Bleacher Report - Articles by Cayce Mautino

Jon Gruden: Chucky Gets The Axe

Cayce Mautino — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:30:01 -0500

In the ever-changing world that is the NFL, no job is safe.

This could not have been proven more true today with the firing of Jon Gruden.

With the Buccaneers just missing the playoffs this year, so many key free agents, and an aging defense, the state of the franchise is in question.

The Buccaneers are behind the curve in the coaching carousel, but may get lucky. The reality is, Jon Gruden is an above-average coach who wins with journeyman quarterbacks.

If the Buccaneers are looking for a spark, they may find one in Dallas' offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett.

Garrett was a hot commodity last year, and overlooked this year due to the team's late collapse.

Regardless of what happens, the firing of Jon Gruden is sure to make teams looking for a coach re-evaluate their situations.

Congratulations Jon Gruden, you just became the most eligible coach in the NFL.

The Thunder Rolls! Oklahoma City Decides on NBA Nickname

Cayce Mautino — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:46:49 -0400

Mark. The time of death is 0800, July 20, 2008. The victim's name: Seattle Supersonics.

Taking yet another step toward their first official NBA season, Oklahoma City has found a name for their basketball team. The new team will be named the Oklahoma City Thunder.

There are a lot of fans upset over the move to OKC, most of these fans live in the Northwest portion of our country. I completely understand Seattle fans being upset. If a team that I followed forever got up and left town I would be upset as well.

On the other hand, I recently visited Oklahoma—and the buzz around the new NBA team was huge.

Oklahoma is a state that has never been given the opportunity to hold a professional sports team. When the NOK Hornets played for a season and a half, in OKC it created a lot of buzz. The Oklahoma fans were so excited to be able to support a professional team—it put them on the professional sports map.

For Oklahoma fans who have always had to rent other states' teams—cheering for the Cowboys or Chiefs, or borrowing one from New Orleans—congratulations, and I hope it works out well for you.

For Seattle fans, I wish you well in finding a team to cheer for in the interim. I am sure Seattle will find itself with another basketball team with the same name in the future. Seattle is a great sports town, and it will recover.

NFL Power Rankings, but Still too Early to Tell

Cayce Mautino — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:53:15 -0400

As I was surfing the net yesterday, looking for any football related news that mattered (no offense, Greg Spires to the Raiders is not too interesting), I found the newest NFL Power Rankings.

Sure, it's never too early to think about next season, but to honestly evaluate teams is another thing altogether.

1. New England Patriots—Of course the Patriots are first. I know they got beat in their final game, but I would be hard pressed to find someone who thinks they will no longer be in the mix. They suffered a key loss in Asante Samuel, but the Patriots always find ways to recover.

2. San Diego Chargers—The Chargers will have an easy road to the playoffs because the AFC West has gone from a highly-competative division to the mirror image of the NFC West's "someone please win the division."

They have been on the verge of greatness for the past three years, and barring injuries in the playoffs, they may have gone all the way last year. The loss of Michael Turner will prove to be bigger than they thought, but still not enough to hold them out of the AFC Championship game.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars—Normally the Colts would have been in this spot, but with the recent allegations against Marvin Harrison, they could be falling furthur than expected. The Jaguars are one of the league's most improved teams in the offseason.

Fred Taylor is admitting that his time is short, which means he may run harder, and David Garrard does not make mistakes. A new receiving corps will definitely help, and the loss of Marcus Stroud will not be noticed too much with the addition of two of the draft's best DE's and Derek Landri's improved play at the end of last season. There may be a new Division Champ in the AFC South.

4. Dallas Cowboys—Do not buy into the hype that Tony Romo doesn't have his head in the right place. He is a good QB with a good supporting cast. The reality with this team is that the window is closing. They are one bad season away from a TO explosion, and bringing in Pacman is not going to help their team cohesion. Regardless, they still appear to be the best overall team in the NFC.

5. New York Giants—They had a great season, but the verdict is still out on Eli Manning. Don't believe me...ask the Giants why they brought in David Carr and drafted Andre Woodson. Plaxico is still the most underrated receiver in the business, and if they switch to a two-TE set, they could be unstoppable. The Giants would normally be one spot higher, but with Strahan mulling retirement, they may as well stay in this spot.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers—An incredible draft, picking up what many would consider the best RB and the best WR in the draft. Big Ben gets the target he desires in Limas Sweed, and they finally get the hard-nosed runningback they wanted in Mendenhall, who adds some insurance to the Willie Parker recovery. I see no reason why the Steelers should not run away with their division, and go deep into the playoffs.

7. Indianapolis Colts—There are other teams I would rather put in this spot, but something about Peyton Manning will not allow me to do it. Peyton is a great QB that could win under almost any circumstances, but now he may have to do it without Marvin Harrison. Last season he held his own without Harrison, but showed many weaknesses in forcing passes. Look for the Colts as a wild card, as they watch the Jaguars take the division.

8. Philadelphia Eagles—I do not believe that the Eagles stay in this spot, mainly due to the Lito Sheppard situation. As long as the Eagles do maintain both Sheppard and Samuel on the roster, with Dawkins at safety, I can't honestly see anyone throwing the ball against them. Sure, there are some holes up front, but they have a defensive backfield full of play makers. Mix that with a healthy Donovan McNabb, and you may be looking at the revival of the Eagles.

9. Cleveland Browns—Sure they are the Browns, but they are improved. Shaun Rogers was a huge pick up, and some healthy QB-competition will only make Derek Anderson better. There are still some questions about this team, but do not count them out of the wild card race.

10. Minnesota Vikings—If Adrian Peterson was not enough to make this team a contender, they made a huge offseason move, picking up the league's best DE in Jared Allen. The defensive line should allow no rushing yards with Kevin and Pat Williams, and apply plenty of QB pressure with the addition of Jared Allen.

Look for Chad Greenway to reap the benefits of such a great defensive line, and some young corners to benefit from hurried QB decisions. Sidney Rice should start to set himself apart as the teams go-to receiver, which should help whoever wins the QB position.

11. Seattle Seahawks—If they had not won their division last year, they would not be in this position. The reality is that they are a good team in a bad division. There are some quality players on this team, but the window is closing on them. Their defense will win them some games (and most likely the division), but their lack of offense will hurt them.

12. Green Bay Packers—Brett Favre is gone. So starts the Aaron Rodgers era...or maybe Brian Brohm. Regardless of who is playing QB, this team showed it was full of overlooked talent. Their defense should be in the top half of the league again, and depending on how well their new QB plays, they could either run away with the division, or be looking forward to the draft earlier than they expected.

13. New Orleans Saints—The NFC South is another one of those divisions that no one seems to want to win. Usher in the Saints. The Saints have been a powerhouse on offense, but their true questions are on defense.

14. Washington Redskins—A great season, but sadly they are in the NFC East. They will be a good team, but will have a very tough time winning their division, or being a second wild card from that division.

15. Buffalo Bills—The Bills have quietly had a great offseason. Sure Marcus Stroud is old, but he will help one of the league's best defenses stop the run. If they can solidify their QB position, they may be contending for a wild card spot late in the season.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers—If there were a requirement for more than one QB on the field at a time, Tampa would be number one. Sadly enough for them, you can only play one at a time. Having said that, their choices in signal callers is not the greatest, just the deepest.

If they can figure out who will be throwing the ball to Joey Galloway, they should make a run at the division. With an aging defense, their rebuilding process begins now. Younger players must get on the field and begin to produce, or it could be back to the Yuckaneers.

17. Houston Texans—Remember early in the season when the Texans were really good? The key to that is healthy players. Dunta Robinson should be returning healthy and Mario Williams could continue to get better, which is scary. Matt Schaub should be healthy and back in his starting role, if not, Sage Rosenfels proved to be pretty reliable. Look for them to break .500, but still no playoff berth.

18. Tennessee Titans—Vince Young is the key for this team. Two years ago they were one game from the playoffs and last year one and out. If Young can become more consistant, maybe they will make it over the hump. If not, get ready for the critics to question Young's ability to play QB.

19. Arizona Cardinals—This could be a sleeper team. I have been saying this for the last three years, but with a returning Matt "prom queen" Leinart, the best receiver corps in football, and the worst division, they are always a contender.

20. Carolina Panthers—The Panthers are good...aren't they? Delhomme will be returning, I am not sure what that means. Some high-school kid stole Julius Peppers uniform and played for him last year.

Regardless, I believe they still have enough of a team in tact that if they stay healthy, they could win the division. It's the staying healthy part I do not think they can do.

21. Chicago Bears—The defense will always make them a contender. The question is, which Rex Grossman will you get this season? Will you even get him if Orton beats him out? Benson proved in the offseason that he can't even break tackles of police officers while trying to resist arrest, so how is he going to break tackles on the field? The good news for Bears fans is that they kept Lance Briggs, and as long as people continue to kick to Hester, that should allow enough offense for a win.

22. Denver Broncos—Jay Cutler needs to have a big year. The Broncos let go of Javon Walker, and their defense is getting older. They picked up Darrell Jackson, which should help the receiving corps, but if this team wants to make a serious run, Cutler needs to live up to the hype.

23. New York Jets—They spent a lot of money to get older players. Sure, on paper they look good, but I remember in years past when the Redskins always looked good on paper. The bad thing about that is, games are won on the field, not on paper.

24. Oakland Raiders—The Raiders have had a very good offseason. With Deangelo Hall and Nnamdi Asomugha, I don't know if anyone will be able to matchup against their defense. Look for them to make it interesting when teams are fighting for a playoff spot. They could sneak in if Jamarcus Russell can play to his potential.

25. Detroit Lions—The receiving corps should make things interesting, but losses on the defense will prove to be the achilles heel. Jon Kitna is not the answer at QB, and they need to start getting some younger talent to grow with the young WRs.

26. San Francisco 49ers—I would normally put the Bengals here, but with Chad Johnson threatening to hold out, I don't know if I can. Frank Gore should have another good year, and Alex Smith should turn a corner. Patrick Willis should continue to improve, and they could find themselves above .500.

27. Cincinnati Bengals—Chad Johnson will be the downfall of the Bengals. He would leave them with the lack of a true number-one receiver, and the entire team is searching for playmakers.

28. Kansas City Chiefs—The loss of Jared Allen has actually improved this team. They had a good draft, and have a young core of talent. If Larry Johnson is healthy and someone steps up to play QB, the Chiefs could make it to .500 with the league's easiest schedule (minus the season opener against the Patriots).

29. St. Louis Rams—A healthy Steven Jackson will help, but they still have a ways to go. The defense is improving, and the addition of Chris Long will help. I still don't think this is enough to get them past .500.

30. Baltimore Ravens—This is really a tie between the Falcons and the Ravens. They both have similar problems, but the Ravens just happen to have a few less. They both need a QB, but the Ravens have a few more options than the Falcons. This will be a tough year for the Ravens, but they could still surprise some people.

31. Atlanta Falcons—Let the Matt Ryan era begin. Vick is officially a name of the past (at least for now), and the Ravens can move on. Crumpler has moved to Tennessee, which does not help in the rebuilding process, but hopefully Ryan can give the Falcons something to cheer for.

32. Miami Dolphins—They made some good moves, but not enough. This team is not too far away from respectability, but far enough for this year. Sorry Dolphin fans, you may already be on the clock.

State of the Chiefs is a Reflection of the Economy

Cayce Mautino — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:49:05 -0400

Being that as an economy we seem to be going through a hard time (I won't say the R word) it has brought some things to light for the Chiefs' fan inside of me.

First off, unlike most Chiefs' fans I do not hate Herm Edwards. I think he has a great coaching mind when it comes to player development. The problem I have is we are in a rebuilding year and no one is willing to admit it. On top of that we have old leadership (Carl Peterson) trying to get us out of it.

First step to building a team: Find young talent (Jared Allen, 26 lead the league in sacks) and build around them.

Second step: Keep that player!

Sure I understand that Jared Allen can get us an extra 2 or 3 draft picks, but what is the probability those players live up to Allen's potential?

I look at these problems and I am starting to believe that the Chiefs are only trying to mirror the economy. i.e. old leadership (Carl Peterson) refuses to admit we are rebuilding, seems to mirror another leader refusing to admit we are in a recession.

So now we, both as an economy and as Chiefs' fans are looking at a deficit that is hard to overcome. We are taking steps backward (Trading Jared Allen) to attempt to start over 4 years from now. Sure things will begin to look up soon, but for Chiefs' fans who haven't seen a playoff win since 1993, we need something to cheer for now! As an economy, we haven't seen gas prices below two dollars a gallon in over a year.

The same way I would look at $2.75 a gallon as a reasonable price for gas now, a trip to the playoffs for the Chiefs would be a relief. Herm Edwards has never missed the playoffs back to back seasons as a head coach. That streak may very well be coming to an end.

Who Is the Greatest Running Back of All Time?

Cayce Mautino — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:28:55 -0400

With the current running backs included in the discussion, who is or will be the greatest running back ever?

Jim Brown was the first, but then memories of him were wiped away by Walter Payton. Even Payton was overshadowed by Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, and Thurman Thomas.

Now it appears as though LaDanian Tomlinson is on track statistically, but if Adrian Peterson stays healthy, could it be him?

You decide NFL fans, who is or will be the greatest?

Reggie Bush Has a New Excuse

Cayce Mautino — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:15:28 -0400

In the midst of the current investigation of Reggie Bush allegedly accepting gifts to play football at USC and questions about if Bush is good enough to be a number one back, it appears as though young Reggie has found love.

There is speculation that Reggie Bush is dating reality TV star/home video temptress Kim Kardashian. Now don't get me wrong, love is love and I am happy for the two of them.

My problem with the whole situation is now it gives an excuse as to why Reggie Bush is not living up to the expectations. Now it will be...oh, Kim is in the stands, that must be why he is averaging two yards per rush.

The real reason Reggie Bush has yet to live up to the expectations is (drum roll)....he is not as good as advertised. I said when he was coming out of college, man that guy is exciting but he reminds me a lot of Dante Hall.

Michael Vick was exciting coming out of college too, but he was terrible as a QB. A lot of people say if you put Vick at HB he would tear it up, which I again disagree with. The reason Vick ran so well is he had the option to throw. If you hand the ball to Vick he will get chopped down dancing in the back field.

Now before you think that I called Bush a talentless hack consider this: Reggie Bush and Michael Vick are great athletes. They are both incredibly fast and can make a play. The problem is, they are both playing the wrong position.

If Michael Vick or Reggie Bush were kick returners, they would be terrific. That is where the shifty/fast running style is best suited. You could also transition them into receivers.

Bush is a nice tool to have on offense, but when McAllister went down last season, Bush could not carry the load by himself, proving that he is not a number one back.

Now for those of you who are going to make the Barry Sanders argument for Reggie Bush, consider each one's style. Bush is fast, shifty, and always tries to get outside of the tackles. Barry Sanders was quick, shifty, and did a lot of running squeezing between guards and tackles. There really is no comparison other than size.

Barry Sanders is one of the (if not THE) greatest running backs to ever step on a football field, whereas Bush is your average fast running back who made a name for himself in college.

Early Victory Could be a Sign of Things to Come for Kansas City Royals

Cayce Mautino — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:53:51 -0400

With such a long season, does winning early actually mean anything?

For a Royals fan, it actually means a lot.

For me (a die-hard Royals fan) the season is normally over mid- to end-April. One month, if we are lucky. Despite that, Kansas City has always been a baseball town...just one with a terrible team.

It is hard to call the Royals fans "fair weather" considering the weather has been nothing but cloudy since the 80s. There is a strange feeling to this year though. Dayton Moore started building this team. There are a lot of young players, many who come with high expectations from fans.

This year the Royals open up with three games in Detroit. The Tigers have been noted as a favorite to win the division, if not the World Series, ever since the acquisition of Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. Detroit present a murderer's row-esque lineup against Kansas City's young pitching staff.

The Royals took the first two games of the series with the possibility to sweep tomorrow. In the long run they are only two games out of 162, but you have to win sometime. And who is to say that the young Royals can not exercise some baseball magic and give Kansas City something to cheer for again?

With upcoming stars in Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, and Mark Teahen and veterans like Jose Guillen and Mark Grudzielanek the Royals are not looking too bad this season.

The pitching is also coming along. Gil Meche looked decent in his Opening Day start, and Zach Grienke (barring another mental episode) may finally live up to his potential of a top pitcher in the league.

All I ask for as a Royals fan is something to cheer for. So far, so good big blue. Now let's get some 80s magic working and set the town on fire. This year you may not have the Chiefs to bail Kansas City out of the losing blues.

NFL Draft Day Decisions Loom

Cayce Mautino — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:47:17 -0400

Last month I wrote about the Kansas City Chiefs' draft dilemma. Now I am noticing the same parody around the league.

Teams such as the Jaguars, Cowboys, and Chargers need little to improve their rosters. The decision they face is whether to take the best player or draft in positions of need.

On the other hand, teams like the Chiefs, Raiders, Vikings, and Dolphins need to fill many holes and are struggling to decide what position to draft first.

For example, the San Diego Chargers have a very complete, young team. Their only key offseason loss was Michael Turner, but they hope Darren Sproles will be able to fill the backup role at running back this year.

No matter how they choose to draft, there will most likely be some sort of controversy in that position. If San Diego were to draft a quarterback to assume a number two position behind Phillip Rivers, it could have the same effect Philadelphia saw by drafting Kevin Kolb last year.

No one in their right mind believes Kolb is a better quarterback than McNabb, but every player feels threatened when a new young player comes in to the locker room. Every player knows they are one blind side block, low ankle tackle, or helmet to helmet hit away from watching from the sidelines, so I understand a player's concern with being replaced.

It is this attitude from players that stops a team from being great.

A few years ago in San Diego, Phillip Rivers was drafted to take over for the still-young Drew Brees. Brees felt the pressure, stepped his game up, and became one of the league's top passers.

I understand every player wants to be a starter and, in the Chargers' case, both QBs were good enough to start. Consider this: If Brees had stayed in San Diego and Rivers was still the backup, we may be talking about the Chargers as Super Bowl champs instead of the Giants.

When Rivers was injured Brees could have taken the starting role and gotten them over the hump. Instead, as soon as Rivers came to San Diego it was a battle for the starting position that eventually led to Brees' departure.

As mentioned earlier, there is another side to this problem: teams that need too much. These teams can actually strike gold. Unfortunately it is sometimes fool's gold.

In the case of the Dolphins, I think they would rather trade out of the number one draft position than pick a player who is only worthy of that pick because of lack of talent pool. Jake Long will be a good lineman, maybe even great. Chris Long will be just as good on the other side of the ball. The problem is they are not number one overall caliber players.

One of the latest mock drafts I have seen has Kansas City taking Matt Ryan at number five. While I do believe Kansas City needs a quarterback, I am not so sure Matt Ryan is much better than Brodie Coryle.

On top of that no one really knows what Croyle has to offer. He played about a half a year last year where they allowed him to throw short to intermediate passes. Croyle's strength is in throwing the long ball, as was made evident on almost every deep pass he threw.

Most teams want to pick a player they want rather than the best player available, especially this year. Unfortunately for teams like the Dolphins, they will stick with the trend of picking the best available, which basically means you have a good player on a bad team.

Ryan Leaf is a great example of this. Leaf was a great college quarterback, but unfortunately he was not used to losing. When he made it to San Diego he looked good in his first couple of games. Shortly thereafter, when the losing began, he broke down mentally.

Part of that is poor coaching. If someone were to really look after Leaf we may still be seeing him play today. The other part is poor player management. San Diego had more needs than just a quarterback. If you do not believe me try to name a receiver, the running back, or for that matter anyone not named Seau on that team.

In closing, just remember it is great to get excited when your team picks a great college player, but do not get too excited before you look at his surroundings.