Henry, Alexander, Jones…who do you want?

So the Broncos gave the boot to Travis Henry. To be honest it was an overcrowded backfield so it does not bring much of a surprise. The Bigger Name has never been something to count on in Denver anyway as they always tend to go with the hot hand at the moment at Running Back.

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NFL Jabber | Mini Camp and More

The media is trying really hard to make Jason Taylor’s comments about wanting to win in 2008 into a confrontation between Taylor and Bill Parcells. “Please give us some kind of story people…” I feel your pain mainstream media. Not much going on right now so you work with what you have. Jason Taylor would like you to point out that his talk is not a demand to be traded (DAMN!) but a request… Read more

NFL Jabber | OTA Time!

The Brian Urlacher drama seems to be over for now. He told the Chicago tribune that he will be attending the Bears three-day mini-camp starting today.

The Chiefs MLB Napoleon Harris is a good example of the difference between what a team is doing and what the media is telling us. Apparently he doesn’t know anything of his job being in danger except for what he is reading.

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NFL Jabber | Old, New, Stiff Arming RB’s, and More

Chris Johnson is already raising eyebrows in practice for the Titans. Just wait until he is comfortable (seems to be what the staff and players are saying). Read more

2008 AFC West Draft Grades

Denver Broncos

Needs - LT, DT, KR/PR, WR, CB

With the retirement of Matt Lepsis, the Broncos absolutely had to have a left tackle of the future out of this draft. Pair that with the loss of Javon Walker and a dismal run defense in which much of the blame was placed on the defensive line, it was easy to see what positions Denver was going to target early in the draft.

1.12 - Ryan Clady OT Boise State
2.11 - Eddie Royal WR Virginia Tech
4.09 - Kory Lichtensteiger OG Bowling Green
4.20 - Jack Williams CB Kent State
5.04 - Ryan Torain RB Arizona State
5.13 - Carlton Powell DT Virginia Tech
6.17 - Spencer Larson OLB Arizona
7.13 - Josh Barrett S Arizona State
7.20 - Peyton Hillis FB Arkansas

Draft grade: B

Comments: The Broncos hit on Clady; I think that kid is the real deal. He is athletic enough to get out and block in space for Denver’s zone blocking scheme. Royal is a bit of a head-scratcher. Everyone is quick to compare Royal to Steve Smith of the Panthers but the AFC West is chock full of physical corners and I think Royal might get fed his lunch at the LOS by guys like Quentin Jammer and DeAngelo Hall. He is a legitimate return threat however. I believe Barrett in the 7th is a huge steal and one always has to take notice when Denver drafts a running back in the late rounds. With the Denver backfield in a bit of flux with Travis Henry’s poor performances last year and Mike Shanahan’s unwillingness to give Selvin Young the job outright, Torain may make a splash.

Kansas City Chiefs

Needs: OG, OT, DT, DE, WR, QB, CB

Kansas City had holes on both sides of the ball and needed a huge draft; especially in the wake of trading away Jared Allen. I think that was the right move. Chiefs brass needs to admit that they are rebuilding. Trading Allen gave them the extra ammo needed to get some young impact players and bring their team back to respectability.

1.05 - Glenn Dorsey DT LSU
1.15 - Brandon Albert OG Virginia
2.04 - Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech
3.10 - Jamaal Charles RB Texas
3.13 - Brad Cottam TE Tennessee
3.19 - DaJuan Morgan S North Carolina State
4.06 - Will Franklin WR Missouri
5.05 - Brandon Carr CB Grand Valley State
6.04 - Barry Richardson OT Clemson
6.16 - Kevin Robinson WR Utah State
7.03 - Brian Johnston DE Gardner-Webb
7.32 - Mike Merritt TE Central Florida

Draft Grade: A-

Comments: Some may argue that if you can’t give KC an A+ with this draft, you can’t give anyone an A+. I disagree with some of the moves that KC made. Glenn Dorsey, Brandon Albert and Brandon Flowers are a monster rounds 1 and 2. A dream for Coach Herm and GM Carl Peterson. But in the third round, it gets dicey. Jamaal Charles opened the Chiefs third round. I get that they want support for Larry Johnson but if LJ were to ever go down to injury, you’d want another bowling ball type of back. I think that if you wanted an RB that could handle 20-25 carries to back up LJ, then Tashard Choice was the pick. If you wanted an RB that would split time with Kolby Smith if LJ fell to injury, you could have waited for that guy. Either the Charles pick was a miss in my opinion. My second biggest beef is the lack of OL picks. Brandon Albert and Barry Richardson are good value for where they were picked but you can make a case for replacing 4 of the 5 starters on the Chiefs line. Yet only two OL selections were made. I think that OL could have been addressed with the Cottam pick and TE could have been selected later. All in all though, KC had the big draft they needed. I view their defense being upgraded greatly as well as half of their line. It will be interesting to see what Herm’s plans are for Jamaal Charles.

Oakland Raiders

Needs: WR, KR/PR, OL, DL, LB

Oakland dipped into the free agent pool hard this year; signing talent like Javon Walker, Drew Carter and Gibril Wilson. They also traded for DeAngelo Hall; giving a second round pick to Atlanta in return. Oakland’s draft was thin but they had the 4th overall pick and a smattering of mid round picks to cover depth and a few needs.

1.04 - Darren McFadden RB Arkansas
4.01 - Tyvon Branch CB Connecticut
4.26 - Arman Shields WR Richmond
6.03 - Trevor Scott DE Buffalo
7.19 - Chaz Schilens WR San Diego State

Draft Grade: C+

Comments: Crazy Al Davis strikes again. I realize that dynamic playmakers score touchdowns and touchdowns help win football games. I get that. But Oakland had the following players at running back; Justin Griffith, Oren O’Neal, Dominic Rhodes, LaMont Jordan, Michael Bush, Justin Fargas and Adimchinobe Echemandu. Mike Bush hasn’t been evaluated at the NFL level and had first round grades before his freak leg injury last year. You just resigned Fargas for three years. Glenn Dorsey is still on the board and you know that New Orleans is foaming at the mouth for him and is willing to sell the farm to get him to the tune of two 1s (this year and next) and a 2. I think a trade down was the right call there. The Raiders are jammed right up against the cap and a cheaper rookie pick would probably have served their purposes moreso. My feelings of Oakland’s right course of action aside, I think that Tyvon Branch will serve the Raiders return game well as the replacement for Chris Carr. Arman Shields has a shot to crack the roster this year.

San Diego Chargers

Needs: OT, DT, CB, RB, S

With the departure of Shane Olivea, the Chargers have a big hole on the offensive line. Mike Turner also left via free agency and LaDainian Tomlinson needs a backup. Injuries to Jamal Williams last year also exposed a shallow defensive line. The Chargers had few holes as a team and had the luxury of taking BPA for many of their picks. Like Oakland, San Diego’s draft is thin due to pre-draft trades.

1.27 - Antoine Cason CB Arizona
3.06 - Jacob Hester FB/RB LSU
5.31 - Marcus Thomas RB Texas El-Paso
6.26 - DeJuan Tribble CB Boston College
7.27 - Corey Clark OT Texas A&M

Draft grade: B-

Comments: Antoine Cason is good value in the late first round; I don’t think any of the remain tackles were of decent value there. I think that a trade down would have served the Chargers better but they may not have had any takers. Going back to back RBs in the third and fifth is a bit of a head scratcher, Andrew Pinnock seemed to be the heir apparent at FB and Darren Sproles remains as a scat back option. Taking Tashard Choice (can you tell I’m a T Choice fan?) as a guy who can handle a full load should LT fall in the early third and going line (offensive or defensive) with the fifth round pick would have made more sense to me. Waiting until the seventh round to take a shot at a tackle would suggest to me that the Chargers are confident in their ability to replace Shane Olivea from within. Time will tell whether that thinking is correct or not.

tag: NFL, Football, NFL Draft, Grades, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders, footballjabber.com

Football Jabber’s Top Ten Super Bowls

We are just days away from the biggest game of the year. The Patriots are up to becoming the first team to post a 19-0 record and the first team since the 72′ Dolphins to run the table. What better time to take a look back at the Top Ten Super Bowls played? Of course some of the games can be up for debate. Things taken into consideration were lead changes, comebacks, game deciding scores, and when the game was decided, among others things.

#10 Super Bowl III Jets 16- Colts 7

MVP: Joe Namath QB, Jets

What makes it great? I could catch some flack for this but this game barely gets in here. It bumped out the Niners and Bengals Super Bowl XVI and Joe Montana’s first MVP performance. The game wasn’t even close and the Jets were never threatened. That, however, is why it is looked at as one of the greatest Super Bowl (and Football) games in history. We all know about the guarantee. The Jets were 18 point underdogs. This is the game that showed that the AFL could hang with the big dogs, which gives us the NFL we have today.

#9 Super Bowl X Steelers 21- Cowboys 17

MVP: Lynn Swan WR, Steelers

What makes it great? The Cowboys went into the fourth quarter with a 10-7 lead. The Steelers scored four straight times with a safety, two field goals and capped it with a 64 yard from Terry Bradshaw to Lynn Swan. The Cowboys scored another touchdown with a little under two minutes to play but the game was decided. Lynn Swan becomes the first WR to be MVP. He only has four catches but he gained 164 yards and that TD mentioned above.

#8 Super Bowl XXV Giants 20- Bills 19

MVP: Ottis Anderson RB, Giants

What makes it great? The Giants come in as underdogs and they don’t have their starting QB. They go into the second half trailing 12-10. Halfway through the fourth quarter the Giants go up 20-19 on a Matt Bar field goal. The Bills have a chance to seal the deal but Scott Norwood’s filed goal sails wide right with seconds remaining. The Giants held a HUGE time of possession advantage having the ball over 40 minutes of the game.

#7 Super Bowl XIII Steelers 35- Cowboys 31

MVP: Terry Bradshaw QB, Steelers

What makes it great? The Steelers enter the fourth quarter with a small 21-17 lead. With half of the quarter scoreless the Steelers tack on two more scores with a Franco Harris run and Bradshaw to Swann TD pass. The Cowboys do not lay down and score on two Roger Staubach touchdowns in the last two and a half minutes of the game. Once again the Cowboys fall just short of beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

#6 Super Bowl XXXIV Rams 23- Titans 16

MVP: Kurt Warner QB, Rams

What makes it great? The Rams go into the second half with a 9-0 lead. Halfway through the third quarter Kurt Warner hooks up with Torry Holt for a nine yard TD pass. Trailing 16-0 the Titans begin their comeback and have three straight scores that tie the game. Kurt Warner hits Issac Bruce for a 73 yard TD with a little under two minutes to play. The last two minutes are some of the most exciting in Super Bowl history as the Titans drive down into scoring position. With six seconds to play and the clock running, Steve McNair hit Kevin Dyson on the three-yard line. Dyson appeared to be going in for the score when a hail marry of a tackle by Mike Jones stopped him. Dyson stretched for the score but time expired with the ball marked on the 1 yard line.

#5 Super Bowl XXXII Broncos 31-Packers 24

MVP: Terrell Davis RB, Broncos

What makes it great? The Broncos come into the game as underdogs. After giving up the first score to Green Bay, the Broncos score three times before the Packers score again just before the half. Going into the second half the score was 17-14 in the underdogs favor. The Packers tie the game up just minutes into the 3rd quarter. Within minutes of the end of the 3rd quarter and start of the 4th, the Packers and Broncos exchange blows with two more scores. In an act of desperation as the Broncos are driving for the winning score, Mike Holmgren says he lets the Broncos score so they could get the ball back. 1:45 later the game is over and John Elway has finally got that ring.

#4 Super Bowl V Colts 16-Cowboys 13

MVP: Chuck Howley LB, Cowboys

What made it great? This game is a good example of staying with it and not giving up. The Baltimore Colts had three interceptions and lost four (of five) fumbles to the Cowboys. They trailed from the first quarter, never having a lead in the first half. At the end of the second quarter the Colts trailed 13-6. The Cowboys were shut out in the second half. The Colts tied the game in the fourth quarter and then with five seconds left in regulation, Jim O’Brian hit a 32 yard field goal to win the game for the Colts.

#3 Super Bowl XXXVI Patriots 20- Rams 17

MVP: Tom Brady QB, Patriots

What made it great? The Patriots were 14 point underdogs. The largest spread since Super Bowl III when the Jets upset the Colts. The “Greatest Show on Turf” of the Rams were held to a field goal until the fourth quarter. Trailing the underdog Patriots 17-3 the Rams began a fourth quarter comeback when Kurt Warner ran a two yard TD in. With 1:30 left in the game Warner hit Ricky Proehl from 26 yard out to tie the game. As time expired Adam Vinatieri hit a 48 yard field goal to mark the biggest upset in the Super Bowl in over thirty years. In the times of 9/11 the Patriots were victorious.

#2 Super Bowl XXXVIII Patriots 32- Panthers 29

MVP: Tom Brady QB, Patriots

What made it great? The score was locked at zero until the final three minutes of the first half. The Patriots scored…then the Panthers…then the Patriots…then the Panthers, going into the half with the Patriots leading 14-10. The third quarter was another stalemate as neither team could find a way to score. Eleven seconds into the fourth quarter the Patriots started the electric final quarter of the season. The Panthers scored twice, taking a 22-21 lead. The Patriots struck back and added a 2 point conversion making the score 29-22. The Panthers would tie the game with just over a minute left when Jake Delhomme hit Ricky Proehl (yeah the one ironically mentioned at this point in game # 3 above). The Patriots, in Patriot fashion, drove down and kicked a winning field goal with four seconds left on the clock to take them to 2-2 in Super Bowls.

#1 Super Bowl XXIII 49′ers 20- Bengals 16

MVP: Jerry Rice WR, 49′ers

What made it great? Neither team could do more than a field goal in the first half. The teams exchanged another field goal each before the first touchdown was scored on a 93 yard kick return by the Bengals at the end of the third quarter. The underdogs were up 13-6 going into the final period. Joe Montana hit Jerry Rice for a touchdown within the first minute of the 4th quarter, the 49′ers first steps in the endzone in the game making the score 13-13. With just over three minutes left in the game the Bengals hit another field goal taking a 16-13 lead. From here, Joe Montana does what Joe Montana does. With 34 seconds left in the game, Montana hits John Taylor for the winning touchdown and the third ring for San Francisco.

As we go into Super Bowl weekend and the Patriots are well favored to defeat the New York Giants, hopefully I will feel like this list needs to be updated next week. Take a look at game #3…just ask the Patriots…you never know who can come out on top!

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