Posts Tagged ‘NFL History’
2010 NFL Draft: Five Underrated Prospects
March 9th, 2010Jacksonville Jaguars: Signing Aaron Kampman, Good or Bad Move?
March 8th, 2010After managing a league-low 14 sacks during the 2009 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars went out and signed former Green Bay Packers DE Aaron Kampman on Sunday. Terms of the signing were undisclosed.
Whenever Jacksonville ventures out into free agency, I cringe with trepidation. Unfortunately, this signing does nothing to calm my nerves. After racking up the fifth-lowest sack total in NFL history in 2009, the Jaguars were compelled to address the issue.
Why am I still nervous?
Kampman played only nine games during the 2009 season before tearing his left ACL, and he will turn 31 this season.
Clearly, the Jaguars need help—big time—at the defensive end position. Current defensive ends Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves are coming off their second NFL seasons, and have both not lived up to expectations.
Is Kampman's signing a message to both Harvey and Groves, or simply a move to shore up, and/or help mentor these two young players?
I hope the latter.
Age is definitely not on Kampman's side. However, he is known as a serious gym rat, and loves to work out and prepare. Anytime a player tears an ACL, it takes time to recuperate and get back to optimal playing shape.
Perhaps he is simply being brought in to backup either Harvey or Groves. That would be the safe move. Relying on him to possibly replace either one may be bit of a stretch though.
What's more, Kampman also suffered a concussion the game before his knee injury.
Regardless, his production was considerably lower in 2009, but for good reason. He was in the midst of a transition from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker.
Green Bay was eager to resign him. Kampman never complained about the transition, but clearly he was uncomfortable playing in the 3-4. Returning to a 4-3 defense may prove to be exactly what he needs.
Let's just hope it's what the Jaguars need too.
Darren McFadden’s Time To Shine? 2010 NFL Fantasy Rankings
March 8th, 2010As good as running back Justin Fargas has been for the Oakland Raiders, this organization probably should have cut him last offseason. Keeping Fargas around last year insured that the Raiders would continue to use all three of their talented running backs.
The problem with that was all three runners only saw around 130 carries a piece throughout the season. That is not enough touches to find out how productive talents like Darren McFadden and Michael Bush can be. With the departure of Fargas, the two talented youngsters are now going to have an opportunity to win the starting job between themselves.
While both running backs are very talented I would suspect this would be a great time for the Raiders to see if McFadden is the real deal. One could easily make a case that the 2008 class of running backs was the deepest draft class in NFL history.
Many running backs from that years' draft have already gone on and had at least one solid year of production for their team in their first two years playing. It seems that the only running back that hasn't had a successful season is the one who was drafted first, and that would be McFadden.
A top five pick at the 2008 draft, McFadden was supposed to be a big time difference-maker, and instead he hasn't received more than 113 carries in a season. This total is unacceptable and I'm sure owner Al Davis wants to see a positive return on the football field for all the money he is paying this player.
As for Bush, he is another talent, and if it wasn't for breaking his leg in his final year of college, he would have been a mid first-round pick coming into the draft. While Bush has clearly outplayed McFadden (4.8 yards per carry vs. 3.4 ypc), the coaching staff isn't happy with Bush's lackadaisical ways.
Fantasy Projection
One of these two running backs needs to establish themselves for the Raiders to have success as an offense. Both have plenty of talent to get the job done and now fantasy owners need to find out which one is going to be the main man in Oakland.
Both players shouldn't be starters for your fantasy team as the season gets under way, but it would be wise to take a late-round flair shot on one of them and see if they bust out.
NFL fantasy football player rankings writer Sean E. Douglas, fantasy-info.com
Arizona Cardinals Continue Their Busy Offseason
March 6th, 2010Go ahead. Pass the Kleenex around.
There's going to be plenty of crying tonight in the Valley of the Sun.
As expected, Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle have signed with other teams: Dansby with the Dolphins, and Rolle with the Giants.
Both signed huge contracts, making them some of the highest-paid players at their positions. In fact, Rolle reportedly has signed the largest deal for a safety ever.
But let's talk about this in terms of what Arizona fans can take away from these deals.
1. This Is a Testament to How Far the Cardinals Have Come
These were players developed in the Cardinals system. In other words, they were drafted by the Cardinals and learned from their coaches. They were two of the most highly-sought-after free agents in this class. This just shows how far the Cardinals have come since being the laughingstock of the league.
2. The Cardinals Couldn't Have Afforded What These Players Were Paid
Don't get me wrong, folks. I highly respect Dansby and Rolle—and I truly wish the best for them. But maybe they were a little overpaid with these deals? I mean, Rolle being the highest paid safety in NFL history? The Cardinals wanted him back for sure—but they also knew he had some weaknesses in his game.
The Cardinals seem to be operating under the age-old philosophy of not "putting all your eggs in one basket." They obviously believe the money can be better spent elsewhere, although I do believe they offered both some sort of contract.
3. This Is Not the Ending for Arizona
Don't be disheartened, Cardinals fans. Big names have come and gone from Arizona for the last several years—Calvin Pace, Thomas Jones, Antonio Smith. But since Ken Whisenhunt has taken over, the Cardinals have found a way to rebound. Sure, Arizona hasn't seen this type of carnage—maybe ever. But good organizations find a way to plug players in and make it work—teams like Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.
That's exactly what Arizona is trying to do.
The biggest results from this for Arizona come in terms of who will replace these two stars of the defense. We could see Arizona sign a guy like Larry Foote to come in to fill Dansby's shoes. Or it could be a chance for a guy like Monty Beisel or Reggie Walker to step in.
As for Rolle, it looks like Rashad Johnson will have some serious growing up to do in the desert, as the Cardinals are now dangerously thin at safety.
So how about your thoughts? Comment below on who should replace these defensive stalwarts, or vote in the poll. Thanks for reading!
