlet that has hyped Roethlisberger 24/7. All they can do is just hope he’s innocent, otherwise this will be a huge embarrassment for a lot more people than just Roethlisberger.

Football Mythbusters: To Sit Or Start Stafford and Sanchez?

Hank K. — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:56:11 -0400

MYTH: Starting their rookie quarterbacks gives the Lions and Jets the best chance of winning.

FACT: True in one instance, false in the other. The Jets would be best served to start Mark Sanchez, but the Lions should let Matthew Stafford sit behind a veteran for as long as possible.

Due to the success of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco last year, it is only natural to wonder if you should expect the same level of success from this year’s top quarterbacks of the draft class: Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez.

Josh Freeman is another first-round rookie QB who has a chance to start in 2009, but I haven’t seen or heard enough to know anything about him; the only real details I know about the Buccaneers’ quarterback situation is what I know about Byron Leftwich.

He was an adequate starter for the Jaguars for several years. However, he is not very mobile, and has an incredibly slow release when he passes. Put him behind a porous offensive line and the results will be disastrous, as they were in Atlanta in 2007.

If the Buccaneers’ offensive line performs poorly, then an injury to Leftwich will probably leave them with no choice but to start Freeman at some point during the season. If the line holds up and Leftwich stays healthy, he’ll do a better than average job for the rebuilding Buccaneers.

Also, Freeman wasn’t taken until the 17^th pick of the draft. Because he doesn’t have as big of a contract as top-five picks like Stafford and Sanchez, he doesn’t carry the same risk-and-reward scenario as the other two QBs taken in the first round, and will not garner anywhere near as much attention.

With the size of Stafford’s contract, if he is successfully developed into a top-tier quarterback, the Lions will be set at that position for years. If Stafford fails, so does the team that is being built around him. The same goes for Sanchez.

The Buccaneers can better afford their first-round quarterback not to pan out. Though it would be frustrating for the team, management, and fans alike if Freeman were a bust, Tampa has nowhere near the amount of money invested in Freeman that New York and Detroit have invested in their rookie QBs.

For this reason, much more attention will be centered on whether Stafford and Sanchez see significant playing time.

For Detroit, it makes little sense to start Matthew Stafford. In terms of raw talent, he was worthy of a No. 1 pick. When it comes to the mental aspects of the game, Stafford is still pretty rough around the edges, and could use some time on the bench as he makes the adjustment to playing the most cerebral position in the NFL.

In an earlier article I wrote about Tim Tebow I briefly mentioned that it was beneficial for NFL quarterbacks to develop on the bench for a season, if not longer, before they saw significant playing time.

“Look at Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart; both were USC standouts and Heisman winners. Both were drafted by teams with great receivers. Yet in the NFL, Palmer has enjoyed more success than Leinart.

In the NFL, Palmer sat behind Jon Kitna for a year before taking the reins and leading the Bengals’ offense to great success.

Leinart, on the other hand, was thrust into the starting role for the Cardinals and failed, despite the help he had at receiver. In 2008, the Cardinals’ starting QB job was officially given to Kurt Warner, who then helped lead the Cardinals to the Super Bowl.”

This is probably the best modern example of the importance of making quarterbacks sit and learn.

There are so many intricacies that go into preparing for an opposing defense week in and week out, and to add the extra difficulties of having to learn an entire playbook and build chemistry with a new team is just piling on the difficulty. This is why for every Peyton Manning, there are plenty of Ryan Leafs.

Matthew Stafford, no matter how good of a quarterback he is, cannot expect to duplicate the success of Ryan and Flacco. Both teams had solid supporting casts to make their job a whole lot easier.

The Ravens, after going 13-3 in 2006, fell to a 5-11 record in 2007 mainly due to injuries. When healthy, the 2008 Ravens made it all the way to the AFC Championship thanks to their strong running game and dominating defense (and with the help of a 43-second play clock in the divisional round against the Titans. Google it if you don’t know what I mean).

The Falcons in 2007 had arguably one of the most tumultuous years a team could have. The team hired a new coach, saw its franchise quarterback go to jail for dogfighting, and was forced to rely on draft bust Joey Harrington. Then, in the middle of the season, the first-year head coach quit.

Luckily for the Falcons, Arthur Blank hired Thomas Dimitroff, former scouting director for the Patriots, as the new G.M. The Falcons then proceeded to clean house. They did an excellent job of bringing in talent through free agency and the draft, and also did a good job of eliminating dead weight.

In perhaps the most ironic offseason move of all time, cornerback DeAngelo Hall demanded a trade because, as he said “he was tired of losing.” The Falcons then traded him to Oakland.

In just one offseason the Falcons did an excellent job of providing their rookie QB with all the tools to be successful and push for the playoffs, and he did just that.

Another interesting tidbit is that the Falcons and Ravens had no choice but to start their rookie QBs. Atlanta didn’t have anybody to compete with Ryan for the starting job, and Flacco got the starting nod after neither Kyle Boller nor Troy Smith were healthy enough to start.

Detroit, on the other hand, has a viable alternative to starting Stafford. Daunte Culpepper had some great seasons in Minnesota when he was throwing to Randy Moss. Though Culpepper is now a Lion, he has the same offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan, that he had in Minnesota, and he also has a great young receiver who is physically very similar to Moss.

Though Culpepper won just as many games as the rest of the Lions’ starting quarterbacks last year, he should do much better if given the starting job this year. While Culpepper wasn’t outstanding when he came out of retirement mid-season, he did a good job working with what he had, and the Lions’ offense wasn’t terrible with him.

Also, it should be taken into consideration that Culpepper didn’t have the benefits of a training camp or preseason to get in shape and become accustomed to his receivers. He simply came out of retirement, and adjusted on the fly. Having a full offseason with the Lions under his belt should really help make Culpepper an even better quarterback for the Lions.

Since Culpepper is capable of providing a short-term solution under center for the Lions, it makes sense to let Stafford sit and learn in 2009 so that he is a better quarterback when he finally does start. At the end of the 2009 season, the Lions can then decide whether to re-sign Culpepper, or hand the keys to Stafford.

Though he might be ready to start as early as his second year in the NFL, 2009 is too soon to start Stafford.

The Jets, on the other hand, do not seem to have the luxury of having a capable veteran to start while Mark Sanchez learns the offense.

After falling just short of the playoffs last year, and then improving in the offseason, the Jets feel like they are ready to play football in January. However, by trading up in the draft to pick Sanchez, the Jets made it clear that they didn’t think Kellen Clemens was a quarterback capable of leading them to the playoffs.

It’s one thing if a quarterback falls to you and you draft him because he’s the best available player. When you actively trade up in the first round to get yourself in position to draft that quarterback before anyone else can, then you are making it clear that you feel you desperately need that quarterback.

If this is the case, then the Jets are better off starting Mark Sanchez. He played in a pro-style offense at USC, so the transition to the NFL should be a little easier for him than for Stafford. Also, the Jets have a more solid team than the Lions, which takes a lot of pressure off of Sanchez.

The Brett Favre media circus has overshadowed everything else that has gone on with the Jets since Favre arrived. The defense slowly got better, the offensive line improved tremendously, and the running game started performing better than they had recently.

This offseason, the Jets have gotten even more quality players; signing former Baltimore LB Bart Scott in free agency, and trading for ex-Eagle Lito Sheppard. They also hired defensive mastermind Rex Ryan as their new head coach to replace Eric Mangini.

True, they have a questionable receiving corps after losing Laveranues Coles to the Bengals in the offseason, but the Jets’ offensive line and running game take some of the pressure off of the passing game.

In reality, the Jets aren’t asking Mark Sanchez to come in and work wonders. They’ve become good enough that all their quarterback has to do to help them to the playoffs is avoid the costly turnovers that doomed the Jets at the end of 2008.

Though Stafford and Sanchez will often be mentioned in the same breath, their situations are not comparable to one another; which is why it makes sense for one to start, but the other to sit.

Football Mythbusters: NFL Teams to Beat in 2009

Hank K. — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:26:36 -0400

MYTH: The previous year’s division winner is the team to beat in their division the next year.

FACTS: Though normally you would expect that to be the case, it doesn’t hold true in some of the divisions in 2009. Though the term “team to beat” is used often, in this case I am referring to the team that division rivals cannot afford to go 0-2 against and still expect to make it to the postseason.

NFC South: Two words—Matt Ryan. He now has a Hall of Fame tight end in Tony Gonzalez, the defense has gotten younger and added a new defensive tackle through the draft, and the Falcons are buzzing with optimism. They should be.

The Panthers faded down the stretch in 2008, the Saints have no run game or defense, and the Buccaneers are in major transition.

Matt Ryan is like a young Tom Brady—he understands defenses well, makes great throws, and has a phenomenal supporting cast. He is going to blossom into a Hall of Fame quarterback.

This division is Atlanta’s until further notice. You’ll have to beat them twice in the same season before you even think about winning the division. There’s still definite hope for the Panthers and Saints as wild cards, though.

AFC South: Last year there was a one-game difference between the division-winning Titans, and the wild card Colts. With a fully healthy and up-to-speed Peyton Manning, and an improved receiving corps in Tennessee, these teams will both vie for the division title.

The upstart Houston Texans, a trendy playoff pick, are better than they’ve ever been, but their schedule will make it incredibly difficult to get into the postseason.

However, they are definitely capable of an upset against their division rivals: They did it once in 2008 against Tennessee, and were four minutes away from doing it to the Colts until Sage Rosenfels fumbled twice and then threw an interception.

In their second matchup against the Colts, they were down by less than a touchdown and were marching down the field late in the fourth quarter, until Sage Rosenfels was picked off, which won the game for the Colts.

Doormats of the AFC South for years, the Texans have gone from being an expansion team in 2002 to becoming legitimate competition against their division rivals. While they are just short of being good enough to win the division, they could stage an upset or two that would greatly hurt a rival team’s chances at the postseason.

NFC West: This division’s a lot harder to predict. The Cardinals had an incredible postseason run, but they came from the NFC West, where 9-7 was enough to win the division. The NFC West plays against the brutal AFC South this year, and on top of that, the Cardinals will have to play the NFC’s other division winners. Their schedule makes it harder for them to get back into the playoffs.

The Cardinals are also very one-dimensional, relying very heavily on their passing game. Beanie Wells is unproven, the offensive line is good but not great at run-blocking, and the defense tends to struggle.

The 49ers played hard under Mike Singletary when he was promoted to interim head coach last year. His knowledge of defense should help the 49ers defensive unit, which is anchored by Patrick Willis, a budding superstar.

On offense, Singletary relies on his running game to get the job done. This should help take the load off of Alex Smith’s shoulders, allowing the 49ers to have a balanced team that could challenge Arizona for the division title.

The Rams have Marc Bulger, who is a great quarterback, and Steven Jackson, a great running back, but their weak offensive line play prevents either of the two from performing well. The Rams are a good draft or two from being truly competitive, but in this division, they still have a shot.

The Seahawks benefited for years from the worst division in football. Now the Cardinals and 49ers are both much better than in years past, making it more difficult for the Seahawks to get to the playoffs.

Last year the 49ers got off to a slow start until they fired head coach Mike Nolan. They then finished only two games behind the division winner. Had they won their Monday night game against the Cardinals, the 49ers would have been the NFC West champions.

People don’t realize it, but the division race was that close: One game away from tipping in the 49ers’ favor. With a full year under Singletary’s balance and discipline, the 49ers are the most formidable team in the NFC West.

AFC West: Denver turned into a circus act and traded away one of the league’s most promising young quarterbacks, and Kansas City traded away the game’s best tight end, depriving new QB Matt Cassell of a desperately needed weapon.

Meanwhile, Phillip Rivers has developed into one of the game’s best QBs, Shawne Merriman is back from injury and ready to prove himself in a contract year, and Darren Sproles has proven he is more than capable of picking up some slack if LaDainian Tomlinson is injured again.

Believe it or not, the second-most competitive team in this division is Oakland, who has a loaded backfield and showed some signs of life at the end of 2008, including upsetting the Buccaneers in the season finale, preventing Tampa from going to the playoffs.

If the Chargers can go 2-0 against the Raiders, then they are almost guaranteed to win the division, making the Raiders the team to beat in this weak division.

NFC East: This is tough. The defending NFC East champions have Osi Umenyiora back from injury, have added to their defense through free agency, and could possibly have a better defense than even the Steelers and the Ravens.

The return of Umenyiora allows Mathias Kiwanuka to go back to playing linebacker, enhancing the team’s linebacking corps that also now includes former Falcon Michael Boley. The signing of Chris Canty allows Justin Tuck more flexibility in sliding inside and playing defensive tackle as he did so successfully against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Defensively, there are few, if any, question marks for the Giants. On offense they are anchored by Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw running the ball behind the league’s best offensive line. In the passing game, they are not so strong.

Eli Manning had an incredible 2007 postseason, and a great start to 2008. However, towards the end of 2008, Manning looked terrible without Plaxico Burress.

His receiving corps got even worse in the offseason, as Amani Toomer left for free agency. The Giants drafted the enormous Ramses Barden and the sure-handed Hakeem Nicks, but it is often incredibly difficult for rookie receivers to learn an NFL playbook and have an immediate impact in their rookie season. Though the Giants will always have a shot at the Super Bowl for years to come, this year brings a high probability of Big Blue being eclipsed by another team in their division.

That team will not be the Cowboys or the Redskins. The Cowboys are turning into the next Oakland, and the Redskins simply don’t have the playmakers to contend in the NFL’s most brutal division.

The Philadelphia Eagles, who made it all the way to the NFC Championship last year, have a solid defense, an elite quarterback in Donovan McNabb, a dynamic running back in Brian Westbrook, and a promising young receiver in DeSean Jackson. That was before the offseason.

Since then, they’ve drafted another young stud at receiver, Jeremy Maclin, drafted a quality running back, LeSean McCoy, to back up Westbrook and take some of his carries to help keep him fresh and uninjured, and they traded for elite left tackle Jason Peters to protect McNabb’s blind side.

As if that’s not enough, Donovan McNabb has been derided for years for his inability to win a Super Bowl. With only two years left on his contract, and third-year Kevin Kolb waiting in the wings, McNabb will be hungry and extra-motivated to win the big game.

This team is scary, and, though I’ll be rooting for the Giants to win, I can envision this as being Philly’s year. The Giants are going to have to go 2-0 against the Eagles to even stand a chance of winning the NFC East.

AFC East: The Dolphins won the division last year and are the perfect model of how to run the Wildcat formation, the Bills added T.O. to form one of the top five WR duos in the league with Lee Evans, and the Jets have defensive genius Rex Ryan as their head coach.

The Dolphins still have a weak passing game due to their lack of a dominant receiver, the Bills traded away Jason Peters, weakening an already shaky offensive line, and the Jets have a rookie quarterback who doesn’t have a lot of weapons to work with. One more fact to consider:

Tom Brady is back.

He has one of the best offensive lines in football to protect him from injury. Though Matt Cassel was sacked 47 times in 2008, he also had a terrible tendency of holding on to the ball far too long while trying to read the defense. With Tom Brady under center, the Patriots haven’t allowed over 30 sacks since 2003.

Also, if Brady’s knee wasn’t completely healthy, the Patriots wouldn’t have traded away Matt Cassel, and instead would have kept him as an expensive insurance policy.

Remember the record-setting offense of 2007? That was Randy Moss’s first year as a Patriot. The same goes for Wes Welker. Entering their third year with the team, they know the offense even better and the Patriots could easily have an even better offense than they did in 2007.

Joey Galloway was incredible in Tampa until injuries slowed him down recently. If he can stay healthy and revert back to his old form, the Patriots’ receiving corps will be even better than Arizona’s.

Fred Taylor was considered one of the best running backs in the league, carrying the Jaguars in every season except 2008. Then, the Jaguars’ decimated offensive line was unable to provide him with any running room and as a result his numbers dropped off drastically.

Look for him to prove that he has plenty of gas left in the tank and split carries with Laurence Maroney, a more-than-capable running back who was held back by a broken shoulder in 2008.

Consider that one of the best offenses in history has gotten even better, a solid defense headed by second-year LB Jerrod Mayo will be more than capable of getting the job done, and the fact that Bill Belichick’s unrivaled knowledge of schemes and adjustments keeps any team of his in playoff contention every season.

Anyone trying to tell you that the New England Patriots aren’t the team to beat in the AFC East (if not the entire NFL) is simply wishing that was the case. After missing out on the playoffs due to a tiebreaker, the Patriots will have to collapse completely to fall out of contention this year.

NFC North: Nothing interesting to say here. If the Lions win one game next year, it’ll be an improvement. The Bears’ defense has struggled since it dominated the 2006 season, and their offense, headed by Jay Cutler, doesn’t have the type of receivers that will help win a lot of shootouts. Aaron Rodgers is a phenomenal young quarterback in his first season as a starter, but the Packers’ defense was horrible last year, and hasn’t gotten much better over the offseason.

This article is already long enough, so I won’t waste many more words on the NFC North. It’s obvious that the Minnesota Vikings are the team to beat in this division.

AFC North: Yes, the Steelers won the Super Bowl. However, a great Super Bowl performance does nothing to change the fact that Ben Roethlisberger is inconsistent and the offensive line is suspect.

This does not change the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers are the team to beat in this division. However, it is not simply because they won the division and the Super Bowl last year.

Their record was 12-4, the Ravens’ was 11-5. The Ravens were 0-2 in the regular season against the Steelers in two very close games. Winning those two games would have put the Ravens at 13-3, tied for best in the NFL, while the Steelers would have dropped to 11-5.

A division win not only adds a win to your record; it adds a loss to your rival’s. That gives you a two-game advantage in the division race. In a close race, those intra-divisional games have a huge role in deciding who the division champion is.

For that reason, Baltimore (or any other team in the AFC North) has to be able to consistently beat Pittsburgh if they want to win the division.

Football Mythbusters: Boldin, Brandon, Braylon, or Burress in Baltimore?

Hank K. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:08:25 -0400

MYTH

The sudden retirement of Derrick Mason makes it even more likely that the Baltimore Ravens will make a move for a game-breaking wide receiver to help them in 2009.

FACTS

Though the Ravens desperately need some help at receiver, there is nobody available for the Ravens right now.

Mason, perhaps one of the most underrated players of 2008, was a huge contributor to the Ravens’ vertical passing game in 2008. Mason had 80 receptions for 1,037 yards and five touchdowns, while Andre Johnson had 115 receptions for 1,575 yards and eight touchdowns. The Ravens threw 433 times, while the Texans threw 555.

On average, Johnson had only 0.7 yards per catch more than Mason. Considering that the Texans throw more often than the Ravens, Johnson and Mason are very comparable.

As if those statistics weren’t enough, keep in mind he put up a lot of those numbers while nursing a shoulder injury that made it much harder to catch every single pass.

With his departure, there is no doubt that the Ravens’ passing offense will suffer. However, receivers capable of having the same impact as Mason aren’t a dime a dozen.

Who could step in and help fill Mason’s shoes?

A terribly sub-par 2008 performance aside, Cincinnati’s Chad Ochocinco could be a huge game-breaker every Sunday.

However, he’s been requesting a trade for years, and if Cincinnati hasn’t heard a trade offer they like yet, then there’s probably little Baltimore could offer to obtain him now that receiver T.J. Houshmanzadeh is in Seattle; Ochocinco is even more crucial to the success of the one-dimensional Cincinnati offense.

Other elite receivers who will stay put because their teams need them too much include Houston’s Andre Johnson, Carolina’s Steve Smith, Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, and Indianapolis’s Reggie Wayne.

Even at the age of 36, Terrell Owens is still capable of dominating the game, but he signed with the Bills this offseason, and teams simply don’t trade players before their first season with the team has even started.

The Patriots have some of the best depth in the league at wide receiver, but none of their receivers will end up in Baltimore. They signed Joey Galloway this offseason, while Wes Welker dominates in the slot, but his size prevents him from being a true No. 1 option. There’s not even the most remote possibility that Randy Moss will ever leave the Patriots.

Though a healthy Patriots' offense, which also added Fred Taylor this offseason, could easily threaten to demolish records they set in 2007, and doesn’t rely on any one receiver, nobody is leaving that offense for a while.

The only other team with receiver depth that even approaches that of the Patriots is the Arizona Cardinals, who had three 1,000-yard receivers in 2008. They won’t trade away Larry Fitzgerald after his record-breaking postseason, but rumor has it that Anquan Boldin was unhappy and wanted to be traded before the draft.

Boldin is the epitome of toughness in a wide receiver. He’s big and physical, has great hands, and fights for yards after the catch. After returning from a devastating hit against the New York Jets that knocked him out, he played spectacularly with metal plates inside his head. He would be a perfect fit in Baltimore, but he’s not going anywhere either.

Fitzgerald and Boldin are both great, but they also benefit from being on the same team together. You can’t really double-team either one of them without giving more room to the other one, and attempts to shut both of them down led to the previously unheralded Steve Breaston having a 1,000-yard season.

The Cardinals have one of the best passing games in the league, but they can’t afford to let any receivers go. Until Chris “Beanie” Wells and the Cardinals’ offensive line can prove otherwise, the Cardinals’ offense has to rely on prolific passing in order to maintain a chance at postseason contention.

Another team with an unhappy receiver was the Cleveland Browns, who were allegedly looking into trading Braylon Edwards before the draft. After trading Kellen Winslow to Tampa, and seeing Donte Stallworth suspended indefinitely by Commissioner Roger Goodell, the Browns are going to rely even more on Edwards to help get the job done through the air.

It's possible that the Ravens may not even want Edwards. Though there is no denying his ability to make big plays, he is also known for dropping too many passes, and he had a less-than-stellar year in 2008. Though part of that is due to severe instability at quarterback, the Ravens still have cause to worry that his 2007 performance was simply a one-season wonder.

Also, it's unlikely that the Browns would trade their top receiver to a division rival, for fears that if Edwards rebounds and blossoms into a top-five NFL WR, then he will embarrass his former team twice a year for many years to come.

Another unhappy camper is Brandon Marshall, who requested a trade from the Denver Broncos due to dissatisfaction with his contract, along with concerns over an alleged misdiagnosis of a hip injury. Yet again, this is one receiver who is not going anywhere.

Josh McDaniels’s reputation as the Broncos’ head coach will forever be tied to his handling of Jay Cutler. As a result, his job stability hinges on the success of Kyle Orton, who the Broncos received in the trade for Cutler. Also, the Broncos' management would be highly embarrassed if the quarterback they received in exchange for Cutler ended up failing in Denver.

For this reason, Orton’s success is the highest priority among everyone in Denver. That’s why the Broncos spent their first draft pick on UGA running back Knoshown Moreno as an every-down back to augment an already-potent offense, as opposed to drafting on the defensive side of the ball where the Broncos were in dire need of help.

On a side note, this draft pick was also savvy because it prevented Moreno from falling to the rival Chargers, who would have been unable to resist him due to LaDainian Tomlinson’s recent history of injuries and ineffectiveness.

Given that Denver desperately needs Orton to have a successful year, it makes no sense to imagine that they would trade their number one receiver away, even in exchange for a first round draft pick. If Orton doesn’t have Brandon Marshall drawing double-teams and allowing the rest of the offense to make plays, Josh McDaniels probably won’t be around in Denver to use that draft pick.

Another option that has been mentioned by fans of every team with a weak receiving corps is the addition of Plaxico Burress. Even if Burress avoids suspension and plays at an elite level, like he did with the Giants from the '07 postseason onward, he will probably end up doing long, hard prison time for quite a while.

Burress broke the law, and deserves to be punished for that. In an earlier article, I mentioned that athletes should carry guns, and I still believe that. I also believe that Burress should have maintained the registration for the gun, which was originally licensed in Florida, and like any normal citizen found with an unlicensed handgun, his failure to maintain the registration warrants punishment.

That being said, some common sense should be applied when deciding how much punishment he should receive. A mitigating factor in deciding his punishment should be that he only hurt himself. If his mishap had injured someone else, he would deserve a harsher punishment, but he was the victim of his own crime.

That being said, I have my doubts that common sense will be used in the Burress case. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg guaranteed that New York would prosecute Burress "To the fullest extent of the law."

When people say that double standards are applied to athletes in the courtroom, they are usually referring to when athletes, such as Donte Stallworth, receive leniency due to their fame. In this case, the double standard went the other way for Burress.

If you or I killed somebody while driving drunk, there is no way we would receive only 30 days in jail. At the same time, if you or I accidentally shot ourselves in a night club, there is no way a mayor would go on TV and vow to throw the book at us.

Bloomberg’s statements were a publicity move to show that celebrity status doesn’t put you above the law. However, being stricter on celebrities due to their status is just as wrong as giving them extra leniency.

Even if Burress makes a plea deal that allows him to serve less jail time, and allows him to serve it during the offseason, he still faces suspension from the league.

Goodell has made it clear time and time again that he will punish anyone whose conduct he feels is detrimental to the league’s image.

If Goodell even lets Burress play at all, he might still bench him for the first four or eight games of the season, so the Ravens wouldn’t get a full season of contribution by signing Burress. All in all, there are too many potential headaches involved with signing Burress for it to be considered a truly feasible option.

Another name that you might hear associated with the Ravens is free agent Marvin Harrison. However, his production has severely declined in the past couple of years and would not be capable of having the same impact Mason did.

Also, Harrison believes he is still worthy of being paid like he is in his prime, which is why he was released from the Colts in the first place. He asked to be released by the Colts because he didn’t want to take a pay cut.

Because Harrison is unwilling to be paid an amount consistent with his expected ability to contribute to a team, it's unlikely that he ends up with any team at all in 2009.

Seeing as there are no truly dominant receivers available right now, it seems the Ravens’ only option for now is to make do with what they have and then try to land a top-tier receiver in the offseason of 2010.

Football Mythbusters: Can Tebow Take It to the Next Level?

Hank K. — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:30:57 -0400

This is a two-part myth, but both parts are better off discussed at once.

MYTH One: Tim Tebow will enter the NFL in 2010 at a position other than quarterback.

MYTH Two: In fact, Tim Tebow would not be a very good NFL quarterback.

FACTS: He’s such a versatile athlete that people constantly claim he would be better suited at another position. I have read articles mentioning him at Tight End, Linebacker, Safety, Running Back, and Fullback.

Though he might be utilized sparingly in different offensive roles in varying packages, there is no way he will be converted to another position.

First of all, the NFL learned its lesson with Kordell “Slash” Stewart, who, as best described by Jerome Bettis, “never really got an opportunity to develop as a quarterback. He became a jack of all trades, a master of none.”

Stewart had great upside as a running quarterback. In fact, he was so athletic that his team used him in many roles other than quarterback. As a result, this prevented him from becoming one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks ever.

Spending so much time on other positions, Stewart’s abilities to be an NFL quarterback suffered, and he became a journeyman quarterback who never lived up to his full potential.

A more recent example of a player who played multiple positions and saw a decline in their abilities is Chicago’s Devin Hester. In his first two years in the league, Hester was without a doubt the most electrifying kick and punt returner (though not a very good cornerback in his rookie season).

Hester was on track to absolutely shatter most punt and kick returning records in the NFL, but then the Bears lost their top two wideouts in free agency, and Hester was thrust into the role of a No. 1 starting receiver.

Though he showed a little bit of promise as a receiver, and it will be interesting to see how the addition of Jay Cutler will accelerate his development at receiver, his kick returning skills suffered drastically.

By the end of the season, Hester had lost his kickoff return job to Daniel Manning. Though Manning was very good as a kick returner, Hester’s decline was the cause of Manning’s promotion.

Playing a position in the NFL is a full-time job that requires large amounts of practice and preparation. Playing multiple positions decreases the amount of time you are able to spend on any of those positions, and prevents you from reaching your full potential at any position.

Tebow and his family have also said that he does not plan to enter the NFL at any position other than quarterback. Even if a misguided team wants to utilize him at another position, they would be hard-pressed to convince him to do so.

It should also be taken into consideration whether Tebow can be successful in the NFL at quarterback. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to combine all the variables that make a great quarterback and then know for sure how successful they will be in the NFL.

However, one can look at the variables separately and then do their best to make an educated guess.

Size/Arm Strength: The biggest knock on Colt McCoy, college’s second-best quarterback, is that he is too small to withstand hits from defenders. Tebow, on the other hand, delivers hits to defenders.

Though that will probably shorten his NFL career if he doesn’t start avoiding hard contact whenever possible, it shows that he can take the hits that he can’t avoid. There is no possible way you could say Tebow is too small to play in the NFL.

Tebow has connected on plenty of deep passes during his college career, and it is a ridiculous notion that Tebow lacks the arm strength to throw downfield in the NFL.

Accuracy/Throwing Motion: He doesn’t have the prettiest spiral, and he throws sidearm, but the ball gets exactly where it needs to go. He also reportedly worked on his throwing motion this offseason, changing from a sidearm throw to a three-quarter overhand motion.

Unfortunately, I missed Florida’s spring game and did not get to see the results of this change in passing style. With a whole offseason of working to improve his passing, Tebow, already an adequate passer, could become one of the deadliest dual-threat quarterbacks to play the game.

The one negative thing I have to say about Tebow in this regard is that he is left-handed. The way he places the ball when he throws will be difficult to predict for most receivers who are used to right-handed quarterbacks.

This will be especially difficult if a quarterback injury occurs. If Tebow is starting and has to miss a game or two, if his backup is right-handed, receivers will have to re-adjust in the middle of the season, and then adjust yet again when Tebow returns.

However, the same things could have all been said about Steve Young at the beginning of his career. Left-handedness will definitely be an obstacle for Tebow, but not an insurmountable one.

Mobility/Pocket Presence: Pure speed isn’t the most impressive aspect of his game. Plenty of college quarterbacks have that. What distinguishes Tebow from the rest of them is his innate knowledge of when to run and where to run.

His ability to scramble isn’t all that makes him special. He is phenomenal at moving around inside the pocket, avoiding defenders and holding onto the ball just long enough to let the play develop.

Also, unlike most quarterbacks who are a significant threat on the ground, Tebow understands not only when to run, but when not to run. This is important, because if you take of running too soon, the results can be just as poor if you start running too late.

Another element of his play that differentiates him from other mobile QBs is that he only runs when it is necessary. He has a tremendous instinct for understanding whether he’ll make a bigger gain on the ground or through the air.

As I mentioned earlier, Tebow tends to hit into defenders instead of avoiding them. This will not help his longevity in the NFL. He needs to take what the defense is giving him, and then get out of bounds. If he does this successfully, he will avoid unnecessary injuries and extend his playing career.

Mental Difficulty of the Transition: Urban Meyer runs a fairly complex offense for the college level, and I think that will make it a little easier for Tebow to learn an NFL playbook. Needless to say, Tebow would benefit greatly from a year or two of being a backup and learning the offense.

Look at Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart: Both were USC standouts and Heisman winners. Both were drafted by teams with great receivers. Yet in the NFL, Palmer has enjoyed more success than Leinart.

In the NFL, Palmer sat behind Jon Kitna for a year before taking the reins and leading the Bengals’ offense to great success.

Leinart, on the other hand, was thrust into the starting role for the Cardinals and failed despite the help he had at receiver. In 2008, the Cardinals’ starting QB job was officially given to Kurt Warner, who then helped lead the Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

If Tebow is drafted early in the first round, then that means he will go to a team that performed poorly in 2009, and chances are he will have a chance to earn a starting job. Also, going to a bad team means he will have a harder time succeeding in the NFL than if he went to a team with an established starting quarterback.

Tebow will not be drafted by a playoff team, either. Drafting a quarterback in the first round is often seen as a threat to the starting quarterback (Green Bay found this out the hard way in 2005 when they drafted Aaron Rodgers), and is not something that teams with solid quarterbacking situations tend to do.

If Tebow somehow slips past the first 20 picks in the draft, he won’t be picked at all in the first round for this reason. If he goes into the second round, he’ll be drafted before any playoff teams have another shot at him: There’s no way EVERY team that needs a good quarterback will pass on him twice.

Therefore, it’s most likely that Tim Tebow will end up starting on a team that played poorly in 2009. This will impede his development as a quarterback because he will not have good weapons to work with.

Leadership/Work Ethic: After a one-point loss to Ole Miss, Tebow gave a speech declaring that nobody would work harder than him to make sure the Gators don’t lose again. He didn’t blame anyone else, he just simply guaranteed that he would do everything he could to help his team win.

This type of determination indicates that he has the mentality to succeed in the NFL. A large majority of top picks, especially quarterbacks, come from teams where losing two or more games in a season is a rarity. When moving on to the NFL, it is that much more difficult to judge how the player will handle losing on a much more routine basis.

Seeing the classy way in which Tebow took responsibility for the loss and then rallied his teammates all the way to a national championship should reassure the team drafting him that his response to a loss will not be to dwell on it, but to make sure it happens a lot less often.

Compare Tebow’s speech to the attitude displayed by St. Louis QB Marc Bulger, who after a loss to the 49ers in December 2008, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch “We’re not good enough.”

You can almost guarantee that Tebow would never say that about his team or himself, even if it was true. This type of winning attitude is necessary in order to change the fortunes of a perennial loser and turn the team around.

Off-Field Concerns: None. Quarterbacks are the most visible players on each team, and as such, the teams that draft them have to be sure there are no character concerns. With Tebow, you have no concerns whatsoever.

You don’t have to worry about his picture ever going on TMZ, because he seems to avoid the role of a celebrity quarterback. Though he receives more media acclaim than most NFL quarterbacks, he has not let the fame and attention cause him to act stupid.

While a large majority of college students were out partying during Spring Break, Tebow was doing missionary work in the Philippines. He says and does all the right things to indicate he is not a character risk at all. Drafting him will help any team’s image.

With the above considerations in mind, I think that Tim Tebow will have a moderately difficult time in his first couple of years as an NFL starter, but will eventually grow into a very good, if not, great, NFL quarterback for years to come.

Football Mythbusters: Breaking Down "The Wildcat"

Hank K. — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:29:46 -0400

MYTH: “A year from now the Wildcat will be fading away, almost gone, another toy gone to the gimmick gravesite.” (Pete Prisco, June 9, 2009)

FACT: The opposite is true. Though the Wildcat formation lost some of its effectiveness last year when teams started run-blitzing it, it will come back stronger and be used by more teams this year.

Just to clarify, I am referring to the Wildcat formation as run by the Miami Dolphins, not just any direct snap play.

For example, in Super Bowl XLIII, Willie Parker ran to the right on a direct snap where Roethlisberger was out wide to the left and there were three players on the right (I don’t remember if it was three WRs, or one TE and two WRs. I can’t find a video of this play anywhere to verify it either).

It was obvious before the play even started that Parker was running to the right: There’s no way a team would make their QB block during the Super Bowl, because if he had gotten hurt, it would have been disastrous.

Parker ran around for a few seconds, but was tackled for no gain. This play was destined to fail due to the obviousness of where Parker was running, and it completely lacked the versatility and creativity of the Wildcat.

However, Madden and Michaels referred to it as the Wildcat during the game, and columnists afterward started saying that play was proof that defenses had finally figured out how to stop the Wildcat.

That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

This picture shows the Wildcat formation as employed by the Miami Dolphins last year.

They had a receiver out wide to the left, RB Ricky Williams in the left slot, RB Ronnie Brown in the shotgun, and QB Chad Pennington out wide to the right.

Basically, there are three main options for the RB taking the snap: Hand the ball off, keep it and run with it, or pass. Before the play, the slot RB motions towards the right.

When the ball is snapped, the RB in the shotgun hands the ball off as the slot RB crosses in front of him. The slot RB runs around on the sweep to the right, and the shotgun RB runs up the middle as if he has the ball.

On the other hand, the shotgun RB could keep the ball and run up the middle, but first he has to pretend to hand the ball off to the slot RB, who runs around to the right as if he has the ball.

This helps freeze the defense: Since both the shotgun RB and the slot RB run as if they have the ball, the defense isn't sure who really has it.

There's also the third option of the shotgun RB throwing the ball. This is where Miami's Wildcat offense will improve significantly this year.

The reason that Miami put a RB in the shotgun was because they didn't have a fast QB. Eventually, Ronnie Brown’s inability to throw as well as a QB led to teams such as Baltimore run-blitzing and slowing down the Wildcat.

Now that they have a speedy QB in Pat White, if defenses run-blitz to stop the Wildcat, the Dolphins will be able to make them pay through the air. Defenses will have to be conscious of this, leaving more running room in order to defend against the pass.

If your QB is a fast guy, such as Pat White or Vince Young (who often ran this formation in college), then you have the advantage of not having to line your QB out wide and risking injury to him.

However, if a team with a less mobile QB kept their QB out wide, they could have a fourth option in the Wildcat, where they can run this play that the Dolphins ran against the Texans.

On this play, Ronnie Brown handed the ball off to Williams, who went to the right on the sweep. As Williams went around to the right, he pitched the ball to Pennington, who bombed the ball deep to his tight end.

This is yet another wrinkle in the Wildcat offense, making it even harder to defend. However, teams have to decide whether this extra wrinkle is worth subjecting their QB to hits from defenders.

Even if teams decide not to keep a QB out wide instead utilizing another WR in his place, the Wildcat formation is still a potent weapon to include in an offensive gameplan.

Like any formation, it shouldn’t be overused, but using it a couple of times a game can force opposing defenses to spend extra time preparing against it, giving them less time to prepare against the other aspects of the team’s offense.

With the right personnel, the Wildcat can be a highly effective weapon. The question then arises, which teams have such personnel?

San Diego: LaDainian Tomlinson has thrown seven touchdown passes in 11 attempts throughout his career. Put him in the shotgun, Darren Sproles in the slot, and Phillip Rives out wide to the right. With a tight end like Antonio Gates, the Wildcat could be an incredibly dangerous weapon for San Diego.

Minnesota: Apparently they’ve been experimenting with the Wildcat, with Percy Harvin in the shotgun and Adrian Peterson in the slot. The reasoning behind this is that Harvin took direct snaps at Florida, so he’d be a good Wildcat QB.

Due to the Vikings' instability at QB, the Wildcat formation would be a great fit for the Vikings, and they could tweak it even better to suit their personnel.

First of all, I think they should put Peterson in the shotgun and Harvin in the slot. Peterson is much better suited as a violent, between-the-tackles runner, and Harvin is a pure speed guy, better for running the sweep.

Vikings coaches have often said they want to put Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson on the field at the same time, because Taylor is a talented back, too. Instead of putting a QB out wide to the right, they could use Taylor there, and occasionally give him the ball on a reverse from the sweep.

The weakness with this would be that there is no passing threat present, meaning defenses could load up the box without fearing they’d be exploited through the air. If Tarvaris Jackson could improve his accuracy, then he could become a factor in the offense.

Eliminate the WR on the left. Instead, line up Jackson in the shotgun, with Peterson as his RB to the right. Send Harvin in motion to the right. Snap the ball, and Jackson can hand it off to Peterson and send him up the middle.

If he fakes the handoff to Peterson, he can then hand it off to Harvin on the sweep while Peterson runs up the middle as if he has the ball. Harvin can run around to the right, and he could give the ball to Taylor on a reverse.

Also, Jackson could fake the handoff to both Peterson and Harvin, and then roll out of the pocket and pass the ball. If nobody is open, he can scramble for a few yards, as he has proven he is more than capable of doing.

This adds yet a FOURTH possible rusher to the formation, along with a threat of passing the ball. To me, the Vikings could have the most exciting Wildcat offense in the league if they made the modifications I listed above.

Oakland: They don’t have a strong passing game, and Darren McFadden used to line up in the shotgun in the “Wild Hog” formation at Arkansas. They can then put one of their many RBs in the slot, allowing them to emphasize their strengths in the running game to take some pressure off of their weaker passing game.

Dallas: Felix Jones used to play at Arkansas, where they often used their “Wild Hog” formation, which is very similar to the Wildcat, so he would make an easy transition into the slot RB position in this formation.

The Cowboys are known for ignoring character issues if they think a player can help make big plays, so if they signed Matt Jones, a former “Wild Hog” QB at Arkansas who is a current free agent, they could have a potent Wildcat attack.

Atlanta: Michael Turner in the shotgun, the speedy Jerious Norwood in the slot, and Tony Gonzalez at TE so Turner can make short passes to him. If Matt Ryan struggles (which I doubt will happen, but you never know), we could see a bit of this formation in Atlanta.

Tennessee: Vince Young ran this formation a lot in college, so he knows the offense. Now imagine Chris Johnson in the slot. This could make the Titans offense even more potent.

Also, this would help satisfy Vince Young’s desire to play this year, without taking away from Kerry Collins’ authority as the starter.

When asked in an interview if he was planning to use the Wildcat with Young, Jeff Fisher smiled and said “Maybe, it’s a copycat league.” He then declared boldly, “You don’t want to open against us.”

Look for the Wildcat to play a role in the defending Super Bowl champions starting off 2009 with an 0-1 record.

New Orleans: The Saints have had a hard time utilizing Reggie Bush, who did everything in college, to his fullest potential. Though Sean Payton said he’s against using the Wildcat because he doesn’t want to take snaps away from Drew Brees, he should rethink that commitment.

Brees is an incredible passer. He passed for 5,069 yards in 2008, only a few yards short of breaking Dan Marino’s single-season record. However, the Saints missed the playoffs. The Saints’ defense was sub par, ranking 26th in points allowed and 23rd in yards allowed.

If the defense continues to play this poorly, the Saints will need to start rushing more if they want to win more than eight games. Though their passing offense was ranked first in the league, the rushing offense was ranked 28th.

Running more often will take more time off of the clock, keeping the Saints’ defense off of the field for longer, and keeping their offense on the field. This will give opposing teams less opportunities to score.

Putting Reggie Bush in the shotgun will allow him to run or pass once in a while, and the Saints can put either another RB or a receiver in the slot to run the sweep. This could help give the offense some of the balance it was missing last year, giving the Saints a chance to go back to the NFC championship.

Keep an eye out for these teams, and perhaps others, too, to employ the Wildcat next year. Without a doubt, the Wildcat is here to stay.

Football Mythbusters: What Now for Titans, Young?

Hank K. — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:18:11 -0400

MYTH: Vince Young still has a future in Tennessee.

FACT: There is a very slim chance he plays one snap of regular-season football with the Titans ever again.

Young made all of the right moves during the offseason—until now.

He said he was fine with being a backup and learning from Kerry Collins, yet he was still ready to play when he was needed. He showed up for all of the voluntary team activities, and even participated in a celebrity basketball game for charity.

Sure, he was onstage at a rap concert and “made it rain”—it looked more like a slight drizzle. He pulled a few bills out of his pocket and dropped them into the front row of the crowd.

It is 100 percent ridiculous that people consider this an issue and are seriously comparing it to Pacman Jones coming into the club with a trashbag full of 80,000 one-dollar bills.

I, like a fairly decent-sized minority of NFL fans, believed the Titans were set at quarterback. Kerry Collins was signed to a two-year deal, which gave Vince Young two years to further learn the Titans’ fairly new offense (this is only OC Mike Heimerdinger’s second year back with the Titans).

I believed that at the end of those two years, or maybe even earlier if Collins faltered, Vince Young would be ready to step in and play. Unfortunately, Young might be a little TOO ready to do so.

He told WMAR, a radio station in Baltimore, that "I definitely want to get back out there playing ball and picking up where I left off, winning games, and having a good time with my teammates and with the fans. At the same time, if the guys don't want me to be in there, it's time for me to make a career change for myself.”

This statement isn’t very different from those made by Kerry Collins, when he said he was only interested in returning to the Titans as a starter, and was willing to retire if no starting opportunities presented themselves.

“I’ve played so much in my career, and I’ve been a starter for so long. I feel like I’m a starter in this league…But if it comes down it, becoming a backup is something I’m not interested in right now.”

The major difference was that Collins was a free agent, and Young is still under contract. Collins could have gone to any team willing to sign him, but Vince Young has to be traded. And in the NFL trade market, perception is reality.

Due to a few overblown incidents, Vince Young’s reputation is shot. So assuming that only teams who desperately need a quarterback will take him, where will he go?

Starting with the likeliest (in my opinion, anyway), here are some of the most probable landing spots.

Washington Redskins

Reasons it could happen: They’ve already tried to trade for a new quarterback twice this offseason. Is the third time the charm?

Also, current Redskins starter Jason Campbell is very humble about the Redskins’ attempts to improve their QB corps. His attitude would fit in well in Tennessee, where he can back up Kerry Collins for two years and then be the Titans’ quarterback of the future.

Reasons it might not happen: Who’s to say Jason Campbell will be as humble if the Redskins end up trying and failing to replace him a third time? The Redskins might not be willing to take that risk.

Minnesota Vikings

Reasons it could happen: They’ve demonstrated an overt interest in getting better at quarterback. Many people, myself included, believe the Vikings are a quarterback away from being perennial Super Bowl contenders.

Adrian Peterson can also carry most of the offensive load, giving Young more room for error as he grows into a new offense. They’re experimenting with a wildcat package, where Young would fit in even better than Percy Harvin. Harvin could still be an excellent slot WR, or could fit into a smash-and-dash role with Adrian Peterson.

Reasons it might not happen: The only player they have that the Titans might want is Chester Taylor, and that’s a stretch because the Titans already have a crowded backfield. As far as draft picks go, the Titans aren’t going to get as high of a pick as they’d like, due to Young’s reputation in the media.

Seattle Seahawks

Reasons it could happen: Jim Mora is the new head coach in Seattle. He used to coach Michael Vick in Atlanta, and is therefore accustomed to coaching a running QB.

Matt Hasselbeck, age 34, had a horrible 2008 season, throwing five TDs and 10 INTs.

Sending Vince Young to Seattle would give Jim Mora a QB who he would best know how to utilize, without the threat of protests from PETA.

Reasons it might not happen: Do the Titans really want Hasselbeck?

Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, or Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I’m not sold on any of these three locations, but their names will be brought up, so I’ll address them.

Reasons it could happen: Each team has a QB “controversy,” in the sense that they have two or more QBs who could start next year. Therefore, they might be willing to bring in Vince Young.

Reasons it might not happen: None of those three teams are willing to name an unequivocal starter at QB, and that might not go over too well with Young.

Also, I don’t see the Titans investing in Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, Byron Leftwich, Luke McCown, Shaun Hill, or Alex Smith as their quarterback of the future.

There are two more radical solutions that the Titans might want to look into. The first solution is declaring an open QB competition.

Make it fair, with both Collins and Young receiving 50 percent of the starters’ snaps, and during the preseason, trade away the loser of the QB battle.

Either way, they’re depleting their depth at QB, though.

Instead of a trade, the Titans should look to maintain the status quo. One way that nobody’s thought of doing this is by offering Young a seven-year contract extension.

If they structure it so he is less of a salary cap burden—yet gets more money long-term—it shows him that he truly is their quarterback of the future. Then he can learn from the bench until the Titans are ready for him to start.

This would have to be considered the most desirable solution for both the Titans and their currently angry quarterback.

Football Mythbusters: Jason Whitlock's Article About ESPN and Ball State

Hank K. — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:54:49 -0500

MYTH: "the World Wide Leader(ESPN) is the most evil and destructive force in the sports world. It has driven and hastened the destruction of authentic, independent, democratic, courageous sports journalism." - Jason Whitlock, Nov. 26, 2008

FACT: Close, but no cigar, Mr. Whitlock. I have as much love for ESPN as you do, but I think you're unintentionally giving the rest of the media a free pass here.

Note to readers: I suggest you read Whitlock's article here: http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/8853534/The-story-ESPN-doesn%27t-want-you-to-know, in order to fully understand what I'm talking about in my article.

Whitlock, while discussing how underrated he feels Ball State is, pretty much blasts ESPN completely, criticizing their lack of fair coverage and journalistic integrity. For the most part, I agree with him about ESPN, though they do have a few amount of writers I like.

However, everything Whitlock says applies not just to ESPN, but to major sports journalism in general.

There seems to be an unspoken consenus among sports media regarding most subjects: consider all the Heisman "frontrunners" or NFL power rankings.

The teams and players that you see listed as the best are usually the ones that announcers and color commentators want you to consider the best.

Consider the following: who won the MVP of Super Bowl XLII? A Manning. Though New York's spectacular upset win relied more on defense than quarterback play, a big-name celebrity got the award.

Anybody who watched the Super Bowl closely could tell you that Eli Manning didn't win the game for the Giants; the Giants' defensive line won that game.

They hammered Tom Brady and controlled the line of scrimmage. Not only that, but they kept a record-setting offense in check, allowing only two touchdowns.

When the Giants and Patriots faced off on the final Saturday of the 2007 regular season, it was all about the quarterbacks, and Manning played fantastically. However, the Patriots proved that they could not be beaten in an offensive shootout, beating the Giants 38-35.

When the defense controlled the tempo of the game, the Giants won. All Eli Manning had to do was avoid making costly mistakes.

Yet the MVP award, which should've gone to one of New York's offensive linemen, went to Eli Manning, whose receivers bailed him out multiple times on that game-winning drive that he "led."

David Tyree's amazing catch? Wouldn't have been so amazing if Eli had delivered the pass accurately. It would've been a routine catch, very easy to hold onto.

But enough about last season's Super Bowl; let's talk about some of this season's media bias.

When the Titans were 10-0, Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was causing people to speculate if he would be the first defensive MVP since Lawrence Taylor.

This speculation was rightly caused, as the defense anchored the Titans and led them incredibly far without the help of a spectacular offense.

Haynesworth was injured with a concussion against the Jaguars in week one, and he hasn't played a full game since then. However, he's still been able to dominate the game. This man was a monster.

As soon as Tennessee lost their first game, numerous networks, especially CBS, were referring to New York Bretts, I mean New York Jets, DT Kris Jenkins as the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year. I saw this and had only one question to ask.

Are you serious?

One good game against the Titans means more than 10 good games played while injured? What a joke.

Until a couple of weeks ago, the Bretts' defense couldn't stop anyone. Now, if you believe what you read, all of the sudden they're better than a defense that consistently batters opponents.

Think of the "frontrunners" for the MVP award: Drew Brees, Brett Favre, and Kurt Warner.

Drew Brees is putting up big yardage, but the Saints are still 6-6. Big numbers do not make an MVP. But because of today's fantasy-football-obsessed fan base, stats are more important than winning games.

Also, since Reggie Bush was drafted and over-hyped, pundits love picking New Orleans to win. The fact remains, though, that New Orleans is subpar and Drew Brees isn't carrying them.

Favre is a big name in a big market. Combine this with all the coverage he got this summer, and it's a no-brainer that the media wants him to succeed.

As far as Warner, look at it this way: he plays in the NFC West, the most pitiful division in the NFL. He is throwing to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. He should be putting up big numbers AND winning a lot of games.

The fact that the Cardinals didn't do this last year or the year before is moreso a testament to Matt Leinart's failure than Kurt Warner's "greatness." But his career is a feel-good story, and he really is a great person, so the media adores him.

The mainstream sports media picks and chooses what it wants to cover. Thankfully, there are journalists like Whitlock who are unafraid to speak their mind, who characterize journalistic integrity, and who are not afraid to discuss not just sports but pressing social issues.

Unfortunately, Whitlock's excellent article was ignored by the mainstream media, with the exception of Fox Sports, who feature him now that he's no longer with ESPN.

If ESPN was the only source of bad coverage, maybe other networks would've looked at his article and commented on its validity.

However, the fact that almost every major sports network completely ignored him just goes to show the problem is not just ESPN, but all mainstream sports media.

Independent thinkers like those at Bleacher Report are our best hope of independent thought in today's closed-minded sports media. Get out there, write some articles, and make your opinions heard, regardless of unconventional they are.

Football Mythbusters: Longhorns, Red Raiders, and the Squib Kick

Hank K. — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:10:58 -0400

MYTH

The game between Texas Tech and Texas ended perfectly last night, with Texas overcoming a huge deficit and getting ahead by one point with a minute and a half to go, and Texas Tech then driving down the field and scoring a touchdown with only one second remaining.

FACT

I was kind of leaning towards the Longhorns to win this game, but I can't help but admit that game was crazy—in a good way. In fact, it was probably the most exciting second half of football I've seen all year.

There's still one thing that could have made it perfect.

Remember after Tech scored the touchdown, and the fans flooded the field? A goalpost even started coming down, those guys were that wild.

The referees saw this, and penalized Tech for unsportsmanlike conduct. They were then supposed to kick off from their own 15-yard line.

The Tech fans were still going crazy, so Tech was penalized again for unsportsmanlike conduct. This time the penalty was for half the distance to the goal, so Tech now had to kick off from their own seven and a half yard line.

Lined up to return the kickoff was Jordan Shipley, who had already returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown this season against Oklahoma, and he had also returned a punt for a touchdown earlier that night against Texas Tech.

So the Red Raiders were kicking off 22 and a half yards further back than a normal kickoff, and an explosive kick/punt returner was lined up to take it.

The whole game depended on whether or not Shipley could return that ball for a touchdown.

And then Tech squib-kicked it.

For those of you who may not be familiar with a squib kick, it is a short, low kickoff that bounces off the ground a lot. It usually isn't used in the middle of a game, because it gives the returning team very good field position. However, as soon as it hits the ground, it starts taking time off of the clock.

I've never been a fan of the squib kick: teams often use it because they don't want to risk the ball being returned for a touchdown. My favorite part of football to watch is kick and punt returns, so I don't enjoy something like the squib kick that takes the fun out of watching it.

Texas Tech actually used the squib kick perfectly. Given the situation they were in, a squib kick was the exact play they needed to make. Not all teams employ the squib kick as wisely. Just ask the Chicago Bears.

They had just scored a touchdown and were winning by 20-19 with eleven seconds left. Instead of kicking it deep and pinning the Falcons back in their own territory, the squib-kicked it. The Falcons got the ball at their own 45, Matt Ryan threw the ball just far enough to put the Falcons in field-goal range, and the Falcons kicked a field goal as time ran out, winning 22-20.

Texas Tech used the squib kick well, so I can't fault them for "ruining" the last second of the game. However, I would like to know why the clock runs even if nobody touches the ball on a squib kick. On a normal kickoff, does the clock start to run as soon as the ball touches the ground, too?

Either way, an objective football fan would have to admit, it would have been pretty cool if Jordan Shipley had gotten a chance to return the kickoff with one second left on the clock...

Football Mythbusters: 2008 Titans Versus The 2007 Patriots

Hank K. — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 02:08:46 -0400

I was going to write an article about something other than the Titans, but then I saw a statement about them that I felt I had to respond to. Please feel free to comment on my story and agree/disagree with me.

MYTH: "nobody outside the 615 area code believes the Titans have a legitimate shot at an unblemished record like New England did in 2007" —Alex Marvez, October 21, 2008

FACT: Really? Because at this time last year, the Patriots had the same chance of going undefeated as the Titans do now. The Titans are winning in a completely different style than the Patriots did last year, but the end result is the same: they're still winning.

The Patriots last year had such a high-powered passing attack that the running game was almost an afterthought. The Titans have such a strong running game (they ran for over 300 yards in Kansas City last week) that it makes up for their complete lack of a passing game.

While the Patriots had Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Donte Stallworth, the Titans seem to value run-blocking receivers a lot more than they value receivers who can make big catches. While it frustrates the fans, it seems to be working.

On defense, the Patriots were pretty good, but there offense scored so much that it was able to take some pressure off of the defense. On the other hand, the Titans use their dominant defense to take pressure off of the offense.

Though on any given Sunday, a team's chances of winning are 50-50, the remainder of the Titans' schedule shouldn't present too much of a challenge for them. It's hard to see any losses coming from inside their division.

Right now, the Colts' biggest weakness is stopping the run. The Titans' biggest strength is running the ball. Because of this, along with Peyton Manning's inconsistency due largely to his offseason knee surgery, the Titans should be able to manhandle the Colts.

The Jaguars' offensive line is plagued with injuries, making it even easier for the Titans to get after the quarterback. They already sacked David Garrard NINE times in their first victory over the Jaguars. They should be able to take care of business when they play them again.

The Texans? Not in this decade.

In fact, it's hard to see the Titans losing to any team in the AFC on their schedule. Due to the strength of the AFC South last year, the Titans finished third in their division with a 10-6 record. That meant they were scheduled to play the third-place team in the AFC West and East, the Chiefs and the Jets.

They already steamrolled the Chiefs, and Brett Favre can't make the Jets play better defense.

The Titans have to play every team in the AFC North, and they've already beaten the Bengals and the Ravens. The Browns aren't as talented as people like to believe they are, and the Titans' defensive line will absolutely dominate the Steelers' weak offensive line. If Roethlisberger hasn't already been injured by Week 16 due to poor pass protection, then I predict he will be when he plays the Titans.

In no way do I wish this to come true. I absolutely hate seeing any player get hurt. But I'm just predicting that these two lines will be a highly unfavorable matchup for Big Ben.

This leaves us with the Titans losing to someone in the NFC North, most likely the Lions. Just kidding. The Titans will win on Thanksgiving.

The Bears are very similar to the Titans, with their physical defense, reliance on the running game, and a solid game-manager at quarterback. This will be the Titans' biggest challenge of the year, and if I had to pick one game for the Titans to lose, it would be this one.

The Packers are a mystery to me. This team is doing well with Aaron Rodgers, but if his shoulder's already hurting, Brian Brohm or Matt Flynn might start against the Titans.

Overall, it's impossible to predict the outcome of every single game, so this is all speculation. I know it sounds like a huge task to go undefeated, and I'm not even saying I think it's definitely going to happen. But it's possible to make a case for the Titans to win each game when you look at them individually.

I don't know for a fact that the Titans will go undefeated. However, nobody knows for a fact that they won't either. So let's not write them off until they actually lose a game.

Football Mythbusters: What's Wrong with Vince Young?

Hank K. — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:15:44 -0400

MYTH: Vince Young went off the deep end, plain and simple.

FACT: Nobody knows what went on and a lot of speculation has been quoted as "fact."

What we really know from WKRN-TV, who ESPN credits as having first broken the story, is this much:

1. Vince Young left his house without a cell phone.

2. He had an unloaded gun in his car, which is legal in Tennessee.

3. Someone close to him was "concerned" about him, yet to this day nobody's elaborated on why they were concerned.

4. His family notified the Titans, who notified police.

5. The police had negotiators on standby, which is common practice according to Nashville Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron.

6. The police eventually found him at a friend's house.

7. He then met with Titans officials and went home in his own vehicle.

Here is the article: http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?s=8976169

Quite honestly, out of those seven facts, No. 2 worries me the most about his mental state. After what happened to Sean Taylor last year, that thing should've been loaded! If I were a high-profile celebrity with a lot of money traveling alone, I'd have a loaded gun with me.

Even if a would-be robber didn't recognize Young, I'd be willing to bet Young has a really expensive car, which would draw attention. It's only common sense that you should protect yourself. Despite all this, the media acts like it's a bad thing when someone famous has a gun.

Given these facts, one can conclude that this was overblown. Later on that week, things really got crazy when ESPN published that Young's therapist said he, "mentioned suicide several times."

My comment on this was, "If Justin McCareins was my No. 1 receiver, I'd want to jump out of a window too." Then I realized that therapists have to take every mention of suicide seriously, even ones like the comment I had just made. It's not that difficult to imagine someone saying, "I played terribly yesterday, I need to hop in front of a moving train," and not really meaning it.

Unfortunately, due to these incidents many formerly reasonable "journalists" hopped on the anti-Vince Young bandwagon. The most shameful of these was Adam Schefter, who out of the blue declared on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Morning that Vince Young asked to be taken out of the playoff game against the Chargers.

At halftime of that game, the Titans were winning by six points. They weren't losing at that point, so it's not like he felt bummed by being down. But they also weren't winning by enough points that you could pull your starting quarterback.

Merril Hoge came up with some crazy stuff too, but I can respect him at least because he's been against Young since before Young was drafted. Schefter either needs to come up with some real sources backing him up, or just admit he was wrong and apologize to Young.

All in all, this should serve as a reminder to all of us that we should think before we judge someone based on hearsay.

EDIT: By the way, here's the police report. http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_documents/young_report.pdf

The only thing in the report that I didn't mention above was that Vince was speeding at 90 m/h. If I had a Mercedes, I'd drive that fast too :)