Bleacher Report - Articles by Alvin Dominique

Keys to Dallas Cowboys' Season

Alvin Dominique — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 01:45:08 -0400

After a disappointing end to a 2008 season that began with Super Bowl aspirations, the Dallas Cowboys did a lot to change the culture of their locker room.

The “addition-by-subtraction” strategy that led the team to part ways with major contributors such as Terrell Owens, Tank Johnson, Zach Thomas, Anthony Henry, and Chris Canty led to one of the quietest training camps in recent memory.

The 2009 season has started with much lower expectations for this bunch.

Considering the recent late-season nose dives and lose of so much talent, many “experts” regard the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles to be prohibitive favorites in the NFC and leave the Cowboys and Washington Redskins as afterthoughts in the division.

Many analysts shy away from the Cowboys because they just are not sure what to expect.

Here are five questions that will determine how far Dallas can go this season.

1. Offensive Line depth

The Cowboys' starting offensive line is one of the best in the league. However, they are also older, and the drop off between the starters and the second unit is significant.

The starting line is an average of 31 years old and not a single starter is under the age of 30.

The best player on the second unit is probably journeyman Montrae Holland. Doug Free is a former fourth-round draft pick that was inactive for the first 13 weeks of last season.

The Cowboys had so much faith in Cory Procter last year that they signed Holland to take over for Procter following the injury to Kyle Kosier. Recently signed Duke Preston is a former fourth-round pick that both Buffalo and Green Bay have already given up on. Pat McQuistan is a former seventh-round draft pick.

Recently, injuries to Kyle Kosier and Marc Colombo have spelled disaster for the high-powered Dallas attack, and it appears that this year presents the same scenario.

For this offense and Romo to avoid another late season stall, the offensive line has to stay intact.

2. Cornerback rotation

Probably the biggest position battle at this training camp was between Orlando Scandrick and Mike Jenkins for the starting cornerback spot that belonged to Anthony Henry.

Scandrick, a former fifth round pick, seems to have outplayed former first round pick Mike Jenkins, but the coaching staff has decided to rotate the two young corners instead of picking one over the other.

Rotations are a tricky situation. In football, it seems that defining roles for players usually works better than leaving a situation in limbo, which appears to be what the coaching staff has done in this case.

Dallas needs better secondary play. Whether Jenkins or Scandrick is on the field, the coverage has to improve. Adding a veteran safety in Greg Sensabaugh will help. The coaching staff must be sure to put these two young corners in a position to succeed.

The result of this experiment will go a long way in determining how effective Dallas’ defense will be this season.

3. Focus

The biggest hurdle this team has faced since the departure of Bill Parcells is its ability to stay focused.

When their playoff chances were on the line last season, the got manhandled by Philadelphia 44-6.

They have shown a lack of ability to handle physical football teams. Brandon Jacobs pounded Dallas relentlessly in Week nine. Pittsburgh hung around and eventually wore down the Cowboys. Baltimore manhandled Dallas in the last game ever in Texas Stadium. Even the lowly St. Louis Rams pushed the Cowboys around as Steven Jackson ran for 160 yards.

The idea behind much of the offseason roster purge appeared to be getting rid of distractions. As mentioned earlier in the article, the team gave up a lot of production in hopes of ridding itself of the negativity and divisiveness that may be the cause of the mental gaffs this team has faced.

With the talent on this roster, getting over the mental hurdles is the number one factor that will determine whether this team ever matches its achievements with its talent.

4. Sticking with the run

Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett seemed to abandon the run at critical times during the 2008 season.

The most obvious time was in the Week four loss to the Washington Redskins where Marion Barber finished with eight rushing attempts.

The injuries to Felix Jones and Marion Barber helped hamper the rushing attack, but Tashard Choice has shown himself to be a solid all-around back.

Running the ball will depend on some of the other issues mentioned in this column.

The health of the offensive line will help whoever is running the ball, as will the returns of Jones and Barber. Running the ball will also take some of the pressure off of the shoulders of Tony Romo and the questions at wide receiver. Finally, a strong running game will only come from a team that is physical and mentally strong.

This team has to decide it will run the ball at will. They have the skill and size to do it.

5. Spreading the ball around.

Finally, Romo has to get back to distributing the ball.

One of the justifications for getting rid of T.O. was that he required touches to stay in the game. If he was not involved in the game early, then he faltered in big situations later.

Not having him will allow Romo to fully take control of the offense. He can hit Witten without wondering what Owens will say about it. Roy Williams has shown himself to be a quality receiver, and much quieter than Owens.

Crayton, Austin, and Hurd need to step up to fill the void in production left by Owens, but this offense is loaded with weapons.

Aside from Witten and the receivers, Marion Barber had 52 catches last season. A healthy Felix Jones has proven to be a big play waiting to happen on screen plays this preseason. Backup tight end Martellus Bennett has also proven to be a receiving threat.

Defenses should not be able to match up with that many weapons on the field at the same time.

How the Cowboys answer each of these questions will determine whether they end the season in disappointment again, or if they can get over the hump and end Dallas’ playoff drought.

Players I Love to Hate

Alvin Dominique — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:29:29 -0400

How many times do you watch a player make a play against your favorite team and think to yourself, “Man I hate that guy.”? In many cases, this “hatred” is actually a sign of respect. Generally, the player’s ability to torment your favorite team is the catalyst for your strong feelings toward him. Here is a list of the players within the NFC East that I absolutely hate. I have chosen one representative from each of Dallas’ division rivals.

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Detroit Lions' SWOT Analysis

Alvin Dominique — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:58:43 -0500

It’s that time of year, mock draft season. Mel Kiper posted his first mock draft backing in January. His counterpart, Todd McShay, is on his third version. Every writer at NFL.com has at least one draft of what the first round will look like.

In an effort to bring you a different point of view, I will bring you a full analysis of all thirty-two teams before endeavoring on any mock drafts. This will allow for you to fully understand the reasoning behind my opinions.

Seeing as I have a degree in marketing, I will structure these analyses as a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. As companies use this method to gain a full view of their own brand, I will use this method to full analyze the state of each NFL team heading into the draft.

We will start with the team with the number one pick, the Detroit Lions.

STRENGTHS

Young talent

Despite failing to win a game last season, the Lions do have some good, young talent on the roster.

Calvin Johnson is one of the top receivers in the league. He has the size and skill to remain an elite NFL receiver for a long time.

Running back Kevin Smith improved as the season progressed. Smith emerged as the go-to-back after Tatum Bell ruined another opportunity to be an NFL back. He finished the year just under the 1,000-yard mark with a 4.1 yard per carry average. Smith can expect to see his workload increase as Scott Linehan takes control of the Lions’ offense.

Finally, linebacker Ernie Sims is proving to be the leader of the Lions’ defense. Sims has accumulated over 100 tackles all three seasons he’s played in Detroit. He has also been named the team’s defensive captain since his second year in the league.

Sims is the eldest of these players, entering his fourth season in the league. These three are the beginning of a solid young nucleus for this team to build around.

Coaching staff

After the dismal years under Rod Marinelli, the Lions have gathered an impressive coaching staff for the 2009 season.

Jim Schwartz leads the staff after building one of the most physically imposing defenses in the NFL in Tennessee.

Schwartz is teaming up with the highly respected Gunther Cunningham. Cunningham is regarded as one of the top defensive minds in the league, and has head coaching experience.

New offensive coordinator Scott Linehan also has head coaching experience, having been the head coach in St. Louis. Linehan has proven effective at adapting his system to his talent.

In Minnesota, he continued to focus the offense on the aerial assault of Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper. In Miami, he focused his offense around Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

In St. Louis, he tried to focus the offense around Stephen Jackson. With Johnson and Smith on offense, Linehan has some talent to work with on the offensive side of the ball.

Offseason signings

The Lions have been busy thus far in the offseason. They have addressed major needs through their free agent signings and trades.

The Lions have worked to improve their pathetic defense. The signing of Grady Jackson will improve their ability to stop the run. The loss of Shaun Rogers left a hole in the middle of that defensive line, and Jackson should be able to step in and improve that position immediately.

Detroit has also made major strides to improve a secondary which has been their weakest link for years. Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry represent significant upgrades to the cornerback position.

Both are veterans that bring significant experience to the defensive backfield. Henry is a playmaker, when he is healthy. He also offers versatility, as the Cowboys were considering moving him to safety before the trade.

WEAKNESSES

Quarterback

With the departure of Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky, the Lions are very thin at the most important position on the field. Culpepper has never been the same since his knee injury and parting ways with Randy Moss.

Behind Culpepper, the Lions are left with two big question marks. Drew Henson appears to be nothing more than a career back up. The bigger question is Drew Stanton.

The Lions have to decide how comfortable they are with Stanton, and whether they believe he is the franchise’s future. Given the fact that Culpepper was resigned, it does not seem that confidence is high with Stanton.

Linebacker

Other than Ernie Sims, the Lions have very little at the linebacker position. Paris Lenon actually led the team with 146 tackles from the middle linebacker spot, but he is an unrestricted free agent.

Their other backers are career practice squad and special team players with little playing experience.

Defensive backfield

Even with the recent acquisitions of Henry and Buchanon, the defensive backfield is still a concern. I believe in the mantra that you cannot have enough cornerbacks. Part of the reason Dallas parted ways with Henry was because he is injury prone.

Travis Fisher signed a three year extension a year ago. After those three, the talent drops sharply.

At safety, both Daniel Bullocks and Gerald Alexander have been affected by the injury bug.

Overall depth

It takes a lot for a team to go 0-16. Even at positions where the Lions have talent, they are no more than one person deep at any position. They need just a general infusion of talent up and down this roster.

OPPORTUNITIES

First-round picks

The best opportunity to acquire a plethora of new talent is through the draft. The Lions have an opportunity to add two impact rookies with two first round picks. Having the number one overall pick allows them to pick the player they feel will help their team the most.

With the 20th overall pick, the Lions can add a player that should still have the talent to start immediately.

New regime

The Lions have finally rid themselves of Matt Millen. It’s no secret how terrible a general manager Millen turned out to be. He took a 9-7 team and whittled them down to the 0-16 debacle that took the field last season.

A new president, general manager, and coaching staff bring the opportunity to begin 2009 with a new attitude. After the worse regular season in NFL history, an attitude change is a definite need, and starting with the top is the best way to start the process.

THREATS

Weak free agent market

At this point, the big free agent names have found work. If a guy is still unemployed, a team has to wonder why. Granted, name recognition does not equal to on-field ability, but what was considered to be a weak free agency class has had the top taken off.

Now, teams will be looking for role players more than playmakers.

Questionable quarterback class

The quickest way to rebuild a team is to find a franchise quarterback, just ask the Atlanta Falcons. However, there does not appear to be another Matt Ryan in this year’s draft. Mark Sanchez and Matt Stafford appear to be the front runners of the quarterback class; however, both have big question marks.

Neither would be higher than third had Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy entered the draft. It appears that both would benefit from sitting and learning. However, after these two, the quarterback talent drops significantly.

The Lions have to decide if they want to pay the big money and wait for one of these two.

First-pick pressure

The Lions have to deal with the pressure and money that go to the first overall pick of the draft. Should they decide to select a quarterback; the pressure will be great to put him on the field immediately.

It is very difficult to pay someone the type of money a quarterback would require, and have that player sit on the bench for a season. However, the Lions have to select a player worth the top overall pick.

For example, they Lions need help at linebacker, but they could not justify taking a linebacker number one overall.

DRAFT FORECAST

The Lions need to find the best football players available. Specifically, they need a franchise quarterback, linebacker help, defensive backfield help, and depth at every position.

They have to decide if they are sold on Sanchez or Stafford as a franchise guy. I’d expect one of those guys to be the first pick. With the 20th pick, they can look to fill roles.

I’d look for a linebacker or defensive back, especially considering the pedigree of the head coach. However, when selecting a quarterback first, they may consider finding someone to help protect that quarterback as well.

They should look to take the best player, and not because they’re loaded, but because the cupboard is so bare.

LSU Looks Ready to Repeat in SEC

Alvin Dominique — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:50:21 -0400

I know, LSU has played two cupcakes so far this season.

Appalachian State, though the defending FCS National Champions, is still an FCS team.

North Texas was rated 114th of 119 FBS schools.

But after winning by an average of 41-8, LSU has begun to answer some of their preseason questions.

The big question coming into the season was the quarterback position.

Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee have had trouble distinguishing themselves from each other, and freshman Jordan Jefferson is forcing his way onto the field.

While many experts see this position as a question, the play of Hatch has reminded me of Matt Flynn and Matt Mauck.

Both quarterbacks were team managers rather than playmakers.

Hatch and Lee both have played that way. Though each has thrown an interception, they have been effectively efficient in their passing.

Judging by the first two weeks, the Tigers will not need to rely on the quarterback position because of the emergence of Charles Scott.

Scott is averaging an obscene 11.4 yards per carry.

Probably the most impressive stat line I’ve ever seen was Scott’s in the first half against North Texas: three rushes, 88 yards, two touchdowns.

The Tigers are three deep at the running back position. Behind Scott, Richard Murphy is averaging over six yards per carry. Keiland Williams is the third back, and he averages just over four yards per carry.

LSU’s ace in the hole is running back/wide receiver/returner Trindon Holliday.

Holliday is a big play waiting to happen whenever he touches the ball.

Used mostly on reverse plays, the track star has made his biggest contributions this year in the return game.

He gained 163 return yards against North Texas, including a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown.

While LSU looks poised to put up a lot of points, there are questions about the defense.

The Tiger defense was able to hold Armanti Edwards and the Appalachian State offense in check, unlike Michigan last year.

The defensive line is deep, and they appear to be very hard to run against. LSU is allowing an average of 48 rushing yards per game.

The questions begin with the back seven.

Darry Beckwith, the only starter returning from last year’s linebacking corps, will miss as many as four games because of an injury.

Jacob Cutrera will fill in for Beckwith. Cutrera is a good player that plays all three linebacker positions. He will be joined by two sophomores who are starting for the first time this season.

The defensive backfield is a bit of a mystery.

The lone returning starter from last season is safety Curtis Taylor, who has played well.

The rest of the defensive backfield has talent but is inexperienced.

Cornerback Jai Eugene was one of the top high school prospects a couple of years ago.

After the first two weeks, the Tigers appear as ready as anyone to compete for another SEC championship.

The biggest question for LSU, as with any SEC team, is the schedule.

They start this week by visiting Auburn. They also have to travel to “The Swamp” next month.

Though home games, the Tigers get to tangle with Georgia and Alabama as well.

Aside from the currently ranked teams, LSU has games against Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Tulane that could be trouble if the Tigers aren’t careful.

Also, because of the rescheduling of the Troy game, LSU has one bye week at the beginning of October before playing eight consecutive weeks leading to the SEC Championship.

The Tigers have the talent to make another run at the SEC title, and winning the SEC always give you a chance to play for the National Championship.

Though these stats have to be taken with a grain of salt because of the level of competition, LSU did not struggle like other early contenders so far this season.

The trip to Auburn this weekend will say a lot about how good this LSU team really is.

Emotional Start is Enough for New York Giants' Victory

Alvin Dominique — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:18:02 -0400

Michael Strahan was known for being a leader for the New York Giants. Though retired, Strahan gave the team enough of a kick-start to beat the Washington Redskins in the first game of the NFL regular season. Strahan opened the game by hoisting the Super Bowl trophy, and pumping up the crowd.

The energy translated to the field as the Giants scored on all four possessions in the first half. Plaxico Burress was the story of the game. Burress looked uncoverable as he reeled in a career high 10 receptions totaling 133 yards. Brandon Jacobs also saw the bulk of the work, carrying 21 times for 116 brutal yards.

After the fast start, the Giants offense slowly but surely bogged down for the rest of the game. The next three possessions, New York was able to drive the ball down the field, but was forced to settle for three field goals. The Giants had problems with kick coverage too.

Rock Cartwright was one of the few bright spots for the Redskins. Cartwright had two big kick returns in the first half, including the 50-yarder that set up Washington’s only scoring drive. The Giant defense was able to keep Jason Campbell and the Redskin offense out of synch the entire game.

Campbell finished 15-27 for only 133 yards. At times in the second half, it seemed as though new head coach Jim Zorn was almost afraid to let Campbell even attempt a pass. Multiple drives in the second half featured back-to-back-to-back running plays. Clinton Portis finished with 23 carries for 84 yards.

Washington just could not get their offense moving. They gained only 11 first downs, three of which were from penalties. The Redskins were a dismal 3-13 on third down conversions. The Giants defense did have something to do with the poor showing from the Redskins.

Though only recording one sack, the Giant defense put pressure on Campbell all night. The secondary also kept the Washington receivers under wraps for most of the night. Getting the win is a great way for the Giants to start their title defense, but there are some concerns coming from this game.

In the second half, the Washington defense held the Giant offense to the same numbers as the Washington offense. In addition, Eli Manning was picked off once, but Washington defenders dropped two more interceptions. Manning finished with a quarterback rating of 61, 20 points lower than Jason Campbell.

Coming away from this game, the Giants look very similar to last year’s team. The defense caused lots of havoc. The offense showed flashes of potency through the air, and brutality on the ground. This team will beat up every opponent they face, win, or lose. The Redskins look like a big work in progress.

The defense seems to be in a good place. They put pressure on Manning, registering two sacks and an interception. The offense, however, will take lots of time. I expect Portis will be among the league leaders in carries again. Next up, New York travels to St. Louis to face the Rams, while Washington will host the New Orleans Saints.

This was a huge game for both teams fighting for position in a division considered one of the two toughest in football. Getting a win, in front of the home crowd, was exactly what the Giants needed.

Felix Jones and Jason Witten will be Keys in the Dallas Cowboys' Offense

Alvin Dominique — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:18:46 -0400

Has Jessica Simpson been working with the Dallas Cowboys' wide receivers?

It may seem so, given the bad luck the Dallas receiving corps has had with injuries this preseason.

Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, and Isaiah Stanback have all suffered significant injuries.

This leaves Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton as the only healthy receivers on the active roster.

Jerry Jones has already made it clear that a new receiver will not be signed. Jones said he does not want to bring in a receiver that Tony Romo has not been working with during the preseason.

It appears that Stanback will try to put off his second shoulder surgery in order to play this season. Of the three injured receivers, Stanback is the biggest question mark. Stanback is still trying to make the transition from college quarterback to NFL receiver.

Because of the attrition at receiver, the Cowboys’ offense will have to adjust. They literally do not have the personnel to go with four or five-receiver sets.

This makes the emergence of Jason Witten and the drafting of Felix Jones much more critical.

Witten is capable of splitting out as a fourth receiver, similar to Dallas Clark in Indianapolis. Also, Jones has shown himself to be a solid receiver out of the backfield. He finished the preseason second on the team in receptions.

Jones has also proven to be what many thought he would be coming out of college: a great runner in space.

I expect to see Jones catch a lot of screen and swing passes to get himself into the open field.

This season will test Jason Garrett’s mettle as an offensive coordinator.

Garrett, the “Golden Boy” of the Cowboys’ future, will have to adjust his system to account for the losses.

If Jason Garrett is meant to be an NFL head coach, this season will go a long way in showing his ability.

Having options like Witten and Jones will also help.

NFL Draft: Dallas Cowboys' Options on Day Two

Alvin Dominique — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:29:22 -0400

Day One couldn’t have gone much better for the Dallas Cowboys.

They got the Razorback that they had been looking at all along in Felix Jones.

Next, they were able to get cornerback Mike Jenkins about 10 picks after he should have been taken.

With their third pick, they got a solid tight end to replace the recently traded Fasano with the 6-foot-6 Aggie Martellus Bennett.

The Cowboys have four second-day picks, including the first picks of Rounds Four and Six. They also have the third-to-last pick in the third round and the 27th pick in the fourth round.

One major area of need the Cowboys still need to address is the wide receiver position.

The two biggest names remaining are Mario Manningham and Early Doucet. However, it is likely that Dallas would have to move up in the third round to select either of these receivers.

Two other receivers who will be available later are Andre Caldwell of Florida and Manningham’s partner in crime, Adrian Arrington.

Both are the speedy, big play receivers that the Cowboys are looking for to complement Terrell Owens.

Dallas could also look to add a quarterback to be groomed to replace Brad Johnson.

Erik Ainge, Andre Woodson, or John David Booty could fill that role.

Sam Keller, Matt Flynn, and Brandon Cox are also possibilities, but they will all probably be available as rookie free agents.

Nose tackle is another position that could use extra depth after the trade of Jason Ferguson.

Pat Sims of Auburn looks to be the best remaining tackle.

Finally, a team can never have too many offensive linemen.

Dallas drafted two tackles last year, so taking a couple of interior linemen may be the best route for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys addressed most of their most pressing needs in Day One, but they have found gems in the second day of previous drafts.

Bradie James, Marion Barber III, Chris Canty, and Jay Ratliff are examples of players the Cowboys have found in the third round or later.

We’ll see if the momentum of Day One can carry over into a productive Day Two in Valley Ranch.

NFL Draft: Matt Ryan, Brian Brohm, Chad Henne, or Joe Flacco?

Alvin Dominique — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:07:45 -0400

The 2008 quarterback draft class does not have a standout star, making it one of the most intriguing positions in the draft.

Many consider Matt Ryan to be head-and-shoulders above the other quarterbacks. Brian Brohm, Chad Henne, and Joe Flacco are considered to be the second-tier quarterbacks, with little to distinguish them from each other.

Ryan is touted as having all of the “intangibles” that analysts talk about in a quarterback. “Matty Ice” is an accurate passer with decent arm strength who carried his team last season.

He’s a traditional quarterback who is good at avoiding the rush. Some scouts feel that Ryan takes too many chances with the ball, as he is prone to throwing interceptions.

Brohm was long considered to be the best quarterback in this group, until he and Louisville struggled after losing Bobby Petrino. Brohm is an accurate passer that has been very productive at the college level.

However, scouts question Brohm’s arm strength and worry that he may have been a system quarterback.

Chad Henne started for four years at Michigan. He has a strong arm and showed durability by missing only three games.

However, Henne did not show any progress through his college career. His freshman numbers look very similar to the numbers he put up each of the next three seasons at Michigan.

Joe Flacco is the hot newcomer in the quarterback field. He has the size and arm strength that make scouts drool. The problem is that Flacco played at Division I-AA Delaware, making it difficult to project his production to the NFL.

With so many questions about each, the best way to pick between these four may be to use the computers.

To do so, four important factors were considered. First, the career completion percentage of each was used to illustrate accuracy. Next, the career touchdown-to-interception ratio shows how many touchdowns each quarterback throws before throwing an interception.

Third, the attempts-to-interceptions ratio shows how many passes each quarterback throws between interceptions. Fourth, the attempts-to-sack ratio shows how many times each quarterback passes between sacks.

Finally, each of the quarterbacks was ranked in each category, and those rankings were averaged to show which quarterback was statistically the best of the group.

Name	Comp. %	TD-Int Ratio	Attempts/Int.Ratio	Attempts/SackRatio	Avg. Rank
Matt Ryan	61.00	1.59	37.53	28.36	2.75
Brian Brohm	65.83	2.95	49.41	19.07	1.75
Chad Henne	59.70	2.35	37.49	15.41	3.75
Joe Flacco	63.40	2.73	62.53	19.54	1.75

All four quarterbacks are very accurate. Henne was the only quarterback below 60 percent for his career. Brian Brohm had the highest percentage, completing almost two-thirds of his passes.

Brohm also had the highest touchdown-to-interception ratio. Brohm threw about three touchdowns for each interception.

Ryan’s high interception numbers show up here, as he was a distant fourth-place finisher with a ratio of 1.6 touchdowns for each interception.

Flacco’s ratio was also high at 2.73 touchdowns for each pick.

The inferior competition Flacco played against may have contributed to his high attempt-to-interception ratio. He attempted 62.5 passes between interceptions. That’s enough attempts to fill about two games for most NFL quarterbacks.

Brohm had the second highest ratio, throwing a pick about every 50 attempts. Ryan and Henne both throw a pick about every 37.5 attempts.

The one category where Ryan did stand out was his attempts-to-sack ratio. His ability to move in the pocket and keep plays alive helped him to attempt about 28 passes between sacks.

Brohm and Flacco each got sacked about every 19 attempts.

The surprise here is that Chad Henne, who played with the best offensive talent around him of the four, had the highest attempts-to-sack ratio. Henne was sacked every 15 times he attempted a pass.

After ranking the quarterbacks on each category, the average was taken to rank the group.

Brian Brohm and Joe Flacco tied for the best average ranking with 1.75. Ryan was third with 2.75, and Henne was fourth with 3.75.

The BCS uses a combination of computer and human rankings to determine its standings. In order to factor in the same system, ESPN’s Mel Kiper and NFL.com’s Mike Mayock’s rankings were used as the two human polls. The final standings look like this:

	Avg. Rank	Kiper	Mayock	Final Ranking
Matt Ryan	2.75	1	1	1.58
Brian Brohm	1.75	3	4	2.92
Chad Henne	3.75	4	3	3.58
Joe Flacco	1.75	2	2	1.92

Matt Ryan finishes first, followed by Joe Flacco, then Brian Brohm, and Chad Henne.

The computers love Brohm, but the “experts” brought down his ranking. However, the experts made up Matt Ryan’s ranking after the computers ranked him third. Flacco and Henne were consensus picks at second and fourth respectively.

Whether you agree with the computers or the experts, four teams will end up with solid prospects at the quarterback position.

Tulane's Matt Forte Will Be Steal of the 2008 NFL Draft

Alvin Dominique — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:39:25 -0400

Running under the radar is nothing new for former Tulane runningback Matt Forte.

Coming out of Slidell High School in Slidell, Louisiana, Forte was passed on by most Division I schools, including the mighty LSU Tigers, who are only an hour away.

Forte is quoted as saying, "I chose Tulane because they (the coaches) really wanted me,” on his website MattForte25.com.

Forte split time during his first two seasons, then suffered a knee injury during his junior year.

Many runningbacks struggle to recover from a knee injury, but Forte excelled during his senior season.

As the only offensive weapon on a terrible team, Forte amassed awe-inspiring numbers.

Good teams are expected to destroy inferior competition, and Forte did just that.

Forte had rushing totals of 342, 303, 278, 209, 202, 194, and 171 yards. Forte also gained 73 yards against LSU, which was more yards than the Tigers had surrendered to any team at that point in the season.

All of this is even more impressive considering the major lack of talent surrounding Forte at Tulane. Forte had only three games with less than 25 carries and two games of 40 or more carries.

Aside from the production, Forte has the size and speed to match. He’s a man at 6’2", 223 lbs. He ran a 4.46 second 40-yard dash. His time was faster than Felix Jones and Jonathon Stewart.

Forte is a lot like Stewart and Rashard Mendenhall, except he doesn’t have the exposure. He reminds me of another Louisiana product that has proven to be a quality runningback in the NFL: Brandon Jacobs of the New York Giants.

Most mock drafts have Forte going somewhere in rounds 2-4. He will be a steal, and could allow teams like the Bears or Panthers to address another need earlier in the draft and still get their power back later in the draft.

No matter what, if Forte falls out of the first round, someone will find themselves a gift.

NFL History: The Road to Free Agency

Alvin Dominique — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:12:18 -0400

With the free agency period winding down as the draft approaches, teams have pretty much settled on which free agents will join their team for the next season.

We have become accustomed to the yearly meat-market that is NFL free agency. Did you ever wonder how we got to today’s version of free agency?

The road to free agency has mostly gone through the court system.

Originally, the NFL used the “reserve” system that was created in Major League Baseball. Under this system, once a player’s contract expired, he could renegotiate with the team that owned his contract. If the player did not work out a new deal but wanted to play, his team could renew his old contract with up to a 10% pay cut. Otherwise, the player was put on the “reserve list”, and no other teams were allowed to negotiate with him. The only way a player could move to another team was to retire, or hope his team sold or traded his contract.

In 1947, the league adopted the “1-year option” rule. This rule limited the team’s ability to automatically renew a player’s contract to just one year. Many owners used the reserve clause to indefinitely renew players’ contracts, and the 1-year option stopped that practice.

It took 16 years before R.C. Owens became the first player to change teams. He signed with the Baltimore Colts after playing out his option year with the 49ers. This move prompted the owners to create the “Rozelle Rule” in 1963.

Under the “Rozelle Rule”, whenever a team lost a free agent, the team signing that free agent had to compensate his former team. If the teams did not agree to terms, Commissioner Rozelle had the final authority to decide what the compensation would be.

Most teams found that it was better not to sign free agents under the Rozelle Rule. From 1963-1974, only 34 players signed with new teams. An example of Rozelle’s idea of compensation was when he required the Saints to give up two first round draft picks to the 49ers for signing wide receiver Dave Parks, who had caught only 26 passes during his last season in San Francisco.

In 1976, the player’s union won a court decision that found the Rozelle Rule to be an unfair restraint of trade.

After the ’76 court decision, the Collective Bargaining Agreement still forced teams to compensate the team losing a free agent, but the authority was taken away from Rozelle and written into the agreement.

In 1987, unhappy with the system negotiated into the CBA, the players went on strike. The owners effectively ended the strike by using replacement players to continue playing the season.

In 1989, the players’ union sued the league again. In this decision, the court ruled that because the players had a union to negotiate, they were not allowed to sue the league for anti-trust violations.

With fear of another lawsuit, the league adopted the “Plan B” system. Under Plan B, teams were allowed to protect 37 players on their roster, and the remaining players became unrestricted free agents.

The players voted to decertify their union in 1989, allowing individual players to sue the league. Freeman McNeil, a running back from the New York Jets, was the lead plaintiff in a suit in which a federal jury in Minnesota ruled that Plan B was illegal.

After the McNeil case, a flood of lawsuits hit the league, so the owners decided to bargain with the players again. In 1993, the owners granted the players free agency in exchange for a salary cap.

That is how we arrived to the system in place today. The players will continue to fight for their freedom, while the owners will keep working to maintain the competitive balance in the league. The owners have until November to exercise an option to end the current CBA in 2010. If that happens, the 2010 season will be without a salary cap. The decision will be interesting, because the owners are unhappy with how high the salary cap has gotten this season.

The battle will continue.